Good Stock
St. Paul Rodeo recognized for excellent bucking horses
St. Paul, Ore. – The St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo has won the PRCA’s rodeo committee Polaris Ranger Remuda Award for 2019.
The award is given to the rodeo committee and the stock contractor that provide the best, most consistent pen of bucking horses, creating the best opportunities for cowboys to score well.
Powder River Rodeo, Riverton, Wyo., won the stock contractor category for the Remuda Award.
The St. Paul Rodeo, which will celebrate 85 years in 2020, has six stock contractors who bring their best horses and bulls to St. Paul. Bridwell Pro Rodeos, Red Bluff, Calif.; Flying 5 Rodeo and Big Bend Rodeo, Ritzville, Wash.; Korkow Rodeos, Pierre, S.D.; Corey & Lange Rodeo, Moses Lake, Wash.; and Big Stone Rodeo, Inc., Cessford, Alberta, all provide the rodeo animals.
The rodeo strives to make sure the best animals buck at the rodeo. “We want to make sure (the cowboys) who enter have a chance to win,” said Matt Weishoff, livestock boss and a rodeo director. “Our stock contractors take a lot of pride in our livestock, too. They want the same thing.”
With the St. Paul Rodeo occurring over the Fourth of July, one of the busiest times of the rodeo season, cowboys, who are independent contractors, can choose what rodeos to enter, and St. Paul makes sure they know they’ll get on an animal that will perform well, thus giving them a better chance to win. “There are so many rodeos going on (over the fourth of July), that if the cowboys don’t come and ride, the fans aren’t going to be happy, because they won’t see any substance,” said Tim Bridwell, primary stock contractor for the rodeo. And the high quality of horses and bulls makes for better scores, too. “When you have low scores, the fans realize it’s not good” competition, he said.
Winning the award is a great honor, Weishoff said, but the rodeo hasn’t done anything differently than they’ve done the last eighty-plus years. “It shouldn’t have been a surprise to win it,” he said. “We take a lot of pride in our livestock. It’s nice to know that people do recognize the efforts we put into it. We put a lot of time and effort, looking after our cowboys and our stock contractors. It makes it all worthwhile.”
Weishoff also commended the men and women who own and care for the rodeo animals. “It’s kind of humbling to realize these guys, how much they have invested in their animals. It’s in the millions (of dollars). They want the best for their livestock, and they’re continually trying to keep their herd at top quality. It’s a big thing for them, too. I’m happy for our stock contractors to be recognized in this way.”
Bridwell estimates that 180 horses and fifty bulls from the six contractors perform at St. Paul for the annual rodeo.
The 85th annual St. Paul Rodeo will take place June 30-July 4, 2020. Performances begin at 7:30 pm nightly, with a matinee on July 4 at 1:30 pm. Tickets go on sale December 13 and will be available online at www.St.PaulRodeo.com and at the gate.
For more information, visit the website or call the rodeo office at 503.633.2011.
See more at stpaulrodeo.com