Parallel Paths
By: Ruth Nicolaus
Wyoming cowboy rides Wyoming horse to lead the bareback riding at St. Paul Rodeo
Cole Reiner, Buffalo, Wyo. took the lead in the bareback riding after the third night of the St. Paul Rodeo. Photo by Hoot Creek.
St. Paul, Ore – Cole Reiner finished second at last year’s St. Paul Rodeo, but he’s working to change that this year.
The Wyoming cowboy topped the leaderboard after the fourth night of the 2023 St. Paul Rodeo.
He rode the Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics horse Mustard for 88 points, a half-point more than Jacek Frost, who rode Sunday night.
He was pleased to know he’d drawn the horse, and knew the other bareback riders had an equal chance to win on outstanding horses like Mustard.
“There are two rookies here tonight (Sam Peterson and Kade Sonnier), that had equally as good horses,” he said. Peterson rode the Sankey horse Bronc Riding Nation, scoring 87 points, and Sonnier drew the Sankey horse MLW’s Irish eyes and scored 85.
“Sam had the horse I won Sheridan (Wyoming) on, and Kade had a horse that I got on in the fifth round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo” in 2022, he said. “Wade Sankey has some of the best horses we get on.”
Reiner has done well over Cowboy Christmas. He won second at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo in June and won Prescott, Ariz. this week. A win in St. Paul would be the icing on the cake.
“This could be a big win,” he said. “This is a $12,000 win, and would put me well into the top five in the world standings.”
Cowboy Christmas isn’t over for the 24 year old. He and his traveling partners will drive to Spokane tonight, then fly to Bismarck, N.D., compete there the night of July 4, make a 90 minute drive to Killdeer, N.D., to ride there, then they have two days off before Reiner competes at the Calgary Stampede.
Reiner is well acquainted with the Sankey family, being neighbors in north central Wyoming. He rode Sankey horses in practice rodeos in college at Central Wyoming College (Riverton, Wyo.) and Sheridan (Wyo.) College.
“I’ve been on a lot of Wade’s very nicer end younger horses, and the older ones, too.”
As Reiner’s career has advanced, so has the horses he grew up riding on.
“It’s been really cool to watch my career advance, and watch his horses come along,” he said. “A lot of these horses that are bucking now are the ones that were babies when I was a baby, starting out in rodeo. Growing up with a relationship with these stock contractors and these animals is something people don’t appreciate.”
Reiner has qualified for the Wrangler NFR three years (2020-2022) and finished last season in seventh place.
“We’re all on the same path in rodeo, and the goal is the same, to get to the (Wrangler National) Finals, as a contestant and as an animal.”
Other high scores and fast times from slack and the fourth performance of the St. Paul Rodeo include saddle bronc rider Ben Anderson, Eckville, Alberta (87 points), bull rider Hayes Weight, Goshen, Utah (87); and barrel racer Jimi Jones, Toppenish, Wash. (17.30 seconds).
In the timed events, first and second round leader are as follows: steer wrestler Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho (4.0 seconds, first round) and Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore. (4.0, second round); tie-down roper Jordan Ketscher, Squaw Valley, Calif. (8.6, first round) and Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash. (10.9, second round); and team ropers Kreece Thompson, Munday, Texas and Landen Glenn, McAlester, Okla. (4.7, first round) and Cutter Machado, Santa Maria, Calif. and Dalton Pearce, San Luis Obispo, Calif. (5.1, second round).
The St. Paul Rodeo wraps up on July 4 with two performances: a 1:30 pm matinee and a 7:30 pm performance. The parade takes place at 10 am through downtown St. Paul.
For more information, visit the website at StPaulRodeo.com