Competitors adapt to wet conditions at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo

As precipitation fell, fans moved to the top and center of the covered stands, to get away from the rain, while cowboys and cowgirls donned raincoats.

The rain did not deter the Arnold Company.

The Abilene, Kan., man, a tie-down roper, roped his calf in 9.1 seconds to tie for the lead in the second round with Ryan Belew, La Junta, Colorado.

It was his second race of the weekend (tie-down roping and steer wrestling last two rounds, meaning they compete twice), and fellow competitor Riley Pruitt had this calf in the first lap, running a 10.5-second run.

“She took the tie well,” Arnold said. “She was good.”

The 24-year-old is ranked eighth in the Prairie Circuit standings, rodeos held in Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

A check from the Buffalo Bill Rodeo would bolster his ranking and help him qualify for another Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo this fall.

Arnold was aboard a sixteen-year-old sorrel gelding named BP, which he had been riding for a year and a half. It was his first trip to North Platte.

Rodeos are rarely canceled or even postponed due to rain and mud.

Cowboys and cowgirls must learn to adapt to weather conditions.

For bareback riders, saddle bronc riders, and bull riders, their biggest concern is their equipment.

Saddle Bronc rider Colby Smith, Burns, Wyo., said the most important thing a rough rider should do is cover his gear so it doesn’t get wet.

“I put a trash bag over the bulge of my saddle to keep the rosin dry,” he said, “and I take it off right before I ride.” Cowboys pack trash bags in their gear bags so they have them on hand in case it rains.

All the competitors pay attention to their horses, and none more so than the barrel racers.

Ashley Odenbach, Taylor, Neb., was watching her horse.

“You absolutely must pay attention to your safety and that of your horse. If you have the impression that it’s a little vague, you have to know your horse and know what to do with it so that it doesn’t fall on this kind of terrain.

Odenbach’s barrel horse handles mud well, she said. “My mare runs pretty well in the mud, so I know I can ride her in there and trust her, knowing we’ll both do well.” Sometimes barrel racers choose to “participate” – not compete – due to the muddy conditions of the arena. Of the twelve barrel racers scheduled to compete tonight, four of them did not race.

For tie-down ropers, team ropers, and breakaway ropers, one of their biggest concerns is their ropes.

Escape roper Micah Samples, of Abilene, Kan., said the ropes change with precipitation. “Everything is wet, the rope doesn’t slide well and the sensation changes,” she says. “There’s not much you can do about it. And (baby) powder doesn’t work because it gets sticky.

One of the biggest factors is that conditions for tonight’s competitors were wet, compared to the previous two nights.

“When everyone has had a trial period,” she says, “it’s hard to be competitive. It’s the luck of the draw. It’s not ideal, but be a cowgirl, go out there and try to make something of it.

Fast times and high scores from Friday night’s performance include bareback rider Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb. (80 points); steer wrestlers Sawyer Strand, Sioux Falls, SD, and Payden McIntyre, Douglas, Wyo. (4.5 seconds each); saddle bronc rider Talon Elshere, Hereford, SD (79 points); breakaway roper Josie Conner, Iowa, Louisiana (3.4 seconds); team ropers Dustin Egusquiza, Marianna, Fla., and Levi Lord, Sturgis, SD (4.5 seconds); and barrel racer Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Texas (16.87 seconds). No bull riders sounded the eight-second buzzer.

The fourth and final night of Buffalo Bill Rodeo action will take place on Saturday, June 15 starting at 8 p.m. NebraskalandDays activities continue until June 22.

Third performance, June 14

1. Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb. 80 points on Nutrena lost and found; 2. Andy Gingerich, Aberdeen, SD 76.5; 3. (tie) Owen Brouillette, St. Francisville, La. and Grant Worthington, Marshall, Mo. 75.

1. (tie) Sawyer Strand, Sioux Falls, SD and Payden McIntyre, Douglas, Wyo. 4.5 each; 3. Hadley Jackson, La Junta, Colorado 14.5; 4. Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo. 14.6.

1. Coy Arnold, Abilene, Kan. 9.1 seconds; 2. Clint Graves, Oxford, Kan. 11.4; 3. Lane Livingston, Seymour, Texas 12.2; 4. Cole Tierney, Broken Bow, Neb. 12.5.

1. Talon Elshere, Hereford, SD 79 points; No other qualified trips

1. Josie Conner, Iowa, Louisiana, 3.4 seconds; 2. Nicole Hadley, Goodland, Kan. 4.2; 3. Libby Winchell, Casper, Wyo., 4.5; 4. Bradi Good, Abilene, Texas 12.6.

1. Dustin Equsquiza, Marianna, Fla./Levi Lord, Sturgis, SD 4.5 seconds; 2. Jay Tittel, Pueblo, Colo./TJ Watts, Eads, Colo. 6.0; 3. Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas/Conner Herren, Crooks, SD 15.3; 4. Joe Macoubrie, Alva, Okla./Kingston Chang, Dodge City, Kan. 17.8.

1. Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 16.87 seconds; 2. Kylie Kanngiesser, Attica, Kan. 17.21; 3. Sadie Wolaver-Troyer, Weatherford, Oklahoma, 5:27 p.m.; 4. Ashley Parks, Dania Beach, Florida, 5:40 p.m.

**All results are unofficial.