16 minute read
Summer Rodeo Schedule
SUMMER RODEO
Christmas Christmas in July in July
You might be wondering what kind of Christmas could possibly be on the calendar for cowboys in July. The truth is, every year on the weekend of July 4th is one of the busiest and most profitable weekends of the rodeo season. Cowboys and cowgirls alike are making a mad dash to hit some of the largest paid events of the season.
The difference of missing just one of these rodeos could end up in losing your spot in the rankings within a matter of days. To give you just a small idea, on any normal weekend, there are anywhere from 15-17 rodeos taking place every Friday-Sunday. There are over 30 rodeos taking place on July 1st-3rd alone, which is what would be considered the official “Cowboy Christmas” but contestants are traveling that whole week.
Below I have highlighted some of the most prestigious rodeos that cowboys and cowgirls have their eye on in order to move the needle in their earnings.
Cody Stampede Rodeo July 1 - 4, 2022 | Cody, Wy codystampederodeo.com
This year will be the 103rd anniversary of the Cody Stampede Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. Contestants will compete for over $400,000 in prize money. The rodeo capital of the world promises nothing but the best in entertainment. In addition to the tried and true Cody Stampede, you can also enjoy the nightly Cody Nite Rodeo which runs every night June-August. The Cody Nite Rodeo has been running since 1938 and continues to be one of the best places for rodeo in the west.
Folsom Pro Rodeo July 1 - 3, 2022 | Folsom, Ca folsomprorodeo.com
Taking place the first three days of July, Folsom Pro Rodeo is one to add to your bucket list. Over the course of the July 4th weekend, Folsom will welcome over 21,000 attendees. After taking a hiatus during Covid, Folsom is ready to kick open the chutes and have one of their best years yet. If you want to attend, make sure to purchase your tickets early because they are anticipating a sold-out show before the gates even open.
•Left: Bull riding during the Cody Nite Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming.
•Above: The Painted Ladies are fan favorite as they show off horsemanship skills during fun colorful performances at the Folsom Pro Rodeo. These ladies have performed at the Folsom Pro Rodeo for more than 20 years!
•Above Right: Steer Wrestling at the 2017 Ponoka Stampede in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada
•Bottom Right: Young girl riding the mechanical bull at the World’s Oldest Rodeo: Prescott Frontier Days in Prescott, Arizona.
St. Paul Rodeo July 2 - 6 | St. Paul, Or stpaulrodeo.com
The St. Paul Rodeo in Oregon is another great rodeo to attend on the July 4th weekend. The St. Paul Rodeo is dedicated to the sport and to helping the community. Their foundation has donated to numerous organizations including the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, Wounded Warrior Project, and NHSRA, just to name a few.
What makes St. Paul Rodeo so special is how dedicated they are to not only producing a top-notch show but also preserving and celebrating their western heritage.
Prescott Frontier Days: World’s Oldest Rodeo June 28 - July 4 | Prescott AZ worldsoldestrodeo.com
The world’s oldest rodeo in Prescott, Arizona has been putting on a show since 1888. The very first sanctioned “cowboy contest” was held on July 4th of that year. Since that day professional rodeo has evolved and grown into the massive organization it is today. If you’re trying to decide what to do for the 4th of July weekend, this is the place to be!
Prescott Rodeo is known for its 10 days of rodeo action with some of the best names in the business coming south to kick off their start to Cowboy Christmas. In addition to being the world’s oldest rodeo, Prescott is also one of Arizona’s largest rodeos competing with the likes of Tucson and Scottsdale Rodeo.
Annual Fourth of July Celebration July 2 - 4 | Window Rock, AZ
A Navajo Nation tradition is the Annual Fourth of July Celebration held in Window Rock, AZ. Rodeo fans can see the wild west come alive during a wild horse competition, which will be held in conjunction with the PRCA Rodeo on July 4th. Approximately 400 contestants from throughout the world will compete for prize money. The Fourth of July Celebration will also include a carnival and a professional fireworks display on July Fourth.
Greeley Stampede June 23- July 4 | Greeley, Co greeleystampede.org
The Greeley Stampede is an exciting time in Colorado. They have some great entertainment lined up for you this year including Brett Eldredge, Cody Johnson, and Brothers Osborne. On the 4th of July they’ll have a bullfighting event at 1 pm, but be sure and stay for the fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Ponoka Stampede June 27 - July 3 | Ponoka, Alberta ponokastampede.com
It’s colorful, it’s famous and it’s known as being one of the top 10 rodeos in the world. It’s the Ponoka Stampede! Famous for its Chuckwagon racing, people come from all over North America to attend the Stampede, taking place June 27 - July 3 this year. It is the largest Canadian Professional Cowboy Association Approved Rodeo, and attracts the top competitors in both Canada and North America each year.
BY KRYSTA PAFFRATH
It’s everything from the purple mountain majesty.
To the idyllic tapestry of an ocean of sage and the rising sun. From the gentle bubble of coffee brewing to the quiet prayer on sun-chapped lips. It’s the old worn-out hat, the threadbare pearl snap, and a dusty pair of boots ready to do their best.
This is the Spirit of the West.
It’s the horses stirring in their pen, ready for a day on the range. It’s their soft nickers, inquisitive ears, and a gentle thud of hooves as they move as one. It’s the bawl of a bottle-fed calf, whose life has just begun.
This all plays a part in the Spirit of the West.
From the long days and early mornings to the miles traveled down the road.
To the nod of a head for an 8-second ride, with a hope to get it rode. It’s the sound of bucking horses getting loaded in the chute while the National Anthem plays. To the gentle patriotic sway of the crowd, ready for the show.
This is the Spirit of the West.
The Spirit of the West is… The joy of summer rain It’s sunburnt hands on a light rein And the gentle tip of a cowboy hat
It’s enduring frigid cold and sweltering heat
And feeding calves even when you’re beat
A warm smile and a firm handshake
And riding all day without a break
We are ranchers.
We are cowboys.
We are cowgirls. We are farmers. We are competitors. We are resilient. We are…
The Spirit of the West
ABOUT SPIRIT OF THE WEST
hope I was able to paint a small picture for you of what I envision the West to look like. It’s hard describing something that is so much bigger than a singular object. But that’s the amazing thing about this way of life, there isn’t just one thing that ties us all together. It’s everything. Everything from the animals we take pride in, to the land we take care of, from the people we meet to the products we use and love, and the companies whose values align with our own. That is something I am proud to be a part of.
We are all in this together, and it’s up to us to educate and pass this knowledge and wisdom on to the next generation. But how can they be a part of something they don’t know about? Our goal as an industry should be to spread the word about what makes us so special and unique while being encouraging as new people discover our lifestyle.
Within the pages of this magazine, there are stories of pioneers who have forged their way to get to where they are today. Stories of trials and tribulations. And stories of giving it all you have to make it across the finish line.
This issue of Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine celebrates all aspects of the Western Industry. From the 100-year-old companies honoring the way it’s always been done to ranches that go back several generations and still thrive to this day. Our industry deserves to be bragged on because there isn’t anything else like it in the world. With that though, comes the responsibility of sharing and educating those around us on why it’s so special.
I hope you enjoy the stories in this issue as much as I enjoyed curating them.
Krysta Paffrath
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine
Images Taken and Supplied by Phyllis Burchett Photography Phyllis Burchette is a professional, US-based photographer who has been in and around the horse industry even prior to being a photographer. She was bitten by the photography bug, along with a severe case of wanderlust, having traveled the Earth capturing the amazing creatures that inhabit the world with us. She found herself captivated by the birds, bears, and stunning landscape of the United States and Canada, in awe of the beautiful White Horses of the Camargue in France, documented the Horse Fishermen of Belgium, depicted the Connemara Pony of Ireland, and highlighted the iconic landscape and horses of Iceland. In addition, her style of photography perfectly matched the vision for the opening of this magazine and we can’t wait to feature her in the fall issue of Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine. You can find more about Phyllis and her photography at PhyllisBurchettpPhoto.net.
GARY LEFFEW
Gary Leffew is not only a World Champion bull rider, he is also known as the “Guru of Positive Thinking” and has the career highlights to back it up. Having been born and raised in California, he didn’t get on his first bull until he was about 20 years old. In 1964, after a year of riding practice bulls every day, Leffew quit his job and decided to pursue rodeo full time. In 1966, he made his first appearance at the National Finals Rodeo, finishing 10th in the world standings.
Even before his time of “positive thinking”, Gary knew the importance of visualizing the kind of life that you want to live and that’s exactly what he did. When I asked Gary what the early days of his career looked like this is what he said,
Gary: When you’re passionate about something and focused on it, you set up a law of attraction. The nature of your thoughts attracts a reciprocating action. Because of that raw positive thinking, in the beginning, I placed in the first 10 rodeos I competed in. Unfortunately, things took a bit of a turn and I went through a rough patch after I made my first National Finals when I broke my leg. At that time, I was married and had a kid on the way, so I started to worry for the first time in my life about what would happen if I didn’t win? What would happen if I didn’t stay on the bull? Not knowing how the mind worked at that time, I didn’t know that the more I worried, the more my mind would work against itself and self-sabotage ended up taking over. I went six months without riding a bull at that time to get myself back on track.
Then came a book entitled “Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz; which, by Gary’s own words, “changed his life”. Back then, your “typical” cowboy wasn’t too keen on terms like “visualization”, “zen-like state” and “mental game”. He was the first rodeo athlete to approach competition with these different techniques. After time and lots of practice, Gary learned to drown out the negative opinions and train his mind to accomplish what he set out to do.
The Guru of Positive Thinking & World Champion
Bull Rider BY KRYSTA PAFFRATH
•Leffew finished his career with a total of 7 NFR Qualifications and 1 Championship in 1970. He was inducted into the Pro ROdeo Hall of Fame in 2002.
Now, using these mental techniques yourself and training someone else to do them are two very different things. I was curious about what Gary’s own methods looked like when he started applying the power of positive thinking and he responded with this,
Gary: Every day at five in the morning I got up and did my visualization and role modeling. There was a guy by the name of George Paul that rode 67 bulls without getting bucked off. He was the overnight King and as good as anybody I’ve ever seen. Anthony Robbins said if you want to be the best, find the best to copy, so I started copying George’s style of riding. When I visualized it, I would see him riding and I would tell myself “That’s me, I can do that.” Anything you run through your mind over and over, you will start to believe it. When I went to my first rodeo in Denver, Colorado, the two months before that, every bull there would have been impossible for me to ride. After two months of brainwashing myself, the rankest bulls there looked like a day off. I couldn’t understand how anybody was falling off them because the mind can’t tell the difference between that real experience and the imagined experience.
Success didn’t just happen for him. It took a transformation from the inside- out to achieve his 1970 World Championship. When he learned to mentally put himself into the Winner’s Circle, Gary competed in hundreds of rodeos, but out of 25 of America’s top-paying and rankest rodeos, he won 19 of them. He won the World Championship and the WNFR Average – riding 9 out of 10 bulls. He qualified for the WNFR seven times and eventually earned his way into the PRCA Hall of Fame.
After his career of bull riding, Gary decided to stick with the sport he loves and started training up-and-coming bull riders the tricks of the trade, specifically how to mentally prepare for competing and riding bulls. In addition to training bull riders, he has also coached 25 world championship bull riders, barrel racers, calf ropers, steer wrestlers, and even NASCAR drivers on mental preparation for competition. Leffew mentioned that his bull riding school offers both private programs and group programs where riders can not only learn the mechanics of riding but also learn drills and the basics of “positive thinking” to improve their performance. Gary mentioned this about his training,
Gary: Everything they learn in my school isn’t going to end in results on the same day or weekend because it takes 21 days to take effect and to learn a habit. There are more than a couple of world champions who have been through my school, and they weren’t riding much better when they left than when they came. What they did do, is the drills, got outside of the game, and worked at it. Then each time they came back they would get better each time.
As I started to wrap up the interview, I couldn’t end it without knowing what kind of advice Gary had for anyone looking to get into bull riding or even where to start. This is Gary’s advice for new riders,
Gary: It’s like learning how to ski, you don’t go up on the black diamond right off the bat or you’ll kill yourself. Most places new riders go don’t have the type of bulls they need to start on in order to build confidence. If you’re getting bucked off every time, you’re killing your confidence. Then no matter what you learn, you’re always fighting that fear of failure and getting hurt. We start riders off on bulls that would be comparable to the bunny slopes. Once you get the mechanics down and the confidence is up, then we move to a level a little higher. Keep testing yourself as you go but do not allow yourself to go beyond that until you’re ready.
In case you haven’t heard yet, the Guru of Positive Thinking is coming out with his own podcast called, Trouble Expected with Gary Leffew. When I asked Gary what his fans and listeners can expect on the podcast, this was the teaser he gave me,
Gary: I have 59 years of some of the best stories of the most memorable characters in rodeo. Some of the stories I plan to tell are going to be really entertaining. People can also expect to see stories on the mental side of the game too. We’re going to bring in sports psychologists that talk about how to get you on that unconscious side of the mind and get you in that winning state.
The first guest is going to be Johnny Knoxville, from Jackass fame. I have been working with him for over 30 years so we’ve been through a lot together. It’s going to be a lot like a montage of some of the funniest stuff we’ve ever done so I am really looking forward to it. •Gary was the spokesman for Busch Beer
•Gary at the 1969 NFR in Oklahoma City •Gary on the set of “Jackass” with Johnny Knoxville.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GARY AND HIS BULL RIDING SCHOOLS, YOU CAN CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE, GARYLEFFEWSBULLRIDINGWORLD. COM
Gary Leffew Launches a Podcast
When the cowboys are in town, you know to expect trouble!
Join former world champion bull rider turned Hollywood actor turned bull riding guru Gary Leffew as he shares his stories spanning a 59-year career. What kind of mindset and lifestyle does it take to survive that many rodeos - and movie sets - and come out on the other side? You’ll hear all about it on Trouble Expected!
Trouble Expected, produced by Cowboy Lifestyle Network, premiered in June and featured Laffew and the one and only Johnny Knoxville of the television and movie series Jackass. Trouble Expected with Gary Laffew is available on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google and Spotify.
