2018 PRCA Media Guide - PRCA Awards

Steer Roping AQHA/PRCA Horses of the Year (continued)

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Dan Hubbell

When John Bland began steer roping on Salty about three years ago, the 16-year-old gelding showed his versatility in a big way – leading Bland to his first appearance at the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping last November. Bland has owned Salty the horse’s entire life; initially Bland’s boys used the horse to learn team roping. This year, atop Salty, Bland finished 10th in the regular-season standings with $48,184.“This is unbelievable to know that we’ve been together this long and that everybody thinks as much of him as I do,”Bland said. “It’s a great honor to have. I thought he might make a good steer roping horse because of his demeanor and his size, and now we’ve come to this point. He has a laid-back personality and doesn’t get worked up at a rodeo – he stays low key and he tries every time. I take pride in what he has helped me accomplish this year and I wouldn’t be where I’m at without him.”

Barrel Racing

Tie-down Roping

WPRA photo by Kirt Steinke

PRCA ProRodeo file photo

Si is the kind of horse that any style of roper can win on and is good at any setup, said tie-down roper Shane Hanchey, who purchased the 11-year-old gelding over two years ago. Hanchey bought Si from tie-down roper Zeb Chapman; with Si, Hanchey finished third in the regular-season world standings and qualified for his eighth Wrangler NFR. “In October of 2015, I won the All American ProRodeo Finals on him, and that’s when I felt like the horse had potential to be good, and he has only gotten better,” Hanchey said. “It’s cool that I now have a Horse of the Year. He’s an easy-going horse that doesn’t care about anything. He went the longest out of any of my horses this year and I think his calm demeanor helps him.”

Nellie Miller’s 9-year-old blue roan mare Rafter W Minnie Reba, or “Sister,” was a model of consistency in 2017. Sister and Miller piled up $130,537 in just 47 rodeos and entered the NFR third in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association world standings. Winning the AQHA/WPRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year is an accomplishment for Miller’s entire family, as her father, former Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association team roper Sam Williams, raised and trained the horse. Sister is the daughter of Miller’s high school rodeo horse and the half-sister to Blue Duck, the steed that carried her to her first NFR in 2010 – so the award is certainly a family affair. The duo collected big wins in Reno, Nev., St. Paul, Ore., and Ellensburg, Wash., en route to the honor voted on by their peers.

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PRORODEO AWARDS