PRORODEO Sports News - March 27, 2026 Digital Edition

TUCKER CARRICATO TAKES BAREBACK RIDING TITLE AT RESISTOL ROOKIE ROUNDUP

By Kensie Darst-Todd, Special to PRORODEO Sports News

we’re back to rodeoing pretty hard. I’m just glad everything worked out this weekend and got the horses I did.” The draw played a key role. Car ricato opened the event with an 83.5-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Knight Mare, setting the tone for the weekend and giving him a foundation to build on in the short round. “The first one I got on, I knew a little bit about it,” Carricato said. “Cash Martin got on it not too long ago, and he sent me a video. Then, the one today, I knew a little bit more about it. I was just super ex cited to have him, and I knew it was going to be be pretty good.” Rather than adjust his approach, the 20-year-old stuck with what worked. His second ride mirrored the first, both in execution and score, with a ride on Hampton Pro Rodeo’s Barry’s Girl. “From the first day to here, it was the same thing,” he said. “I went into it having fun and today was just a repeat of everything.” On a stage where the pressure can shift quickly, Carricato kept his focus narrow. “I knew it was a big stage, but every horse is the same and every

arena is the same in my head,” he said. “So just do what I do and know what to do, and it all ends up work ing out.” The win carries weight beyond the payout. In his first full season, Car ricato secures his first PRCA rookie victory and builds momentum as he looks to climb from No. 6 in the Resistol Rookie of the Year bareback standings. “It means a lot coming out here,” he said. “It’s more confidence and more fun, just knowing that all these rookies are good and everybody’s here to compete.” Now in its fifth consecutive year, the Resistol Rookie Roundup con tinues to serve as a proving ground for first-year competitors, and the experience stood out to Carricato as much as the result. “It’s amazing,” he said. “Every body that puts it on in PRCA and Cowtown, they all make it a perfect little rodeo. It’s just a blast.” After stepping away from school to pursue rodeo full-time, Carricato has committed to the schedule and the demands that come with it. “I just always wanted to rodeo 24/7,” he said. “This makes it a little bit easier, and I just wanted to go for it.”

C onsistency made the difference at the Resistol Rookie (Texas) Roundup in Cowtown Coliseum, where bareback rider Tucker Car ricato turned in matching rides on back-to-back nights to claim the title with 167 points on two head, and walked away with a large payday. “I just feel really good,” Carricato said. “It’s been a good season so far, and I’ve been taking it slow. Now

MARCH 27, 2026 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE 41