PRORODEO Sports News | Roy Cooper 1955-2025 | May 2, 2025

SHORT STAY IN CLOVIS RESULTS IN XTREME PAYDAY FOR JACOB CARIGE

By Alex Riley

I t was a somewhat disappointing morning for Jacob Carige when he arrived in Clovis, Calif. On April 23, the Queensland, Austra lia, native learned that he had been drawn out of the Clovis Rodeo and wouldn’t get a chance to ride over the weekend in a performance. While the main rodeo wasn’t in his future, there was still a mid-week Xtreme Bulls event to compete in. In just a few short hours, Carige man aged to transform a temporary let down into a potential season-chang ing moment. Thanks to a pair of strong rides during the Clovis Rodeo Xtreme Bulls event, Carige walked away with his most notable win of the season - and, from his perspective, the most im portant one of his young career. “This is the biggest one I’ve won in the PRCA,” Carige said. After finishing 10th in the Resistol Rookie Bull Riding Standings last year, the second-year pro came into 2025 hoping to keep building mo mentum. It has been an up-and-down endeavor thus far. Heading into Clovis, Carige hadn’t cashed a check in more than a month, going seven straight rides without recording a score. In one night, he managed to flip the

script despite minimal intel on his opposition. During the opening go, Carige drew Legacy Pro Rodeo LLC’s Big Chief, an animal he had never seen before either in-person or online. The matchup led to an 87.5-point ride, good enough to place first in the round and secure a spot in the short go. The finals pairing pitted Carige against Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Speed Dial. In 2024, the animal was only ridden once in 20 tries. As part of the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge pen, the bull bucked off both riders he faced. “I watched my buddy Wacey (Schalla) get on Speed Dial at the Finals, but that’s the only time I’d seen anything on that bull,” Carige said.

was exactly what he needed as Carige entered Clovis clinging to a spot in the top 50

of the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. Prior to his win in Clovis, Carige was 40th in the rankings with a little less than $19,500 in earnings for the year. In total, the win added $14,932 to his ledger. Now, the 20-year-old has something positive to build on, even if it means he has to leave town to do it. Carige already has at least two rides lined up in Texas over the weekend. His hopes are to keep the momentum rolling, along with his climb up the leader board. “I was kind of dropping down a little bit in the standings and I needed a big win to get back up there again,” Carige said.

Carige made the situation

work, riding for 87.5 points once again, tying for first in the fina le. That allowed him to post 175 points on two rides, a half point ahead of Jordan Spears to claim the top spot. The outcome

Jacob Carige made the most of a disappointing situation by winning Clovis Xtreme Bulls. PRCA photo by Stu Hagen

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