ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2024

STOCK OF THE YEAR

Pendleton Whisky’s Let ’er Buck Awards

BY TANNER BARTH S tanding out among a crowd of exceptional roughstock requires a perfect balance of animal athleticism and the cowboys capable of showcasing that talent. The 2024 “Pendleton Whisky’s Let ‘er Buck Bucking Stock of the Year Awards” recognized bareback horse Night Crawler of Pickett Pro Rodeo, Andrews Rodeo’s All Or Nothin and Big Bank of Universal Pro Rodeo was recognized as top bull for the PRCA’s Top Stock of 2024. NIGHT CRAWLER Pickett Pro Rodeo 2024 Bareback Horse of the Year For the second straight year Pickett Pro Rodeo’s standout horse Night Crawler has been selected as the Bareback Horse of the Year. Night Crawler becomes the first horse to the receive the honor in back to-back seasons since C5 Rodeo’s Virgil accomplished the feat in 2017-18. It’s an award that’s difficult to win once but the Pickett family said they never dreamed of taking home the honor twice in a row. “It’s more than we can ever dream of for sure,” said Cullen Pickett of Pickett Pro Rodeo. “To have a horse do it once is pretty unheard of for what we thought we could accomplish. Twice in a row is greater than anything we could’ve dreamed.” Night Crawler is 12 years old and weighs 1,300 pounds. She is 15 hands. Since the PRORODEO calendar flipped to the 2024 the horse has had an average stock score of 44.5. Bareback rider Cole Reiner put together the highest marked ride on the horse this season with a 92-point trip on Night Crawler at the Darby (Mont.) Xtreme Bareback event in June. “It seems like when the lights

Cole Reiner on Night Crawler at the Darby (Mont.) Xtreme Bareback cdsf sdf sdf sdf sdf sdf sdf sdf sdf . Roseanna Sales photo

this season on the horse was 87 points. Damian Brennan won the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on All Or Nothin with a 91.5-point ride in the finals. He’s a horse that’s going to give the cowboys all they can handle every time they nod their head. “Every time he has an out, he jumps really high and kicks out the back as hard as he can,” Andrews said. “He doesn’t cover much ground and allows guys to show off a little bit on him.

2024 TOP STOCK BAREBACK RIDING Boot Barn’s Night Crawler – Pickett Pro Rodeo Virgil – C5 Rodeo Company Agent Lynx – Calgary Stampede SADDLE BRONC RIDING All or Nothin – Andrews Rodeo The Black Tie – Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics Tokyo Bubbles – Calgary Stampede BULL RIDING

shine the brightest, she’s at her best. She gives it her all every single time,” Pickett said. “She kind of has a unique style I would say. It fits most guys. It takes a good guy to ride her like they do, but most of the time with her all she sees is good guys.” ALL OR NOTHIN Andrews Rodeo 2024 Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year Andrews Rodeo has a history

BIG BANK Universal Pro Rodeo 2024 Bull of the Year

Big Bank is the name and throwing

cowboys to the dirt is the game.

of producing big-time buckers in roughstock events. Throughout the long history of the stock contracting firm, they have never had a horse win a year-end top stock award. That changed in 2024 as All Or Nothin was named the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘er Buck Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year. It’s an honor that’s been years in the making for the standout horse. Before this season, All or Nothin had finished third in the voting on two different occasions, 2021 and 2023. “We never felt like we would have bronc of the year,” said Sammy Andrews of Andrews Rodeo. “I’m honestly at a loss for words right now. This honor is also going to mean so much to Mr. Claude Rickman, he’s the man that raised him.” All Or Nothin is 13 years old and weighs approximately 1,400 pounds and is 16 hands tall. The horse’s track record speaks for itself. The average score

Big Bank – Universal Pro Rodeo Pegasus – Pete Carr Pro Rodeo Ricky Vaughn – Powder River Rodeo

PRORODEO cowboys across the country realized that in 2024 as Universal Pro Rodeo’s Big Bank was selected as the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘er Buck Bull of the Year. The bull was yet to be ridden this season

with every cowboy failing to reach the eight-second whistle. The last qualified ride on Big Bank was on July 20, 2023, in Ogden, Utah, by Hayes Weight. It marks the first PRCA Stock of the Year honor for Universal Pro Rodeo. It’s an accomplishment they’ve been working toward since they established their stock contracting firm. “It means the world to me. It’s something you dream about as a kid,” said Dustin Delmas, General Manager of Universal Pro Rodeo. “So, to have it happen to you it means the world to our team here. I want to thank God before anyone else for this then of course my family and our partners.” The bull is six years old and weighs 1,800 pounds. From one of his first outs in PRORODEO to now he’s been a dominance force inside the arena.

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2024

ProRodeo.com

102