ProRodeo Sports News - June 7, 2024

DARBY, MONT.

YELLOWSTONE XTREME BAREBACK

BY ALEX DODD C ole Reiner, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bareback rider, competed in the short round in each of his appearances at Yellowstone Darby (Mont.) Xtreme Bareback. On June 2, the 25-year-old from Buffalo, Wyo., did enough to return to the finals and drew a familiar bucking horse, Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Crawler. He won the short-go at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo on the 2023 Pendleton Whisky Let ‘er Buck Bareback Horse of the Year in February, and the same horse finished atop the field at Daby last year. Reiner made the most of his opportunity on Night Crawler with a 92-point ride to claim the top spot and $12,611 at Richard Cromwell Memorial Rodeo Grounds. “That horse is great, but you have to do your job too,” Reiner said. “I was definitely a lot more calm during the short round than the first round. I was keeping everything calm, cool and together. I was a little less excited and a little more focused.” He finished fourth in section three with an 87.5-point ride to narrowly qualify for the finals. Reiner has finished as high as fifth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings but had never recorded a 92-point ride, until Sunday. The winning performance in the short-go marked the highest score of his career and the win put him in good company. “I could’ve been at 93 (points) and beaten Kaycee (Feild) on her but no big deal,” Reiner joked. “Anytime you’re at 90 it’s a ride that you’ll remember. But to go 92 in that arena where there have been some really huge scores and to be in there with the rest of them is something you’ll remember. And that’s my highest score so far.” Reiner bumped up to 12th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $48,504 after his five-figure payday in the Treasure State. He said the win moved him back into the mix for a fifth-straight trip to Las Vegas and set him up nicely ahead of the summer run. “Anytime you win a dollar it helps but when you can win $10,000 or $13,000 at a time it takes a little bit of pressure off in the summertime,” Reiner said. “We get to pick and choose our rodeos anyway but this really helps entering rodeos and going to get on horses I want to get on.” Kade Berry finished second in the event with a 91.5-point ride in the finals and an 88.5-point ride in section three to earn $11,175. R.C. Landingham finished third with a 91-point ride in the short-go and an 86.5-point ride in section two to earn $7,106. “Kade Berry went out (in the finals) and made a really good ride for a 91.5. Then R.C. Landingham and Kennan Hayes came out in the 90s also,” Reiner said. “So I still had to show off out there to beat those guys.” Reiner plans to compete in a few more rodeos in June, including the Elizabeth (Colo.) Stampede, before hitting the ground running starting at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo, June 20-29. “I’ll go to Elizabeth because it’s one of my favorite little circuit rodeos,” he said. “Summit Pro Rodeo hosts its and I’ve been getting on their horses since I started. It’s always one that I like to go to and I’ve had really good luck there before. Then we’ll start easing our way toward Reno.” Reiner sets new career mark to win xtreme bareback title Breaking Through

Roseanna Sales photo Cole Reiner won the Yellowstone Darby (Mont.) Xtreme Bareback event with this 92-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Crawler.

Complete results/Page 56

ProRodeo Sports News 6/7/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 6/7/2024

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