June and July are busy months for the crew from Wild Horse Rodeo Productions headquartered in Wynnewood, OK. Former IPRA world champion bull rider Wendel Ratchford is known for his outstanding herd of rough stock as well as his professional approach to each and every one of his events.
In 2012, Wild Horse Rodeo run starts out in Pauls Valley, OK for the Heritage Days 67th Celebration held June 28 -30. This deeply rooted event offers IPRA timed event contestants, including the cowgirl breakaway ropers, the opportunity to compete for $1500 added money per event. Rough stock riders will be working for their share of $2,500 added money per event. The rodeo is part of the Oklahoma Twister Rodeo Series and the arena is located in Wacker Park.
July puts the Wild Horse crew into over-drive hosting their hometown rodeo in Wynnewood. The three performance rodeo kicks off on July 12 and runs through the 14th. This rodeo is also on the Oklahoma Twister Rodeo Series tour and features the cowgirls breakaway ropers with $1,500 added to their event and $1,000 added to the remaining events. The cowgirl breakaway ropers will have the opportunity to rope in two go-rounds with two separate payoffs. One round will count as Wynnewood’s rodeo and the second round will count for Stratford, OK’s rodeo. Although there is no average payoff, there is a custom trophy cuff bracelet from Bob Berg on the line that will be presented by Beth Crump Hillin. Cowgirls must enter both go-rounds to be eligible for the bracelet.
The next stop on the Wild Horse whirlwind run is July 19 – 21 at Stratford, OK. This rodeo is the 77th edition of the Round-up Club Rodeo and is another stop on the Oklahoma Twister Rodeo Series. This rodeo offers up $500 added money to the contestants.
The crew heads east into the Ozarks for their last stop at Huntsville, AR, July 27-28. Known as the Crossroads of the Ozarks, the Sky High Arena is the beautiful backdrop for the 15th Annual IPRA Rodeo. Contestants will be working to add a portion of the $14,000 total added money to their bank accounts and their world standing tallies.
For more information on IPRA rodeos in your area check out www.iprarodeo.com.
By Tammie Hiatt