Coronavirus stalls Texas rodeo, and is already affecting the 2021 Fort Worth Stock Show

When the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo opens its chutes in January, organizers hope that the coronavirus disease will have long been driven out of Cowtown.

However, the Stock Show’s 2021 ProRodeo Tournament already is being affected by concerns over COVID-19.

Stock Show Rodeo officials have designated seven smaller Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association shows during the spring and summer months in North Texas to help competitors qualify.

But the Wichita Falls PRCA Rodeo, scheduled for April 17-18, has been canceled because of the spread of the coronavirus. The Ellis County Livestock Show & Rodeo in Waxahachie, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, has been rescheduled for June 4-6.

The other five qualifier rodeos are the Palo Pinto County Livestock Association Rodeo in Mineral Wells; the Johnson County Sheriff’s Posse PRCA Rodeo in Cleburne; the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Frontier Days Rodeo in Weatherford; the Gladewater Round-Up Rodeo in Gladewater; and the North Texas Fair & Rodeo in Denton.

Fort Worth must find at another rodeo to replace Wichita Falls, plus possibly others, because the new tournament format consists of seven brackets and rodeo organizers want to place an event winner from the seven rodeos in each bracket.

“The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo fully supports the local communities and their rodeo committees as they confront the challenges of the COVID-19 virus and its impact on public health and local economies,” Stock Show communications manager Matt Brockman said in a statement. “We’ll remain in close contact with the local rodeo committees and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association as this situation unfolds and make alternative plans, should the need arise.”

The Stock Show Rodeo’s tournament field includes credentialed competitors. Some will have competed in the December Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and others will finish highly ranked in the PRCA world standings.

But the seven qualifier rodeos feature a mix of talented veterans and youth, and could serve as rodeo’s equivalent of pro baseball’s minor leagues.

On its website, the PRCA has posted the status of rodeos as canceled, postponed, planned or rescheduled.

As it turns out, The RFD-TVs The American, held March 7-8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, was the last sizable winter rodeo. RodeoHouston was canceled on March 11 and RodeoAustin was forced to cancel two days later.

Recent winners

But rodeo activity did not totally come to a halt in March.

Taylor Santos, a former Sam Houston State star who qualified for the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, took home the $100,000 champion’s check March 15 at the Cinch Timed Event Championship in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

Santos, 25, who is from Creston, California, and also has a home in the Stephenville area, said he was grateful he had a chance to compete at the Lazy E Arena.

“Everybody who won money over here at the Timed Event is so glad that it went on,” Santos said. “We don’t know when our next job is going to be. To not know when your next rodeo is wild. We don’t know if our next rodeo is in April, May or June.”

Tilden Hooper, who lives in the Saginaw area, clinched the bareback riding title March 13-15 in Aracadia Florida, and earned $4,301.

Dener Barbosa, a Brazilian who lives in Decatur, clinched the title and $35,000 at the Professional Bull Riders’ Unleash the Beast tour stop March 14-15 in Duluth, Georgia. The show was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

But winning didn’t come easy for Barbosa. According to pbr.com, Barbosa had to get seven stitches in his free hand after competing in Round 2 on March 15. But he returned to record a 91 during the final round and was the only rider who stayed on all three bulls during the two-day show.

“I just tried to suck it up and be tough,” Barbosa told pbr.com. “It doesn’t bother me much — it’s my free hand. Two years ago, I broke my foot here. That time wasn’t my moment, but God gave me this gift today.”

The PBR has canceled several upcoming tour stops, through the Albuquerque event April 24-26.

NCHA Super Stakes canceled

The National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) has canceled the NCHA Kit Kat Sugar Super Stakes. The second leg of the Triple Crown Series was scheduled for March 24-April 18 at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

“As we evaluated proposed dates to reschedule the show, we did not have the option to properly accommodate the length of the show without impacting the welfare of the horses and competitors,” NCHA executive director Jay Winborn said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

College, Fort Worth updates

▪ The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association has opted to conclude its regular season in all geographic regions.

The NIRA’s Southwest Region wrapped up its season Feb. 20-22 in Odessa, the sixth of 10 scheduled rodeos.

The NIRA has scheduled a meeting May 14 to determine whether to hold the College National Finals Rodeo, set for June 14-20 in Casper, Wyoming.

Tarleton State’s Brody Cress, who was ranked No. 1 in the NIRA Southwest Region saddle bronc standings, is set to advance to the Casper championships.

The top three in each event and top two teams in each region advance to the Casper championships. Tarleton State would send its men’s and women’s teams aftger both finished the regular season ranked No. 1.

▪ The weekly Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Fort Worth, held most Friday and Saturday nights throughout the year, has been postponed indefinitely, said general manager Tim Lanier. The Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge, a pro bull riding show scheduled for April 4 at Cowtown Coliseum, also has been canceled but organizers are exploring the possibility of conducting the renowned show later this year.

▪ The Cowboy Channel, which has its studios in the Fort Worth Stockyards, began broadcasting 40 nights continuously of the last four years of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas (2016-2019) on Friday (March 20). The NFR reruns, which begin at 7 p.m. each night, will run through April 28. Repeat airings begin at 11 p.m. (CT) each night.

“We are all still trying to come to grips with what has transpired in the last couple of weeks,” Jeff Medders, president and general manager of The Cowboy Channel, said in a statement. “We are excited to provide an escape in these tough times, and what would be better than ‘40 Nights of NFR’. Our hopes are that when we hit night 40, the challenges we are facing will have begun to subside, and we will all be energized and ready for the summer rodeo season.”