Roger Estlack

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Before he even arrived in town to compete at his first National Finals Rodeo, Weston Timberman had already proven himself to the folks who know rodeo well.

He’s won two straight intercollegiate national championships in bareback riding while competing at Clarendon College, and at just 20 years of age, he’s excelled at ProRodeo. He entered the 10-round title bout at the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus with more than $150,000 in earnings and a love affair with the sport.

Since hitting this metro of nearly 3 million people, Timberman is just adding to his pile. He won Thursday night, then returned to the pay window after making an 85.5-point ride to finish fifth in Sunday’s fourth round, worth $8,693. Combined with the $10,000 qualification bonus, he has collected $52,381 at this year’s NFR and has moved to sixth on the bareback riding money list with $206,480.

Timberman matched moves with Macza Pro Rodeo’s Slide Show in the most recent round, which featured the “eliminator pen,” the hardest-to-ride broncs in ProRodeo. The big, athletic brown horse from Canada threw all the power it could, and the Wyoming-born cowboy now living in Columbus, Montana, kept scratching through the eight-second ride.

Though he failed to place in Rounds 2 and 3, he has continued to put on the kind of show that propelled him to the 2024 Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year title. The third generation of his family to compete in this rugged event, he is carrying on a tradition that was first highlighted by his grandfather, Lonnie, who passed it down to his son.

Timberman’s father, Chris, was the 2006 PRCA national circuit champion bareback rider. Uncle Kelly Timberman won rodeo’s gold in 2004; that same year, he earned the average title, then backed it up by winning the aggregate again in 2005.

Weston Timberman is well within position to claim all the NFR has to offer. He’s just six points behind average leader Cole Franks, another intercollegiate champ at Clarendon.

Timberman has six nights remaining on his season, but that offers a boatload of chances to cash in before the curtain closes Saturday night. He will be matched in Monday’s fifth go-round with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Flight, one of the most electric horse in ProRodeo.

There is nearly $1 million still on the table for bareback riders to win over the next few days in Las Vegas, so the opportunities are endless.

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – The “eliminator pen” of broncs at the National Finals Rodeo are the most miserable, hardest-to-ride horses in ProRodeo.

Most of the cowboys who get on their backs in a regular season hit the dirt, but those that ride them well are rewarded with high scores. Of the 15 horses in the mix during Sunday’s fourth round, there were a couple that may have been more rider-friendly.

Brody Wells had one of those in Calgary Stampede’s Yesterday’s Delivery, which he rode for 86 points to finish fourth in the go-round. That was worth $14,127.

“I was pretty excited,” said Wells of Powell, Wyoming. “That’s a really good horse to have in the ‘E pen,’ and I’ve been thinking about that horse a lot this fall. It’s just been weird thoughts. It’s come to me and when I was riding my spur board before I came here, that’s the horse I thought about having.

“I thought I rode him pretty good. I made a mistake about the third or fourth jump, but a lot of stuff was happening.”

Yes, it was. The athletic bay provided a great deal of action, but Wells matched it move for move. With his ride, the Wyoming cowboy increased his NFR earnings to $57,814. He’s 10^th in the world standings with $193,617.

“It’s touch and go on a horse like that,” he said. “You just keep your chin down and keep firing. I had one little bobble, but I just kept gassing it and kept going.”

It was a nice recovery. After winning Friday’s second round, Wells was bucked off by Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Diamond Fever on Saturday. He just kept the situation in perspective.

“I don’t care about that,” Wells said. “I like going for wins. I want to ride every horse I get on and ride it good, but if I go down trying to win, there’s no sense in being 82 points out here. You’re not going to get paid, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”

Besides, he has six more nights to showcase his talents and try to grasp the opportunities to earn more Las Vegas cash. The first step is Monday’s “TV pen,” the grouping of horses he bronc riders have selected to be the most electric. The name of the set dates back to the days when only the 10^th round was televised. Those horses perform on the fifth and 10^th rounds.

“Having an 86.5 in the ‘eliminator pen’ helps a lot, because tomorrow is going to be big,” he said. “Those horses still buck, and they can still stand you on your head, but they’re going to be really showy, good timing and feel bucky but good.”

From one rank beast to another, Wells is doing what he loves on the sport’s biggest stage.

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – The National Finals Rodeo can be a bit of a blur.

Saddle bronc rider Brody Wells – competing at the championship for the first time – found that out early. There’s mystique surrounding this 10-day affair, a celebration of the year’s greatness in rodeo. Most in the field have spent a lifetime just trying to make it inside the yellow chutes. This is Wells’ moment, and he’s adjusting to all the pomp and circumstance that comes with competing in the sport’s biggest event.

“I can’t even remember getting on that horse (Thursday) night,” said Wells, 23, of Powell, Wyoming. “It felt like my first horse really.”

He scored 80 points, but that wasn’t even close to placing on opening night. He more than made up for it during Friday’s second round, riding Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman for 90 points to win the night and collect $33,687. He’s moved up one spot to 11^th in the world standings with $179,490.

Of course, it helped to have a horse like Pretty Woman, which is bucking at the finale for the eighth time and has guided cowboys to round victories before.

“That horse is electric,” he said. “He’s built and has got good shoulders, something you can get a hold of (with spurs). You get a good spur out, and you can feel him. I felt him back up underneath my feet and come back underneath me.

“We got in time with each other and a guy could show off, feel him kicking over, cracking hard, kicking behind my head, so it felt great.”

With that, he not only collected a bucketload of cash but also made a trip to the South Point Hotel and Casino for the nightly go-round buckle presentation.

“I’ve got all my family here,” said Wells, who was part of men’s national championship teams at Clarendon (Texas) College in 2021 and Tarleton State University in 2022. “My grandpa is actually here for a few days, so it’s pretty special to do that. He’s pumped the whole time he’s been here.”

It’s another aspect of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage, which not only features the top 15 contestants in each event from the regular season but also hosts tens of thousands of fans during a week and a half in the Nevada desert. Cowboys and cowgirls are treated like rock stars, and they’ve earned the right to compete for the most prize money throughout the year.

In the City of Entertainment, it takes talent and a little bit of luck to shine, which is exactly what Wells did Friday.