CHURCH ROCK, NM – The Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Night Rodeo on Saturday served as a final dress rehearsal for the actual event.
Several competitors used the Jackpot Rodeo to prepare for the start of the open rodeo, which begins today at 9:00 a.m. with the Slack Show at Red Rock Park.
Exclusive to the Times | Lee Begaye
Cowgirl Cassidy White of Pinedale, NM, won the junior barrel racing event with a time of 16.78 at the 102nd Annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial Night Rodeo at Red Rock Park.
“This is preparation for the big rodeo,” said 23-year-old team roper Doyle Lee. “It’s good that I’m registered here because I rode a young horse that I’ve only just broken in.”
The four-day Ceremonial Open Rodeo ends on Sunday afternoon with the best ten participants in the standard disciplines moving into the short round.
Lee made it two wins on Saturday, winning the open team roping with header Bahe Henio, with the pair posting a run of 8.59. He also tied for third with Yazhi Thomas, catching a leg with a run of 11.94.
For both runs, the cowboy from Názlini, Arizona, used his five-year-old horse named Bullseye
“I’ve only had him for a couple of years and he’s really making progress,” said Lee. “I’ve gained some trust in him and I’m very confident. I qualified for the World Series finals in Las Vegas when he was three and rode him there.”
Lee has entered the Ceremonial Open Rodeo three times. He lassos with Triston Cody, Dennis Boone and Rory Billie.
“I’ve actually made the short go for the last three years, but never got my turn,” Lee said. “Hopefully it will go a lot better this year.”
Kyle Little, a team roper from Forest Lake, Arizona, also earned two checks Saturday night. Little won the No. 10 team roping with Leonard Williams Sr. with the 6.7 run they scored.
“We had a pretty good lead,” Little said. “It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t slow. It was just average.”
Little thanked Williams for this fast run.
“Senior had a good start and just put it in my loop,” said the 40-year-old.
Little described the same setup with his partner Dennison Boone in open team roping, where the pair took second place with a 9.9 run.
“That steer really tried,” Little said. “The steer ran hard, but Boone did what he had to do to get him back in my loop.”
At this week’s big rodeo, Little will be throwing lassoes with Williams, Boone and Rick Tolino.
“Senior and I have worked together all year and we have a connection,” Little said. “It worked out for us.”
Cowgirl Cassidy White of Pinedale, New Mexico, also used Saturday night’s rodeo to hone her runs in both the breakaway and barrel racing competitions. She competed twice at the Jackpot Rodeo, in both the junior and open competitions.
“We went a little too far on our first barrel on both runs,” White said, adding that she did not do well on breakaway roping.
“It was kind of weird for me because I won the junior open rodeo today,” said the 15-year-old cowgirl. “I just tried to rush it. I’m trying to be consistent. I just have to work hard and get better.”
White won the Junior Barrels with a score of 16.784 and took second place in the Open behind event winner Cassidy Begay. She ran a touch faster in the Open with a score of 16.752.
“I think I made up some time on our second and last barrel,” White said. “I’m going to try to fix our first barrel and I’m going to watch the video and try to do better next time.”
Begay won the open barrels with a run of 16.888, ousting White from the title.
“Every time I run, I just try to do my best,” Begay said. “Obviously, the terrain was really good. I’m grateful to the rodeo committee for taking care of the terrain.”
Begay praised her horse Liam for giving her a head start over the ten barrel racers.
“There are some good barrel racing horses here with some good riders,” Begay said. “I’m just happy my horse did his job again.”
