RodeoHouston Champions Awarded $65,000 Bonuses with Season-Defining Wins

After several weeks of the best in the business competing in Houston, Texas, it concluded with big paydays and with some contestants going home with their season plans adjusted. Each event champion took home a $65,000 prize from the final round win alone. The final day of RodeoHouston kept fans on the edge of their seats as the stories unfolded.

Tie-Down Roping

The final four in tie-down roping were all NFR Qualifiers. Kincade Henry, Zach Jongbloed, Riley Webb, and Shane Hanchey advanced to the shootout round. Riley had been the fastest in the long round, so he got the advantage of going last. Kincade put together a run of 8.1 seconds with one man left to rope. The pressure was all on the reigning world champion, Riley Webb. Webb rose to the occasion and tied his calf in 7.6-seconds to win the title.

At only 21 years old, Webb has already won RodeoHouston twice, has qualified for three NFRs, and is chasing his third consecutive gold buckle. His win at Houston will place him where he likes to be in the standings, right on top. The Denton, Texas man is always quick to credit his faith and the importance of just doing his job every time.

Bareback Riding

The bareback riding was a knife fight from the beginning. Going into the shootout round was the 2025 World Champion Dean Thompson, Rocker Steiner, Bradlee Miller, and the young gun Sam Peterson. Bradlee Miller has had an incredible season already, sitting on top early on in the year. Miller scored 89.5 points giving himself a real chance in the shootout round. But, one can never count out Rocker Steiner who came out the champ after a nearly flawless 91-point ride.

Steiner has not had the season he had hoped for up til now, so his win at Houston put him back in the standings. Miller was already so far ahead of the pack, that he still leads the bareback riding standings by over $30,000.

Team Roping

The final four in the team roping consisted of teams Begay/Todd, Tomlinson/Graves, Rogers/VonAhn, and Wade/Thorp. A couple of broken barriers changed the scene a bit, and Derick Begay and Colter Todd just had to go out and make a solid run for the incredible $65,000 bonus. They didn't back off any though, stopping the clock at 5.8 seconds.

This Arizona team now sits at the top of the standings, looking to qualify for another NFR. Begay has been to the big show 11 times, and Todd four. Neither of them have a gold buckle yet though. Both being men of few words, they had big smiles after this win.

Saddle Bronc Riding

The saddle bronc riding was exciting all the way to the end. The final four were Kolby Wanchuck, Chase Brooks, Ryder Wright, and Weston Patterson. Wright claimed the long round victory, with Wanchuck close behind. After two impressive rides, Wright and Wanchuck ended up tied for the win in the shootout with 88 points, resulting in a ride-off.

Three-time and reigning World Champion Ryder Wright emerged the champ after delivering another outstanding ride, scoring 87 points. With nine NFR qualifications and three gold buckles to his name, this marked Ryder Wright's first win at Houston.

Barrel Racing

We saw a familiar neck-in-neck race in the barrel racing. Acey Pinkston, Hailey Kinsel, Kassie Mowry, and Brittany Tonozzi were the final four. Pinkston, a Houston rookie made solid, consistent, and fast runs all week. Tonozzi was aboard a new horse, and the pair sure seemed to like it in NRG Stadium. Then there is the reigning world champion and reserve world champion Mowry and Kinsel.

Kinsel and her famous horse Sister came out of the wild card round after a mishap in their semi-finals. They won the long round of the finals with a 14.57. A few hours later, they ran a 14.52 in the shootout hoping to secure the title. But, World Champions Mowry and Jarvis had something to say about that. Mowry clocked a 14.50 last on the ground and took home the coveted Houston title.

Breakaway Roping

Bradi Good, Joey Williams, Taylor Munsell, and Beau Peterson fought til the end to be the final four breakaway ropers. When it came down to it in the shootout, there was no time for extra swings and safetying up. Good put the pressure on from the beginning with a 2.8. Munsell then knew her game plan and executed with a 2.7 to come out on top.

Taylor Munsell has qualified for the National Finals Breakaway Roping every year since 2021. She doesn't have a World Title to her name yet, but following her Houston win sits comfortably in the No.1 spot to chase her first gold buckle this year.

Bull Riding

The crowd at NRG stadium was electric when Tristen Hutchings was the only one to cover his bull in the shootout round. He was up against Stetson Wright, Wacey Schalla, and Mason Moody. Hutchings was the final man out of the chute and only had to cover his bull to be the winner. He did so in style, scoring 91 points and becoming $65,000 richer in only 8 seconds.

Seven event champions left Houston with over $65,000 each, while many others still walked away with significant earnings. RodeoHouston is one of the biggest and best of the year, offering season-changing and often times life-changing money to rodeo contestants. Now, the stage is set for the rest of the 2025 season as we wait to see how this large sum of money will play out in the end.