2026
COMING SOON!

2025 American Rodeo Comes To A Thrilling Close

BY C&I EDITORS | 4/16/2025

Fresh faces. World champions. A stellar musical lineup. From grit to glam, the 2025 American Rodeo did not disappoint. The richest one-day rodeo in the world drew 162,000 fans of cowboy culture into Ranger Stadium for two whole days, where they cheered on a crew of contenders competing for a shot at the biggest prize in the sport. A cool million bucks.
This two-day tournament started on Friday with a series of play-in rounds, featuring cowboys and cowgirls who’ve worked their way up the dusty roads of the PRCA circuit to earn a shot at the big money. Bull riding. Bareback riding. Saddle bronc riding. Steer wrestling. Tie-down roping. Team roping. Barrel racing. Each discipline had its own contenders, most of them staying in dusty trailers in the parking lot behind the stadium.
Standing in their way in the finals on Saturday were the champions, the top competitors from last year’s PRCA events. If a champion wins, they get $100,000. That’s still good money. But only contenders can win the $1,000,000.
The finals round was a roller coaster of emotions. On the one hand, the crowd was cheering for the true success stories, the contenders who wanted to make a big name for themselves, but on the other hand, the invitees were names they all loved and who were at the top of their game.
Teton Ridge (our parent company) owns this rodeo, so we sent a team of editors and creators to cover the scene this year. We hung out in the crowds, in the suites, on the infield and behind the chutes, watching the people, the competition, and the stellar music from Ella Langley, Riley Green, and Bailey Zimmerman. You can check out our video coverage of the show on our social media channels.
The genuinely mounting high and low of the whole rodeo was 11-year-old barrel racer Dusky Hall’s emotional and fast-flying 15.133-second run that launched her into the championship round. When she and Wally finished their ride, the crowd was just as zealous as she was. Although Hall didn’t go on to win the championship round, she already made a name for herself and gained thousands of new fans.
So who won the money? No contenders defeated a champion in this year’s American Rodeo. We’ll have to wait and see who has what it takes to bring home the big bucks next year. 

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