RodeoHouston ended with a bit of controversy in the tie-down roping on Beau Cooper’s run in the Championship Shootout.
Needing to beat Riley Webb’s 8.9-second run, Cooper was the last cowboy out and made an 8.5-second run where he appeared get out clean, but the judges saw it differently, flagging him for a broken barrier. This brought his time to 18.5 seconds and denied the 21-year-old a RodeoHouston title.
“The call was made based on the pigtail dropping to the ground at the chute, which signifies the barrier functioned properly,” PRCA Director of Judges Rick Smith said. “Per PRCA rules, a judge’s decision is final and cannot be overturned by anyone.”