The West of the Pecos Rodeo dates back to 1883 when two well-known ropers wanted to find out who truly was the best, so the two cowboys decided to meet for a contest.
As word spread, other cowboys caught wind of the competition and wanted to compete to prove they were the best. A competition spot was chosen and July 4 was the chosen date of the first competition. Most stories of the day state that Trav Windham took 22 seconds to rope and tie his steer to win the rodeo.
That was the beginning of the West of the Pecos Rodeo, and it has been one of the most exciting outdoor rodeos since.
This year athletes will compete for their share of more than $200,000 as they try get on the fast track ahead of Cowboy Christmas.
FORMAT
The West of the Pecos Rodeo is a simple format to understand. In roughstock events, the highest score on one head wins. In timed events, other than barrel racing, athletes compete in two rounds throughout the rodeo, and the fastest on two is crowned champion. In barrel racing, cowgirls are given one opportunity to post the fastest time and be crowned champ.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The West of the Pecos is one of the many rodeos throughout the Summer Run that offers a Playoff-sized payday for athletes, and stacking wins at rodeos like Pecos can lead to an NFR appearance.
Winners here will take home around $4,000 for their efforts. A year ago the highest marked ride in all events came from Rocker Steiner who was 90.5 points. Steiner will look to defend his title in the final performance on Saturday night.
The No. 1 Bull Rider in the PRCA World Standings, Creek Young, looks to continue his big season and will be competing in Performance 2 on Thursday night. Young has made the third most of any athlete in the PRCA this year at over $124,000.
Shad Mayfield is the athlete who has earned the most of anyone this season at over $140,000. He will be competing in Pecos as he looks to continue his record-setting pace.
In barrel racing, Hailey Kinsel and Sister kick off their Summer Run in Pecos as they are set to compete on Thursday night. The pair are currently No. 10 in the WPRA World Standings and are coming off a win a the Strawberry Days Rodeo (Utah) last weekend.
HOW TO WATCH AND BROADCAST SCHEDULE
You can watch every performance LIVE on The Cowgirl Channel and The Cowboy Channel+ App. For a full broadcast schedule click HERE.
| PERFORMANCE | DATE | TIME (ET) |
| Performance 1 | Wednesday, June 26 | 8:00 PM |
| Performance 2 | Thursday, June 27 | 8:00 PM |
| Performance 3 | Friday, June 28 | 8:00 PM |
| Performance 4 | Saturday, June 29 | 8:00 PM |
