When a Plan Comes Together

RELEASE BY PRO RODEO CANADA

\”I wanted to be able to rodeo hard this fall and not worry about the Canadian Finals Rodeo,\” explained Layton Green. \”My plan at the start of the year was to go to all the spring rodeos in Canada to get a head start.\”

With a pair of cheques from long weekend stops in Armstrong and Merritt, BC, the Meeting Creek, AB, saddle bronc rider is a big step closer to accomplishing what he set out to do – qualify for both the  CFR and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

\”It was a really good hit for me up here and down in the States,\” offered the 21-year-old. \”I\’m now going to be rodeoing my butt off down south for September.\”

Green matched up last Saturday night at the IPE and Stampede in Armstrong with a young Calgary Stampede horse named Xavier Joan. The result was an 86.75-point score, good enough for the bronc riding championship and a cheque worth $6,486.

\”That\’s a new horse that\’s only been bucked a few times,\” began the 2012 Canadian Novice Saddle Bronc champion. \”But she\’s just what you want. Jumped out and was awesome. And that rodeo is one of the coolest there is. Everybody is excited and the atmosphere is great.\”

Just a few hours earlier, Green was 78 points at the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo in nearby Merritt, good for a three way split of 6th and a cheque worth $62. Together, the paydays boost the third-year pro cowboy\’s 2015 Pro Rodeo Canada earnings to $18,760, enough to push him solidly inside the top ten of the bronc riding standings with only five rodeos left on the Canadian pro rodeo schedule.

The biggest winner from the weekend was timed event cowboy, Morgan Grant, who split the steer wrestling win in Armstrong with a 4.2 second run, finished 2nd in the tie-down roping with a time of 7.9 seconds and placed third in the bulldogging in Merritt to win a total of $7,925. Despite the big cheque, the 2013 Canadian Hi-Point champion remains on the CFR bubble in both the tie-down roping (12th) and steer wrestling (11th) in the unofficial Pro Rodeo Canada standings.

A pair of young team ropers have also put themselves on the bubble. 21 year-old, Kyle Lucas and 20 year-old, Grady Branden placed 2nd in Merritt and split 5th in Armstrong to win $2,052 each. That will put Branden in 11th in the Canadian heading standings while Lucas will hold down the 12th and final qualifying spot in the heeling division. Both are tight races with less than $800 separating 9th through 12th in the heeling.

Other top winners from the long weekend included saddle bronc riders Cody DeMoss ($6,225) and Chad Ferley ($4,324); bullriders Adam Jamison ($6,147) and Trevor Kastner (4,161); bareback rider Clint Laye ($5,809); tie-down roper Dean Edge ($3,604); steer wrestlers Scott Guenthner ($3,519) and Coleman Kohorst ($3,059); barrel racers Jackie Ganter ($3,447) and Toni Dixon ($2,845) and team ropers Clayton/Chase Hansen ($2,329 each) and Jacob Minor/Garret Rogers (2,073).

Next up on the Pro Rodeo Canada schedule is the inaugural Medicine Lodge Fall Roundup in Medicine Lodge, AB (Sept. 12).