A New Path to The Hondo Emerges from Bucktown Partnership

The Hondo Rodeo Fest invites the top athletes to compete in the high-paying rodeo event. However, a new path to competing at The Hondo is emerging via J.B. Mauney’s Bucktown.

Mauney founded his brand Bucktown, and hosts several bull riding events throughout the year, including his BuckJam series where top bull riders compete for a championship. Bucktown is focused on the athletes and on creating opportunities for bull riders.

Mauney started BuckJam in 2025 as an informal practice-style event. In just one year, the event transformed into a six-event series with sponsorships and a crowd full of fans coming to watch. Bull riders competing at the finale event were in the race for a $20,000 prize.

This year, Daniel Keeping, a member of the PBR’s Texas Rattlers, won the BuckJam season two finale. Through the new partnership between Bucktown and The Hondo, Keeping earned his spot to compete at The Hondo Rodeo Fest in Phoenix, Ariz., this November.

Keeping won a PBR Teams Championship for the Rattlers in 2023 when his clutch 90.5-point ride sealed their win. Keeping's dominant riding ability and signature arms-in-an-"X" celebration will make him an exciting and fun-to-watch addition to The Hondo Rodeo Fest this November.

While the invite-only format of The Hondo makes for a lineup of rodeo’s fiercest competitors, an additional pathway to compete on The Hondo’s stage could be the big break many rodeo athletes are looking for.

Several major rodeos that have automatic qualifications still host qualifiers during the year, such as RODEOHOUSTON. Winners from the Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo in Rosenberg, Texas, receive an invitation to compete in Houston for the $65,000 championship payout.

Rodeo fans, as much as fans of any sport, love having an underdog to root for. In 2025, steer wrestler Holden Myers earned his qualification to RODEOHOUSTON via Rosenberg and went on to win 2nd-place in the championship round.

Just one year later in 2026, Myers, who had never broken into the top 40 before 2025, was the 2026 RODEOHOUSTON champion and is on his way to qualifying for his first NFR.

Qualifiers for major rodeos create the opportunity for new faces to win on the biggest stages, which is exciting for rodeo fans. As the Bucktown partnership takes the first step towards a qualifying system, athletes across all events will watch as more opportunities arise with The Hondo Rodeo Fest.

Rodeo fans will celebrate as new and upcoming challengers have the chance to compete on one of rodeo's biggest and most exciting stages.

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