Rodeo Daily

Riley Pruitt Makes Mountain States Circuit History With Dominating 2025 Season

A new bar has been set in the Mountain States Circuit Finals.
Maddy Dickens|
Riley Pruitt with his wife Jenna and their two kids after his big win in Loveland.
Riley Pruitt with his wife Jenna and their two kids after his big win in Loveland. | Jenna Waggoner-Pruit

The Mountain States Circuit Finals took place in Loveland, Colo., this past weekend which brought a close to the 2025 season for the contestants who competed across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Kansas throughout the year. The overall winners were crowned and while everyone who made it to the circuit finals clearly had a great year, one shone brighter than others, Riley Pruitt.

The Nebraska cowboy is the No. 6 man in the World and getting ready to head to his third National Finals Rodeo when December rolls around. Without the $54,000 he had won (before the Circuit Finals), he wouldn't be making the trip to Las Vegas.

Pruitt's Year in the Mountain States

Pruitt stepping off of a white horse to run down the rope and tie a calf
Nathan Meyer Photography

Almost nothing about rodeo is certain, but going into the Circuit Finals this past weekend in Loveland, Colo., one thing was for sure: Riley Pruitt was the Mountain States tie-down roping champion. He had a $30,000 lead over the No. 2 man, which was far more than what could be won in the three rounds of competition.

The $54,000 he had earned prior to the first round isn't the new bar for circuit earnings, as he came out on fire. He split first in the second round and won second in the following round to take home the Reserve Champion Average title and another $7,000, making the new single-season earnings record at $61,192.18.

The Mountain States rodeos start early in the year and Pruitt's 2025 earnings record actually started in 2024, when he won the Circuit Finals. A week after he won the 2024 Circuit Finals, he took the win in Casper, Wyo., to kickstart his year.

The big money started coming in shortly after, at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, Colo. Pruitt won a pair of rounds and fought his way into the Finals. By the time his four runs were over, he had pulled in almost $13,500.

It would be the end of spring before the circuit rodeos in the Mountain States kicked back up again. Throughout the summer he would win checks at:

  • Grover, Colo., $1,109 (champion)
  • Greeley, Colo., $8,166 (reserve champion)
  • Estes Park, Colo., $3,014 (fourth)
  • Gunnison, Colo., $1,506 (sixth)
  • Cheyenne Wells, Colo., $1,172 (champion)
  • Eagle, Colo., $1,532 (reserve champion)
  • Cheyenne, Wyo., $18,003 (fourth)
  • Loveland, Colo., $2,541 (champion)

After taking home his fourth Mountain States Circuit title, it is now time for Pruitt to focus on the big show at the Thomas and Mack, with his main mount Snowman. He is looking to bring a gold buckle and his second NFR Average title back to the circuit.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens is a professional barrel racer, with success at all levels of rodeo and competition. She was a reserve National Collegiate Champion at Tarleton State University where she graduated with honors and a Masters in Business Management. She also competed as part of the Mountain States Circuit where she was Rookie of the Year and a 2x qualifier for finals. Maddy resides in Loveland, Colo. She spends most of her free time riding, training and competing in barrel racing. When she is not on a horse or in the arena, she enjoys following collegiate and professional basketball and football, traveling, and is always up for a “friendly” competition.

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