Rising Star Sage Allen’s Breakout Rookie Year in PRORODEO

At just 21 years old, Sage Allen made a name for himself during the 2025 PRORODEO season.

Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

When professional rodeo athletes declare their rookie year, they set out to make a name for themselves, learning from the seasoned veterans they compete against while chasing the coveted Resistol Rookie of the Year title. It’s a distinction many of rodeo’s best proudly carry alongside National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and World Champion accolades. 

Sage Allen, a 21-year-old from Blackfoot, Idaho, closed out the 2025 season as the Resistol Rookie of the Year in bareback riding. During his inaugural year, he experienced some incredible highs, but also setbacks due to injuries that forced him to sit out. Those moments, both successes and challenges, will be transformative as he continues to grow as a rodeo athlete in the years ahead. 

After recently graduating from the College of Southern Idaho and competing on their rodeo team, Allen decided that 2025 would be the year to see what he could accomplish by diving headfirst into professional rodeo. 

“I said, ‘This year I’m going to buy my card and go at it as hard as I can, ’” Allen shared.  

Where Sage Allen Found 2025 Success

Allen found major success when he headed south for the ‘Texas Swing’ and competed in San Antonio, where his season began, realizing he could compete and hold his own against veterans. 

During his time in San Antonio, Allen won two rounds and earned over $20,000, securing him the number one spot in the rookie race early in the season. 

“It was my booster of like ‘Wow, you really can do this’", he stated. “ I’ve never been down to Texas to win a rodeo before, so it was my first time. Just jumping in at San Antonio and winning two rounds there was a mental boost that I can do this. That’s where it started, and I built off that.”

Between San Antonio and San Angelo, Allen returned to Southern Idaho to visit a friend. While talking about the bucking horses that would be in San Angelo, Allen had no idea their conversation would essentially outline how the rest of his Texas run would play out.

“I told Darien (Johnson), ‘Watch, I’m going to draw that Cosmic Stardust of Penthouse in San Angelo,’ and we were all standing there together when I looked at the stock draw, and sure enough, I had Cosmic Stardust and about threw my phone, I was so excited.”

Cosmic Stardust and Allen teamed up for an 89-point ride that earned him the round and a $7,023 payday. He followed that by taking first in the finals on Worth the Whiskey with 89.5 points, adding another payday and the average, leaving San Angelo as its newest champion. 

From that point on, the momentum of his rookie year continued to build, and his dream of riding stellar bucking horses also became a reality.

“I’ve got on pretty great bucking horses that I’ve watched since I was a little kid,” Allen explained. “It’s pretty crazy to be in a position, actually, to get on them. Some of them are once-in-a-lifetime horses, and I get that opportunity.”

As Allen sets his sights on what he can accomplish during the 2026 PRORODEO season, one thing is for sure: his rookie year only laid the foundation for what’s still to come in his career.

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