Rodeo’s Cowboy Christmas Is Here and There’s Millions on the Line

Independence Day is nearly upon us, and for the rodeo world, this time of year is known as “Cowboy Christmas.” Starting a few days ago, cowboys and cowgirls alike started the Fourth of July run.

For many athletes trying to make the National Finals Rodeo, this means competing in several rodeos per day, taking flights across the country, putting thousands of miles on trucks and trailers, and literally pure exhaustion when it’s over.

Along with all the missed meals, lack of sleep, and stress that goes along with this time of year, there are also thousands and thousands of dollars waiting to be won along the way.

Cowboy Christmas Rodeos

Fireworks exploding in the sky. — Fireworks | Designecologist on Unsplash

According to the PRCA there are 38 rodeos they consider part of the Fourth of July run. In looking at those rodeos and running some very “unofficial” numbers it appears that there is nearly $550,000 added money per event over the course of this time frame.

Let’s say that one more time - that’s per event, not total for the rodeos. That literally means there are millions of dollars waiting for the contestants to claim.

Athletes have a chance to win a substantial amount of money in these few days and those that take advantage will certainly gain a lot of ground in the standings. Each year, the tallies are made the high-money athletes are recognized.

For the 2025 season, it was a bull rider, Hayes Weight who had the most luck over the run winning $52,133.

This list, of course, doesn’t even come close to the actual number of events happening across the country. There are multiple junior, youth, event-specific, and amateur rodeos as well.

One would have to dig long and hard to try to calculate all of that, but without question, if you are traveling the roads in the next ten days, you are going to pass trucks and trailers full of hopeful cowboys and cowgirls.

Greeley, Colorado, was the first stop for many athletes. The first round is already complete in the tie-down roping and barrel racing, with the performances kicking off on Thursday evening.

In the tie-down roping it was Dalton Porch who got done the fastest with his 8.1-second run. That effort was worth $4,453. Quade Hiatt was right behind him at 8.3 for $3,872.

The barrel racers all gathered on Thursday morning to see who would come out on top. With overcast skies and rain falling, the ladies were still fast.

Christine DeRenzo from Florida took the first-round win with her 17.41-second time worth $3,064. There was a tie for second between Avery Ledesma and Emma Smith, who both ran 17.43 and earned $2,408.

This is just the beginning of a lot of checks to be written to talented athletes. Stay tuned to Rodeo On SI for all of the action and coverage.

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