What To Expect From the 2025 NFR Stock in the Steer Wrestling

Selecting the best cattle and preparing them for the NFR steer wrestlers is a task that takes months of preparation.

Sami Jo Buum

All year long, cowboys and cowgirls drive thousands of miles, enter 70-100 rodeos, and spend months away from home chasing their NFR dreams.

After earning their spot, the top 15 contestants in each event gather in Las Vegas the first few weeks of December to show off their talents in the Thomas & Mack arena.

It is easy to showcase the athletes that make it to the big show, but so much more goes into putting 10 days of action-packed rodeo. Preparing the livestock that will be selected for the timed events starts in the middle of the rodeo season.

The bulldogging cattle travel just as many miles and locations as these rodeo cowboys do. The cowboys have learned each different stock contractor's pens they send and remember their favorite tag numbers throughout the year.

The Role Riley Duvall Plays in Selecting the Steers

When it comes time to selecting the cattle that will be used for the NFR, PRCA steer wrestling director Riley Duvall, communicates with stock contractors early in the year so that they can start to keep a watch on which cattle will be best fit in the Thomas & Mack.

Duvall says there will be three pens of cattle selected to use. One pen of cattle will get four rounds, and the other two pens will get three rounds a piece.

This year , the stock contractors that will have a pen at the finals are: Jace Honey from Colorado, Anthony Verdino from Idaho, and Remey Parrott from Texas.

It is not decided which contractor's pen will be used in each round yet; however, each set of cattle brings something different to the table. Tuesday the decision as to what pens will go in each round will be made.

Sami Jo Buum

Verdino's set will run hard and as Duvall puts it, "try the most". He believes the Honey cattle will be the most even pen for the bulldoggers and softer. As for fellow bulldogger Remey's pen, they expect the cowboys to be "really fast on them" and they will be the biggest set of steers.

The Cowboys Role in Selecting the Steers

Nathan Meyer Photography

The cowboys play a huge roll in selecting which steers get to make the trip to Nevada. Each contractor builds a pen of 30-40 head that are as even as possible, based off the steers performance at the rodeos this year.

The cowboys then gather the 30-40 steers and run them two to three times each. From that, they pick the fifteen steers they want to make up that pen. They also pick five extras for each set.

The five extras serve as backup in case a steer in the designated pen cannot compete. To make sure every steer gets even runs, every night following the performance, the extra steers will get run.

The NFR qualifiers and Duvall decide on a cowboy who is not competing at the finals to run the extras. This year Duvall himself will be hazing, and Sam Goings will run the extras each night.

The bulldogging cattle have to be checked in by November 29th. After they are settled in, on Tuesday, they will run the cattle through and throw them down. This process helps the steers find the out gate and teaches them where to run to. After Tuesday, the steers will not be touched other than their runs in the performances.

There are so many moving parts to every rodeo and to put on one of this caliber for ten nights in a row is a monumental accomplishment.

Duvall's postion as the director is very important for the bulldoggers. All the steer wrestlers agree he advocates for them in the best way and he spends many hours representing them.

A 4-time NFR qualifier himself, he knows how Important it is to provide the right livestock that gives each cowboy the best chance.

Duvall said, "You've got to have steers that leave and run and won't stop. The start is super-fast, and the building is super short. That is what makes it so hard to find the right cattle for that setup."

Some NFR Predictions

Nathan Meyer Photography

We asked him his predictions for this year's NFR, "I think the bulldogging will be pretty wild. Three first-time bulldogging horses, a couple of first-time hazers, it will be interesting to see how everyone handles it."

As for the world title he is betting on Jesse Brown. "In my opinion, he is riding the fastest horse there, and I think he is a machine when it comes to throwing them".

However, the steer wrestling is far from over. It will come down to the last round. Everyone there has a chance to shake things up.

The steer wrestling will be very exciting to watch. Everything from phenomenal horsepower, amazing athletes, great cattle and the unmatched electric energy of the T&M will create the perfect storm.

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