Hold on to your britches as cowgirls ride their horses as fast as they can in a cloverleaf pattern. They make hairpin turns around three barrels placed in a triangle and the fastest time wins! But watch out, each barrel knocked over adds five seconds to the total time

There are up to 30 barrel racing contestants each night.

Registration is by call in only. Call in registration is from 6:00pm – 8:00pm each Tuesday, starting May 30th. The first rodeo of the season is June 1st. The entry phone number is 970-923-9270 which is the same as Snowmass Rodeo.

Continuing in the 2023 season, we will use the sign-up process that has been successfully used the last few years. At each rodeo, there will be two sheets at the secretary’s window: the day sheet for current week and the sign-up for the next week. After you have paid your entry fee for this week, you will be allowed to sign-up for next week. You will be allowed to register only yourself; if a friend or relative pays for you, then they will be allowed to register you for next week. If you sign-up for the next week, but turn-out, you will have to call-in for your next competition.

The entry fee for the open barrels is $40 and must be paid by 5:30 pm regardless if you are in the performance or the slack. Limited to 20 barrel racers in the slack and 10 in the performance.

Limited to not more than 10 contestants from 5 years old to 13 years old. (*Note — Age change effective June 10, 2022).  (*Note: Junior and Open Barrels Rule Change — Effective July 23, 2015. Junior age barrel racers can enter the Open Barrels but cannot enter both the Junior and Open Barrels in the same rodeo.) Youth follow the same cloverleaf pattern as Open Barrel Racers. Watch Junior Barrel Racers give it their all each week. Junior Barrel Racing offers youth the opportunity to hone their skills to become better horsemen and make the move up to Open Barrel Racers. Many of the youth will give Open Barrel Racers a run for their money in this timed event. $20 entry fee.

Get ready for the cowboys to gear up for the most dangerous event of the rodeo! With only one hand hanging on to the bull rope, the rider attempts to stay on the 2,000-pound animal for at least eight seconds. If his free hand touches the bull before the eight seconds are up, the rider is disqualified. This is an event where both the cowboy and the bull are judged and each are given a score from 0-50. The scores are then added and the cowboy with the largest total score wins. $50 entry fee and the CWWR committee will again add $300 to the purse each week.

The CWWR committee has added money of $300 this year. $50 Entry Fee. Limited to 10 Ranch Bronc Riders per rodeo.
Tentative — This 2023 season Ranch Broncs will be held the 2nd rodeo of the season, alternates with Hide Race, exception finals rodeo where both events will held. Tentative Schedule for Ranch Broncs as follows June 8th, June 22nd, July 6th, July 20th, Aug. 3rd, and Finals — August 17th. It is a ‘ride as ride can’. The Ranch Bronc Rider must stay on the horse for the 8 second ride. A standard, working ranch saddle is used for the Ranch Bronc Ride and the horse is saddled as it would be for everyday ranch work. The broncs (horses) wear a bronc halter with one rein for the rider to hold onto. This is called a “bronc rein” or a “hack rein”. Ranch Bronc Riders are allowed to hold onto the saddle horn, cantle, or a night latch (a rope or strap tied through the gullet of the saddle) with their free hand (the one not holding the hack rein). Riders are not disqualified by a loss of a stirrup and there is no “mark out” rule — the Ranch Bronc Rider does not have to have the rowels of his/her spurs touching the break of the broncs’ shoulders on the first jump out of the chute until the broncs’ feet hit the ground. There are still two judges that score both the rider and the bronc, with 100 points possible.

Garfield County Fair and Rodeo Royalty or rodeo volunteers assist the participants in warm-up exercises before the race is on. Arena push ups are just the beginning. Not for those afraid to get dirty! Watch as kids 3-10 years old chase a group of calves around the arena to snatch ribbons from their tails! Kids must snatch the ribbons from the calves tail and return to the finish line in the fastest three times.

Calf Scramble Rules

• Children must be 3-10 years old.
• No parents will be allowed to enter the arena.
• Sign-up will start at 5:30pm and end at 8:00pm at the rodeo secretary shed/registration booth.
• • The parents of children that are signing up must be present when registering.
• All parents must sign the Entry Application and Release Form along with the Consent of Parent or Legal Guardian.
• Only children that have been given a wristband at the registration booth will be allowed to enter the arena.

An exciting team event in which one mounted competitor ropes a calf and the other partner runs out on foot to snatch a ribbon from the calf’s tail. A quick catch by the roper gives the runner an advantage. A circling or windmilling calf can prove a challenge to the runner. One of the rare times you’ll see a cowboy or cowgirl without their boots as they don their fastest running shoes to compete. The runner has to cross the finish line back at the roping box, where the fastest time wins. Entry fee $50 per roping, $25 each roper and runner.

Steer Riding was added in 2011 to give young cowboys and cowgirls the opportunity to ride rough stock. A 6 second ride scores. You will be amazed by the bravery and skill of the young riders. Contestants must be at least 8 years old and not more than 12 years old (updated 2014). This event is limited to 6 contestants plus 3 alternates. Steer riding contestants must provide their own helmets and vests. Helmets and vests are mandatory.

In this rodeo event lil’ buckaroos get a turn in the spotlight as they grab wool and ride a sheep! Cheer them on as they try to hang on for as long as they can! Helmets and vests provided.

Mutton Bustin’ Rules– IMPORTANT UPDATE — Effective June 27, 2019 see *** below

• Children MUST be ***3 years of age or older and under 50 pounds.
• Change — July 29, 2021 — Due to the high demand for kiddos to participate in Mutton Bustin’, it will now be a First Come First Entered by making your way to the Secretary Shed at the rodeo on rodeo night beginning at 5. There is a limit to participants each rodeo night. Please do not call in any longer as the phones are so busy with the other events. We hope this will make it more accommodating for more of our eager kiddos to get to participate.
• Mutton busters will not be allowed to ride on consecutive weeks unless we do not have enough participants signed up.
• Only the first ten plus three alternates will be allowed to participate each week.
• All parents must sign the Entry Application and Release Form along with the Consent of Parent or Legal Guardian.

Competitors must call in the first week of rodeo season. A sign-up sheet is available after that.

Team Roping entry fees must be paid by 5:30pm the night of the rodeo, regardless if you are in the performance or the slack. If you do not pay by 5:30 you will be turned out. Team roping is limited to 100 teams between the #8 and #11. Entry fee is $60 per team. Competitors in team roping are both cowboys and cowgirls competing equally with each other. There are two mounted riders, the header and the heeler, working together as a team to catch a steer as fast as possible. The steer is given a head start from the roping chute with the use of an electronic eye barrier. A broken barrier is a ten second penalty. The header attempts to rope the steer around the horns. A head catch is also legal, as well as one horn if it is caught along with the nose. The horns of the steer are wrapped with “horn wraps” to prevent any injury to the animal. Once the header has caught, the header will turn the steer to the left and the heeler’s job is to rope both the steer’s hind legs. If only one hind foot is caught the team is penalized five seconds.

This is one of the oldest events in rodeo. This event was originally based on a cowboy’s work on the open range, for example roping a big steer to be branded or to tend livestock for health or injury concerns. Cowboys still use this technique on the open range to catch and doctor their livestock.

Each roper will be required to have a current USTRC card. If you don’t have a card, the Team Roping Handicap Committee, consisting of Brett Tonozi and two other competitors, will assign a number to you. Additionally, #8 Roping is capped at an #4 Heeler.

Ladies Breakaway roping is for Ladies 17 and up. Entry fee is $40. Limited to 15 ropers per rodeo. An electronic eye barrier is used to ensure calves are allowed a head start. The roper must throw the rope in a loop around the calf’s neck. Once the rope is around the calf’s neck, the roper signals the horse to stop suddenly. The rope is tied to the saddle horn with a string. When the calf reaches the end of the rope, the rope is pulled tight and the string breaks. The breaking of the string marks the end of the run. The fastest run wins. A 25 second time limit applies.

Junior Breakaway Roping is open to girls ages 8-16 and boys ages 8-14. Limited to 10 contestants. $20 entry fee. Breakaway features one mounted cowgirl or cowboy in pursuit of a calf. An electronic eye barrier is used to ensure calves are allowed a head start. The roper must throw the rope in a loop around the calf’s neck. Once the rope is around the calf’s neck, the roper signals the horse to stop suddenly. The rope is tied to the saddle horn with a string. When the calf reaches the end of the rope, the rope is pulled tight and the string breaks. The breaking of the string marks the end of the run. The fastest run wins. A 25 second time limit applies.

Age to participate lowered to 14 effective beginning on July 9, 2015 Carbondale Wild West Rodeo. Bring it on youth participants! We know you have the skills to challenge your more senior Hide Race Contestants. A fun and fast sport, cowhide racing (Hide Race) made its debut as an official event in 2011. A horseback rider starts at the chute end of the arena and races to the far end where a cowboy or cowgirl stands next to a cowhide with a rope attached. The cowboy/cowgirl on the ground tosses the rope to the rider and ‘hits the deck’ as the rider circles the hide. The rider grabs the rope, dallys to the saddlehorn and the ride is on as the horse pulls the ground person back to the chute end of the arena which is the start and finish line. The ground person must remain on the hide to complete the race. The fastest team wins. Team members must be 14 years or older. Tentative — The Hide Race will now be held June 1st then, June 15th, June 29th, July 13th, July 27th, August 10th and on finals night, August 17th. $150 added money for each night scheduled.

Discontinued as of June 19, 2014