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BALL FIVE: Saddle bronc riders provided fireworks


In case you haven’t noticed over the years, the competition between man and horse is by far my favorite part of shooting the Sitting Bull Stampede.
There is something about the artistry of the pursuit that captures my eye and draws me to the man vs. beast battle. So, do you think that maybe I enjoyed this year’s saddle bronc riding? Well, yes, yes I did. And there was nothing more fun than the event during the July 4 performance of the Stampede.
The stage was set for the final performance with three high-scoring rides during the first two performances. On July 2, Lane Stirling of Buffalo and South Point teamed up for an 81-point ride and Trey Elshere of Quinn rode Little Wolfy for 79.5 points. July 3 had 2018 champion Ty Manke of Rapid City ride Face Book to 80.5 points. At that point, there had to be a few cowboys who thought their rides that scored in the upper 70s, had a good chance of making them some money.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Texan Damian Brennan, the only out-of-state cowboy to finish in the money, got the high-scoring party started. He was the seventh rider of the night. His 80-point ride on Painted Fire had his chances looking pretty good, but four riders later would watch four cowboys put on a show.
Those four cowboys came out in consecutive order and the fireworks that could not be blown after the rodeo, went off in the middle of the stampede.
First came two-time defending champion Jade Blackwell of Rapid City. He and Best Friend went right to the lead with an 85-point score. That lasted just a couple of minutes as Dylan Schofield followed by teaming with Prom Night for the 86.5-point ride that would win the rodeo. Next out came Cash Wilson of Wall who scored 81 points on Big E Macksteel and moved into a tie for third. That became a tie for fourth when Jacob Kammerer of Philip, drew South Point. The two worked for 85 points and a tie for second.
While we know what the cowboys got for their efforts, it’s not as evident what reward the horses got. Especially South Point who gave two cowboys rides that were worth a combined $2,660. South Point helped two cowboys make some serious hay, so I hope the horse got some special hay.
The July 4 bareback riding did not have the same drama, but it wasn’t too bad.
The best moment was the last rider when Ben Kramer of Max, North Dakota, scored 81 points on Colorado Bulldog to win the title and unseat defending champion Jamie Howlett of Wasta, who had been sitting in first place.

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