Winter Greetings to you all! January came in strong but has eased up a bit now. The animals are loving the sunshine and above 0 temps, as are us humans who care for them!

You know, there is a stigma with rodeo that it is a summer season event — the “summer run,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth, though. 

For us at Bailey Pro Rodeo and the Gunderson ranch, “rodeo” happens all year long. Oh, we have a few weeks off in November and December, where we hit the bright lights of Vegas and enjoy the holidays. But then, we are on the road again. 

We load up for Gillette, Wyoming every year over New Year’s Eve to attend the Burch Rodeo Compay’s New Year’s Eve Bucking Ball. What a fun time that is! Shane (Gunderson) and I were just talking about how many years we have been attending this event. We took a load of rough stock this year, and, I can tell you, all the animals performed at the top of their game. I’m quite certain that Bond (Bailey Pro Rodeo horse) stood better for his jockey than he has in years. In the bareback, Adam’s Pet took Jayco Roper into the short round with 86.5. Saddle Bronc saw Wyatt Casper and Capone worked together for an 85 score, taking him into the short round. The bull riding was fun to watch! The Bailey bulls and their cowboys captured 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th place to take their jockeys to the short round also. Pendleton Spilled Whiskey was up in the short, but his cowboy didn’t make the whistle. 

The Regulator & Rumpford stare off [Photo: Greg Westfall Photography]

We added a couple new bulls to the truck for that event, 811 Reid’s Dream (I call him Black Bird) and 937 Cowboy Dreams (I call him Paddy), and they both proved to be pretty good. I’d say they are adapting to North Dakota life just fine. Most animals come with a name already, but after being around them and seeing how they act, I tend to give them nicknames. Besides, I can never remember numbers.  It’s an ongoing battle at our place. The guys call out a number, I call out a name. Mass confusion.

January is always busy for the BPR crew. We have 50 animals headed to Denver this week for performances January 15 – 17.  We are thankful to be invited to the National Western by the Cervi Family and the National Western crew. Each year we are asked to bring more animals, which we view as a huge compliment. The National Western Stock Show & Rodeo is one of our favorite events to attend. The history of that place is amazing, from the stock pens to the shows. If you don’t attend in person, you can also watch on the Cowboy Channel.

The end of January we head across the state of Montana to Kalispell for a weekend of rough stock events January 27 & 28. The tourist and snow lovers seem to love to come into town and catch the show, as they take a break from skiing and snowmobiling in the beautiful mountains around Whitefish.  If you are near the area, come join us!

There are lots of great events in and around the state in the months to come, get out and enjoy a few of them. From all of us at Bailey Pro Rodeo, we wish you the very best in 2023!  May the winter treat us with lots of moisture but also a fair amount of sunshine! We hope to see you all soon!

Best wishes from the Ranch!