Rodeo fans know that a new roping and riding season kicks off well before the calendar turns to January — ahead of NFR, even — but still, with the new year comes a more significant portion of the cowboy schedule. 

Athletes who competed at the gruesome National Finals Rodeo start heading back to arenas after a much-needed break, and with that comes an uptick in quality and quantity.

While waiting for the ball to drop to ring in 2018, we thought it would be a great time to highlight the events coming down the rodeo trail in January. If you live anywhere near the venues that will host the following five events, it’s definitely going to be worth it to brave the winter conditions to catch the action. If not, one of events on our list won’t require you to leave the house.

These are the top rodeos to watch for at the beginning of the new year:

1. Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo | Jan. 5-13 | Odessa, TX

The 2017 all-around world champion Tuf Cooper won the steer roping title at Sandhills in January.

2. National Western Stock Show and Rodeo | Jan. 11-21 | Denver, CO

Eventual 2017 tie-down world champion Marcos Costa picked an early-season win here a year ago, pocketing nearly $6,000 in the process. PBR’s Real Time Velocity Tour will hold a three-day event prior to the rodeo start from January 8-10, so fans will have plenty to check out at the Denver Coliseum.

3. SWELS - Xtreme Bulls | Jan. 16-17 | Fort Worth, TX

Several big names — including four-time bull riding world champ Sage Kimzey — competed at the Xtreme Bulls event in Fort Worth last January. Kimzey picked up a win here before going on to dominate the rest of the season.

4. Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo | Jan. 19 - Feb. 3 | Fort Worth, TX

This one always brings out the big guns, and for good reason: the prize purse in 2017 was a whopping $665,000. The 2017 gold buckle winners Tim O’Connell, Erich Rogers and Cory Petska, and Tuf Cooper all won titles here in early 2017.

5. Black Hills Ranch Rodeo | Jan. 30-31 | Rapid City, SD

You don’t have to leave your couch to watch this one: the two-day event will be live on FloRodeo! The Rodeo Rapid City-produced event will feature cowboys and cowgirls fighting for their share of $200,000 in prize money. Rodeo legend and 23-time gold buckle winner Trevor Brazile won the all-around title in 2017 in a field loaded with eventual NFR qualifiers.

By Lincoln Shryack