Cowboys and cowgirls head east this weekend for Manitoba’s only professional rodeo: the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition. Morris, Manitoba, plays host to the fourth stop on the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association’s Finning Canada Pro Tour. 

It may be a bit of a haul for many of the professional athletes who hit the rodeo trail each weekend—with most of the Canadian athletes residing in Alberta—but they still make the trip for Manitoba’s only professional rodeo. 

Watch the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition LIVE on FloRodeo July 19-22.

Finning Pro Tour Stop: No. 4

Committee Purse: $56,000

Format: Four performances of contestants compete in a straight up, one-head rodeo.

Bareback Riding: Performance One And Three Look Strong

Key Athletes: Clint Laye, Ty Taypotat, Jake Vold, Kody Lamb, Ky Marshall, Cole Goodine

Analysis: While there are many top competitors in the bareback riding at the Morris, two performances look particularly stacked with bareback riders who have been heating up the CPRA. 

The opening performance will see three competitors that are all within the top 10 in the CPRA standings. Clint Laye, No. 7 in Canada, has drawn Prime Time’s Saywhen; Jake Vold, Canada’s No. 3 bareback rider, will be on Northcott’s My Mistake; and Ty Taypotat who sits at No. 2 in Canada has the Prime Time Bitcoin. 

Taypotat has had a strong season in the CPRA this year and leads the standings for most of the spring and early summer. The Regina, Saskatchewan, cowboy is always one to watch out for when he heads to the rodeo—including this 85.5-point ride to win the long round at the Wainwright Stampede. 

Looking at the third performance, Kody Lamb (No. 11), Cole Goodine (No. 9), and Ky Marshall (No. 4) are on all up and have drawn Vold’s Disco, Northcott’s Reay Bay, and Northcott’s Crazy Alice, respectively. This should be another strong performance to watch in the bareback riding.

Steer Wrestling: No. 1 and 2 In First Performance, Weisgerber Having Best Season Since 2011

Key Athletes: Scott Guenthner, Stephen Culling, Craig Weisgerber

Analysis: The No. 1 and No. 2 steer wrestlers in Canada are both out in the first performance at the Manitoba Stampede. Scott Guenthner and Stephen Culling have both been having strong seasons and have each earned over $20,000 in Canada.

The two battled back and forth at the Ponoka Stampede; Culling took second in the first round, Guenthner won the second, then Guenthner made the fastest run in the 12-man finals, but Culling won the aggregate before the pair placed first and second in the showdown.

Another competitor in the herd to look out for this season is Craig Weisberger. The Ponoka, Alberta, cowboy qualified for his first Canadian Finals Rodeo back in 2011, but he hasn’t had the luck he’s needed to get back there since. 

At No. 3 in the Canadian standings, Weisgerber is sitting higher than he has since that qualification with $11,026.25.

Saddle Bronc Riding: Young Hay On Route To CFR, Others Within Top 20 At Morris

Key Athletes: Dawson Hay, Cort Scheer, Tyler Corrington, Chuck Schmidt, Colton Miller, Sam Kelts, Ricky Warren, Jim Berry, Layton Green, and Colt Gordon

Analysis: We pointed out the son of 20-time WNFR qualifier and eight-time Canadian Champion saddle bronc rider Rod Hay all the way back in March as one to watch out for this season, and Dawson Hay has not let us down. Back then, he hadn’t been to a CPRA rodeo yet this season and had just made it onto the PRCA standings board at No. 45. 

He just celebrated his 20th birthday the other day, and he can celebrate sitting on the No. 3 spot in the Canadian standings (behind No. 2 bronc rider Sterling Crawley, who looks like he won’t be making his Canadian rodeo count this year), and has slowly climbed his way up to No. 31 in the world. 

Hay recently won the Williams Lake Stampede with this 87.5-point ride.

The youngster also leads the rookie saddle bronc standings in both the CPRA and PRCA and will be one to watch out for in Morris. 

From there it’s hard to narrow down the list from the many regular winners in the CPRA. Cort Scheer and Tyler Corrington are in the first performance, Chuck Schmidt, Colton Miller, Sam Kelts, and Ricky Warren are in performance No. 2, and Jim Berry, Layton Green, and Colt Gordon will compete in the final performance—all of these cowboys are within the top 20 in the CPRA.

Tie-Down Roping: Veterans Vs. Early Careers

Key Athletes: Al Bouchard, Curtis Cassidy, Kyle Lucas, Clayton Smith, Morgan Grant

Analysis: The draw at Morris—as well as the Canadian tie-down roping standings—shows a good mix of veterans and those that are establishing themselves, but still early in their careers. Al Bouchard and Curtis Cassidy embody the word “veteran”—Bouchard has 17 CFR qualifications and a Canadian title in 2009, and Cassidy has qualified in the tie-down 15 times and won the event in 2001—but what both of these competitors can still do is make it to the pay window anywhere they go and show it by being No. 6 and No. 8 in the standings, respectively.

Competitors like Kyle Lucas, Clayton Smith, and Morgan Grant have all started on the path to the same decorated careers the two veterans have earned, but just need the time to do it now. They all seem to have plans to check off another CFR qualification as they sit within the top 10 in the Canadian standings.

In an event with so many variables, and where the luck of the draw doesn’t care if you’ve been to CFR once or 100 times, it’s anyone’s game when this mixed bag gets to Morris. 

Team Roping: Johnson/Woolsey Attempt Third Tour Win, Other Top Canadian Teams

Key Athletes: Denver Johnson/Tristin Woolsey, Roland McFadden/Devin Wigemyr, Brett McCarroll/Justin McCarroll, Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler

Analysis: There is only one Finning Canada Pro Tour rodeo so far that Denver Johnson and Tristin Woolsey have failed to claim the title at. They won the Wainwright Stampede, turned around and won the Ponoka Stampede the next weekend, and while they didn’t have any luck at Williams Lake, their overall earnings in the CPRA easily put both of these team ropers at No. 1 in the Canadian standings. 

The pair has been having a career year where they seem to do no wrong every time they throw their ropes and have earned over $20,000 each. Johnson has a $10,000 lead on second place in the standings with $21,807.75 and Woolsey has more than double the earnings of second place with $24,814.78 after he earned a big paycheck at Agribition before the two got together. 

The draw at Morris also includes other top Canadian team roping duos like Roland McFadden/Devin Wigemyr, Brett McCarroll/Justin McCarroll, Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, and more that are sitting within the top 20 in the Canadian standings. 

Barrel Racing: Pozzobon Continues To Dominate, First CFR Hopefuls In The Mix

Key Athletes: Carman Pozzobon, Shayna Weir, Kylie Whiteside, Shelby Spielman

Analysis: It’s hard not to talk about Carman Pozzobon and that buckskin mare named “Ripp” every time they enter a rodeo. The reigning Canadian champion has earned $31,031.58 so far this year in the CPRA standings, which is more than any other competitor in the association (including the all-around and high-point) and currently sits 11th in the WPRA world standings.

The two should be a team to watch out for at Morris, and everywhere they decide to enter this year.

Going from the reigning Canadian champion to some ladies barrel racers that are gunning for their first CFR qualification. Shayna Weir nearly made the CFR last year and currently sits in the No. 3 spot in Canada, Kylie Whiteside also finished just outside of the top 12 and now sits in seventh, and Shelby Spielman, who is up in Canada for the summer and decided to get her card while she was here, is in the No. 8 spot. 

Spielman won her very first rodeo in Canada–and first stop on the Finning Pro Tour—at the Wainwright Stampede.

Bull Riding: Parsonage Leads The Way, Hansen Back From Injury

Key Athletes: Jared Parsonage and Jordan Hansen

Analysis: A large herd of Vold Rodeo bulls heads to Morris this weekend to pair up with the CPRA’s bull riders. Just as it’s hard to not talk about Carman Pozzobon when she puts her name on the draw, the same can be said for the Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, cowboy by the name of Jared Parsonage.

Parsonage will ride +203 I Work Out at Morris and has already seen success on another bull from the Vold string at the Wainwright Stampede earlier this year. Parsonage has been having a great season that started back at Agribition, including wins at the CPRA’s single-event bull ridings over the winter, and has sat in the No. 1 position ever since.

Another staple name in the CPRA is back on the draw at Morris after a couple months off and, after recent performances at the Calgary Stampede, he doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat. Jordan Hansen has returned to action and earned first/second place day money during his pool at Calgary and won the wildcard round with an 88-point ride. 

The 2016 Canadian champion has drawn Vold’s 210 Darkest Days at Morris and both Hansen and Parsonage will compete in the opening performance.

Catch all four performances of the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition this weekend:

Performance One: Thursday, July 19 - 7 PM CST

Performance Two: Friday, July 20 - 7 PM CST

Performance Three: Saturday, July 21 - 2 PM CST

Performance Four: Sunday, July 22 - 2 PM CST