Rodeo Houston Expands New Women's Breakaway Roping to 20 Nights for 2023

HOUSTON – The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced updates to the RODEOHOUSTON Competition, a 20-day tournament-style competition that crowns an event champion in bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, women’s barrel racing and women’s breakaway roping.

Among the updates for 2023 RODEOHOUSTON:

• Women’s breakaway roping will now be held 20 consecutive nights of RODEOHOUSTON, Feb. 28 – March 19, 2023.
  • Women’s breakaway roping, sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) debuted at RODEOHOUSTON in 2022, and was previously held for seven performances.
• RODEOHOUSTON will split its previous one-day Wild Card round into a two-day event, eliminating the RODEOHOUSTON Super Shootout from the schedule.
  • Wild Card round 1 will be held Friday, March 17
  • Wild Card round 2 will be held Saturday, March 18
  • The money from RODEOHOUSTON’s previous one-day Super Shootout event will now be redistributed toward the RODEOHOUSTON Super Series purse.
• The RODEOHOUSTON purse has increased to $2,178,000.
• RODEOHOUSTON will add two new local qualifiers, the Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo in Rosenberg, Texas, and the Waller County Fair & Rodeo in Hempstead, Texas, replacing the former qualifier, Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas.
  • Champions in each of the approved eight events, from each respective Rodeo, will be extended an invitation to compete at RODEOHOUSTON in 2023.

“We are committed to making RODEOHOUSTON the best it can be, for our fans and athletes alike, and as we look at our presentation and the growth across the sport of rodeo, we continue to evolve RODEOHOUSTON’s offerings, as well as our presentation,” said Chris Boleman, Rodeo president and CEO. “The RODEOHOUSTON Super Shootout was a great part of our Rodeo over the last decade, but with this redistribution of funds, and the inclusion of breakaway roping, our purse is now larger than ever before. We’re also excited to welcome Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo and Waller County Fair and Rodeo as our two new local qualifiers.”

RODEOHOUSTON Structure:

RODEOHOUSTON is organized into five three-day Super Series, two Semifinal rounds, two Wild Card rounds and a Championship round. Each series includes three rounds, with one round being performed each day. There are eight contestants in each of the eight rodeo events during the series. Each series advances the top four money winners in each event to one of the two Semifinal rounds, where 10 athletes compete in each event.

Both Semifinal rounds send the top four athletes in each event to the Championship, while the remaining six move to one of the two Wild Card rounds for a second chance at earning a spot in the Championship.

From both Wild Card rounds, the top one athlete in each event advances to the Championship on Sunday, March 19.

The Championship includes all 10 athletes competing in each event. The top four advance and immediately ride again in the Championship Shootout Round to determine the event champion and the $50,000 payout.

To view the 2023 RODEOHOUSTON schedule, click here.

“RODEOHOUSTON has been a longtime partner of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and we are excited to join them in their changes for 2023,” said Jimmie Munroe, WPRA president. “The addition of women’s breakaway roping to all 20 days is monumental and the increase in overall prize money for all rodeo athletes will be very beneficial. This is an exciting time for not only rodeo athletes but also their fans.”

RODEOHOUSTON is an official Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeo, has been a WPRA sanctioned event for decades, and is a PRCA NFR® money event, with earnings from RODEOHOUSTON counting toward qualification for the NFR and the WPRA World Standings. Champions in all events earn $50,000 in addition to their previous round earnings.

“RODEOHOUSTON is an institution in the world of rodeo. For 90 years it’s been the largest event of its kind and we could not be more excited to see the purse increase to more than $2 million for next year’s event,” said Tom Glause, PRCA CEO. “Adding to the excitement, any PRCA athlete now has the chance to advance to compete at RODEOHOUSTON in 2023, thanks to additional qualifying events at PRCA rodeos in Rosenberg and Hempstead, Texas. We are thankful for the increased opportunities for our PRCA members at RODEOHOUSTON.”

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo promotes agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public, supports Texas youth, showcases Western heritage and provides year-round educational support within the community. Since its beginning in 1932, the Rodeo has committed more than $550 million to the youth of Texas and education. The 2023 Rodeo is scheduled for Feb. 28 – March 19. The 2023 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, presented by Cotton Holdings, is scheduled for Feb. 23 – 25. For more information, visit rodeohouston.com and connect with #RODEOHOUSTON online via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for all the latest news.

The WPRA is the oldest women’s sports organization in the country. The Association started in 1948 with a group of Texas ranch women who wanted to add a little color and femininity to the rough-and-tumble sport of rodeo. Today, it is an association with more than 3,000 members, over 1,700 events and payouts totaling over $7 million. The WPRA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, provides opportunities for women across the United States and Canada to compete in the timed events of barrel racing, breakaway roping, team roping, and tie-down roping. For more information on the WPRA visit wpra.com.

The PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is recognized as the unsurpassed leader in sanctioning the sport of professional rodeo. The PRCA's mission is to unify membership in providing an innovative fan experience, to grow the sport of professional rodeo and provide new expanded opportunities for our membership and sponsors. Since 1986, the PRCA has paid out more than $1 billion in prize money to its contestants. The PRCA offers the best cowboys and the best rodeos; delivering the best fan experience while positively impacting our communities and embracing the spirit of the West. A membership-based organization, the PRCA sanctioned 732 events in 2019, and there are more than 40 million rodeo fans in the U.S. The PRCA televises the sport's premier events, with the world-renowned Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV and streaming on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. The PRORODEO® Tour and RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo also air on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV, and the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. PRCA-sanctioned rodeos donate more than $40 million to local and national charities every year. For comprehensive coverage of the cowboy sport, read ProRodeo Sports News, the official publication of the PRCA, and make sure to check out the digital edition of PSN. The digital PSN and daily updates of news and results can be found on the PRCA's official website, prorodeo.com.