Rodeo 2022: Bronc Rider Riggin Smith is Back!

SAN ANGELO, TX – Riggin Smith finished the 2020 ProRodeo campaign as the No. 1 rookie in saddle bronc riding, and he didn’t even get to finish the season.

He suffered a knee injury in August and sat out the final two months of the regular season, finishing in an agonizing 24th place in the world standings in year he hoped would end up among the top 15 that earned a qualification to the National Finals Rodeo.

He took a few months off, rehabilitated his torn PCL, MCL and meniscus and went back to work. On Friday night during the first performance of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, he proved that he’s back and as good as ever, riding Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Django for 83 points to take the early bronc riding lead inside Foster Communications Coliseum.

“My knee’s great,” said Smith, the 2019 intercollegiate bronc riding champion while competing for Clarendon (Texas) College. “I’ve gotten so comfortable with it that I’ve taken my knee brace off, and that’s helped a lot.”

It showed on the powerful horse that offers a wicked start to the ride. Smith had heard from several other cowboys that the bronc was difficult to mark out, meaning that it was hard for the contestants to keep their spurs in contact with the animal above the horse’s neck until the first jump out of the chute is complete.

“Everybody told me he’d be pretty hard to spur out, but I didn’t expect it to be that hard,” he said. “When I looked at the stat sheet about that horse, there were a lot of zeroes. Wyatt Casper was 84 points, and I was there to watch it. I just kept that ride in my mind and thought in my mind that she would be that good today.”

The big black horse was, and it provided some added electricity into an already amped-up arena filled with rodeo fans. If Smith’s score holds up to be one of the top 12 through the preliminary rounds, he will return for the championship night on Friday, April 15.

“I’ve never made the short round here,” said Smith, the 32nd ranked bronc rider in this year’s standings. “This is just one of those rodeos everybody wants to win. It would be cool to get back in the short round and hopefully check this rodeo off my bucket list.

“I love this rodeo. The crowd is into it. (Clown) Justin Rumford and (announcer) Boyd (Polhamus) do a great job of getting the crowd into it. It gets so loud in there that it literally pumps you up.”

San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo April 1 - 1st Performance Scores

Bareback riding leaders: 1. Seth Hardwick, 84 on Macza Rodeo’s Dark Secret; 2. Chad Rutherford, 82; 3. Orin Larsen, 80; 4. Zack Brown, 70; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Cade Goodman, 2.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Talon Roseland, Bryn Roy and Trell Etbauer, 3.8; 5. Dakota Eldridge, 3.9; 6. Tory Jonson, 4.0; 7. (tie) Jason Thomas, Blake Mindemann and Dalton Massey, 4.2. Second round leaders: 1. Cameron Morman, 3.9 seconds; 2. Landris White, 4.0; 3. Ringo Robinson, 4.1; Bridger Anderson, 4.2; 5. (tie) Josh Garner and Taz Olson, 4.3; 7. (tie) Grady Payne and Wyatt Jurney, 4.4. Average leaders: 1. Landris White, 8.4 seconds on two rides; 2. Cade Goodman, 8.9; 3. Blake Mindemann, 9.0; 4. Jason Thomas, 9.3; 5. Bridger Anderson, 9.4; 6. Cody Harmon, 9.5; 7. Trell Etbauer 9.6; 8. Riley Westhaver, 9.7; 9. (tie) Kalane Anders and Zach Peterson, 9.8; 11. Riley Reiss, 9.9; 12. Denard Butler, 10.0.

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo and Lightning Aguilera/Coleby Payne, 3.9 seconds; 3. Caleb Smidt/Sergio Gonzales, 4.1; 4. Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, 4.2; 5. Casey Tew/Brushton Minton, 4.5; 6. (tie) Wyatt Bray/Will Woodfin and AndrewLivingston/Seth Smithson, 4.6; 8. (tie) Charly Crawford/Dustin Davis, Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson and Kolton Schmidt/Tyson Wyatt Cox, 4.7. Second round leaders: 1. Nelson Wyatt/Tyler Worley, 3.5 seconds; 2. Chace Thompson/Tyson Thompson, 3.8; 3. Chet Weitz/Jace Davis, 4.1; 4. Tanner James/Phoenix Everano, 4.3; 5. (tie) Jimmy Edens/Josh Patton and Jhett Trenary/Gralyn Elkins, 4.4; 7. (tie) Quisto Lopez/Cody Thornton and Tyler Mangus/Truman Mangus, 4.5. Average leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Wyatt Cox, 9.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Tanner James/Phoenix Everano, 9.5; 3. Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson, 9.6; 4. Andrew Livingston/Seth Smithson, 9.8; 5. Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, 10.2; 6. (tie) Kolby Krieger/Boogie Ray and Cinch Moody/Rich Skelton, 10.4; 8. Nelson Wyatt/Tyler Worley, 12.5; 9. J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 12.6; 10. Wyatt Bray/Will Woodfin, 14.0; 11. Wyatt Muggli/Casey McCleskey, 15.6; 12. Spencer Mitchell/Jason Duby, 19.0.

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Riggin Smith, 83 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Django; 2. Cauy Pennington, 80; 3. Isaac Diaz, 78.5; 4. Jacob Lewis, 77; 5. Weston Patterson, 75; 6. Gus Gaillard, 73; no other qualified rides.

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Milligan and Travis Rogers, 7.6 seconds; 3. Dakota Felton, 7.8; 4. Riley Wakefield, 8.0; 5. Cody McCartney, 8.1; 6. (tie) Cash Hooper and Blake Ash, 8.3; 8. (tie) Wyatt Muggli and Russell Schilling, 8.8. Second round leaders: 1. Trenton Smith. 7.7 seconds; 2. Ryle Smith, 7.9; 3. Trevor Hale, 8.0; 4. (tie) Tyler Milligan and Chet Weitz, 8.1; 6. Buck Take, 8.2; 7. (tie) Chisum Allen and Clint Singleton, 8.3. Average leaders: 1. Tyler Milligan, 15.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Dakota Felton, 16.8; 3. Cody McCartney, 16.9; 4. Travis Rogers, 17.5; 5. Blake Deckard, 18.1; 6. Buck Tate, 18.3; 7. Walker Akins, 18.4; 8. Wyatt Imus, 18.5; 9. Kolt Henderson, 18.6; 10. Riley Wakefield, 19.1; 11. Sam Houston Powers, 19.3; 12. (tie) Russell Schilling and Cooper Mathews, 19.5.

Barrel racing: First round: 1. Wenda Johnson, 15.47 seconds, $5,773; 2. Dona Kay Rule, 15.48, $4,948; 3. Ericka Nelson, 15.57, $4,124; 4. Margo Crowther, 15.58, $3,574; 5. (tie) Cassidy Champlin, Bayleigh Choate and Liza Zachoda, 15.60, $2,199 each; 8. Shannon McReynolds, 15.64, $1,100; 9. Ivy Saebens, 15.65, $825; 10. Emily Mangioe, 15.66, $550. Second round leaders: 1. Steely Steiner, 14.60 seconds; 2. Kaitlin Schnuckk, 14.64; 3. Jodye Smathers, 14.68; 4. Whitney Davison, 14.85; 5. Madison MacDonald Thomas, 14.95; 6. Carrie Potashnick, 15.01; 7. Jody McPherson, 15.09; 8. Brooke McGehee, 15.11; 9. Kelly Bruner, 15.12; 10. Brittney Barnett, 19.69. Average leaders: 1. Steeley Steiner, 30.54 seconds on two runs; 2. Kaitlin Schnuck, 30.70; 3. Jodye Smathers, 31.02; 4. Whitney Davison, 31.03; 5. Carrie Potashnick, 31.13; 6. Madison MacDonald Thomas, 31.19; 7. Brooke McGehee, 31.32; 8. Kelly Bruner, 31.35; 9. Jody McPherson,31.41; 10. Brittney Barnett, 35.55.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Tristen Hutchings, 84.5 points on Macza Rodeo’s Majestic Blues; 2. (tie) Jaron Sheehan and Jordan Wacey Spears, 84; no other qualified rides.