Thanks to some reliable horsepower, tie-down roper Bo Pickett has found himself in the mix to make the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time.
Pickett is riding a horse he bought in March 2020 – Too Short – that has been coming into its own this summer. Pickett is 22nd in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $46,949 and 20th in the standings of the ProRodeo Tour presented by Pendleton Whisky.
“My horsepower has been pretty spot on,” said Pickett, 24. “I’ve never really had a breakout winter. I’ve always been trying to play catch up in the spring. Last year I had $2,500 won coming into the spring and then they started canceling all those rodeos. I had a decent summer last year, but I was so far behind it was all I could do to get in the Top 30.
“This year I had an OK winter, I won $10,000. Then I’ve been able to catch some breaks. I’ve roped good. My horse has been great, and I’ve matured a little bit.”
Pickett is competing in the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Ore., Aug. 11 and is fully aware of trying to stay among the Top 24 in the standings of the ProRodeo Tour presented by Pendleton Whisky.
“Being in the Top 24 in the Tour Standings is very important,” Pickett said. “I plan on getting to as many Tour rodeos as I can. I know I want to do well in Hermiston because the Tour points are big.”
The Tour Finale will be at California Rodeo Salinas, Sept. 23-26 and will crown the ProRodeo Tour champions. The big payout on the season’s final weekend will play a pivotal role in catapulting athletes into the Wrangler NFR.
The Top 24 competitors in each event in the ProRodeo Tour Standings advance to the Tour Finale.
The Tour Finale will air on The Cowboy Channel and will stream on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus App. For more information, visit cowboychannelplus.com.
Pickett knows if he does reach his goals of the ProRodeo Tour Finale and the NFR, Too Short, 15, will have played a huge role.
“He has a little swag to him,” Pickett said. “He’s probably 13 hands. The name Too Short fits. I bought him last year and I wrote the check for him, and then as I was driving home after roping on him in the beginning of March in Houston, I got an email that Houston was canceling. I was a little nervous. I wrote a decent check and I saw all my opportunities to pay for Too Short go out the window. It was a little stressful.
“He’s not really a wintertime horse. He really likes the summer rodeos. He has a big motor on him and no quit. In the winter when it is cooler and more time in between rodeos and I don’t get to put him in the trailer and haul him, he’s not as good. I stuck him in the trailer June 15, and I have not ridden another horse since.”
Outside of rodeo, Pickett was recently engaged to Taighler Dougherty. The couple is scheduled to be married Oct. 16 at the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up on the grass. The couple also will live in Pendleton.
Source: ProRodeo
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