Third annual San Juan Stampede Pro Rodeo hits the county this weekend

This Thursday through Saturday, June 13-15, the San Juan County Fairgrounds will be abuzz with bulls and blood, dust and mud, ropes and reins, joy and pain, and the roar of a weekend crowd as the third annual San Juan Stampede Pro Rodeo rolls into Monticello.
The event has seen great success since it began in 2017. Event coordinator Karah Nay said when she and her husband Jason started it, the goal was to bring the sport of rodeo back to San Juan County at a professional level and give people an opportunity to see pro rodeo as a good thing.
“We have professional athletes in this sport,” she said. “That includes the horses, bulls, and riders.”
Nay said it hasn’t been easy to get the rodeo up and running and growing as it has. “It takes endless days and nights and it’s a lot of work.”
The rodeo has received much local support in its first two seasons, which Nay said is indispensable. “It takes a lot of help and support from the community,” she explained. “If we didn’t have the local businesses sponsoring us, there’s no way we could continue to do it.”
The San Juan Stampede began as a two-day event, but added an additional day last year due to its initial success. Almost 3,000 spectators enjoyed the rodeo in its first two seasons.
Big names in the sport are returning to the San Juan Fairgrounds again this year, and they’re sure to bring the action.
Defending San Juan Stampede champion Mason Clements will compete in bareback riding. He has almost $430,000 in Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) career earnings since 2015.
Clements qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) twice and finished ninth in the world last year. He has five rodeo wins this year.
Tim Bingham ($514,692 in PRCA earnings since 2011, three NFR qualifications), Tyler Bingham ($254,595 since 2011, one NFR qualification), and Garrett Smith ($605,029 since 2014, two NFR qualifications) are three of the big names you can catch riding bulls this weekend.
Other well-known contestants you’ll see at the 2019 San Juan Stampede include NFR qualifiers J.C. Malone, Clint Robinson, Jake Hannum, and Rhen Richard in tie-down roping; Amber Moore, Kassidy Dennison, Vickie Carter, and Kaley Bass Richard in barrel racing; Allen Boore and Coburn Bradshaw in saddle bronc riding; Baylor Roche and Olin Hannum in steer wrestling; and Jeremy Buhler, Quinn Kessler, Erich Rogers, and Aaron Tsinigine in team roping.
The San Juan Stampede is proud to welcome rodeo clown Gizmo McCracken to the lineup this year. The 2017 “Comedy Act of the Year,” Gizmo has entertained crowds across the country for many years.
He has received many awards, and you’re guaranteed to leave the arena laughing.
The 2019 San Juan Stampede will also feature local competition in open barrel races and the always-popular stick horse races for the kiddos.
Professional livestock contractor Bar T Rodeo returns for its second year with the San Juan Stampede. It has produced professional rodeos since it was founded in Moab in the 1940s and provides livestock for the NFR.
The San Juan Stampede is a PRCA and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association rodeo and is co-sanctioned with the Mountain States and Turquoise Circuit.
Tickets for the 2019 San Juan Stampede Pro Rodeo can be purchased on the rodeo’s website or by visiting Natalie Randall in the top floor of the County Administration Building.
Advance tickets are cheaper than prices at the gate, and two- and three-day passes are only available online.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit SanJuanStampedeProRodeo.com.