RODEO EVENTS

The Kids Horse Show has been a staple of Laramie Jubilee Days since 1976. Established by Shirley Lilley, 1951 Miss Laramie Jubilee, it now kicks off Laramie Jubilee Days every year. Many participants in the horse show are the kids or even grand kids of some of those earlier competitors. An event that stood the test of time, it is a true family event that generations of Albany County residents look forward to. Shirley organized and ran this event for 46 years before turning it over to her family to continue the legacy.

Entries for the ranch rodeo are now open until June 30. Entry fees are $350 per team of 4. Please text team name, team member names, and hometown to 307-760-7777. Participants can enter more than 1 team but at least 2 members must be different. The world of rodeo as entertainment has been around since the 1800s! It originally started with two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches settling an argument over who was the best at performing everyday cowboy tasks. This is very much the basis of today’s Ranch Rodeo, an opportunity for teams of cowboys from local and regional ranches to come to town and prove they are the best at a variety of ranch-related tasks. While the exact events during a Ranch Rodeo might change from place to place, the idea remains the same. At any given competition, you can expect to see teams of cowboys using their horses and skills to perform tasks that are necessary any day of the week on a ranch. Loading a cow into a trailer, roping and/or sorting cattle, doctoring a sick or injured cow, branding livestock, and more can be seen in a Ranch Rodeo. The events will be branding, doctoring, trailer loading and wild cow milking.

The Little Pokes Summer Rodeo Series is a kids’ rodeo series in Laramie, Wyoming that is open to kids 1-18. Laramie Jubilee Days partnered with the series to expand our options for kids to participate in rodeo and equestrian sports during our annual celebration. This partnership began in 2023 and we look forward to many more years. If you have never seen a kids rodeo before, this is a great opportunity to bring your family and see what it is all about.

This is your chance to have some skin in the game during the Mr. T Xtreme Bull Riding! Purchase your favorite cowboy in the calcutta and if he wins, you win! Entries are limited to 40 entries so the goal is to sell 40 bull riders to the highest bidder. In the event of a bull rider not competing that was purchased the buyer of that cowboy will automatically get the replacement. If there is no replacement the buyer will receive a full refund of the purchase price. The winners of the Calcutta will be determined by the pro-rodeo judges scores. First place will go to the highest score second to the next highest and so on down the list. In the event of a tie score the rider with the highest combined ride score will be the winner. (Example: 2–90-point rides, on one the combined animal score was 46 and the combined ride score was 44 and the other was 45 and 45. The rider with the ride score of 45 would win over the other) Combined scores meaning that the scores of each judge added together. The Judges score 1-25 for the rider and 1-25 for the stock and then the scores of each judge are added together. for a total possible of 100 points Payout out will be to the top four combined scores; 1st place-40% 2nd place-30% 3rd place-20% 4th place 10% Payout will be figured on the total money after the 10% to LJD and after all refunds have been paid back.

Entries are now open for the Junior Bull Riding. Age groups include sheep riding 2-6 years, peewee mini bulls 7-8 years, Jr mini bulls 9-11 years, Sr mini bulls 12-13 years, junior bulls 14-15 years, and senior bulls 16-18 years. These are ages as of January 1st. To enter text name, age, hometown and the age groups to enter. Participants can enter up a category, meaning if you are 10, you could enter Jr and Sr minis for example. Text to 307-760-7777. To become the best of the best in bull riding, it is essential to start young. Junior Bull Riding events are just the place for these young riders to start their journey. Open to riders 4-18 years old, it includes mutton bustin (sheep riding), steer riding, mini bull riding and bull riding. The Laramie Jubilee Days Junior Bull Riding event is sanctioned by the WYO-CO Rodeo organization.

Named after PRCA Hall of Fame Bull, Mr. T, the Mr. T Xtreme Bull Riding event showcases the top bull riders atop some of Summit Rodeo’s top bulls. It is a full night of nothing but bull riding and is packed full of entertainment all night long. If bull riding is your favorite event, you don’t want to miss this night! It is not unusual to see some of the cowboys currently ranked in the top 20 in the world come to Laramie to attempt to ride some of the best bulls in the world. Mr. T, inducted into the PRCA Hall of Fame in 2024 is a world-famous bull who was only ridden a few times in his career. Owned by Burns Rodeo, he was seen at Laramie Jubilee Days every year until his retirement. Because he was such an icon, the Laramie Jubilee Days bull head logo was fashioned after him as a tribute to his legacy. Laramie’s Summit Rodeo still runs some of his bloodlines in their bulls today.

Each year, hundreds of competitors grace Laramie to participate in rodeo timed events…too many to include in the 3 performances featured during Laramie Jubilee Days. The “slack” portion of the event allows for everyone to compete for their chance to win their respective event even though they were not drawn to participate in the main performance. These competitors are certainly not “slackers” as they often include cowgirls currently ranked in the top 10 or top 20 in the world. If you have never watched Slack, you are probably missing seeing some of the top performers right here in Laramie.

The Friday night performance of the PRCA Rodeo is the first performance for Laramie Jubilee Days. We recognize all branches of the military with “Military Appreciation Night” and you will see the LJD Board of Directors and many of the competitors wearing red to honor those who have and are currently serving our country.

The Saturday PRCA performance is often the most attended performance, with sell out crowds packing into the stands. During most rodeo celebrations, one performance is selected to feature “Tough Enough to Wear Pink”, a nationally-recognized campaign to specifically to promote breast cancer awareness during western events and rodeos. Boots are passed through the crowd to collect money which is then donated to help promote research for breast cancer. The LJD Board of Directors and many contestants sport pink shirts to promote this cause.

Like the previous PRCA performances, you will see a theme during the Sunday performance. Sunday brings the Man Up Crusade to Laramie, and effort to reduce domestic violence and promote healthy relationships. In recognition of the Man Up Crusade, the LJD Board of Directors wears purple.