The Journey
to the buckle ends in OKC!

IFR38 Bareback Riding

IFR38 marked Billy Griffin’s third consecutive trip to IFR action and proved that “third time’s a charm” can be more than just a cliché.  With an IPRA Rookie of the Year title under his belt, Griffin was ready to add a world title to his resume.  The Lee’s Sommit, MO cowboy came into IFR38 with nearly a $3,000 lead over reigning World Champion Shawn Minor of Camden, OH.  Minor, who had held the world title for the last four years, wasn’t about to make it easy for Griffin to grab the gold. 
Number four man, Chad Childers of Fairmont, GA scored 81 points aboard She’s No Lady from Wild Horse Rodeo Productions to take the win in round one.  Canadian Roger Lacasse of Mirabel, QU aboard Shanook from Cross Creek Rodeo Productions and Josh Cragar of Columbia, TN and Buck’N Bo of the Ken Treadway Rodeo string shared second and third in the round when they matched ride for ride for 80.5 points.  Griffin finished fourth in the round with an 80 point ride aboard High Rise from Latting Rodeo Company. 
Three time IFR qualifier, Jeremy Shed of Holdenville, OK and Heaven Can Wait from Wild Horse Rodeo set the bar in round two of IFR competition with an 81.5 point ride.  Joseph Courville of Manteno, IL and Little Wolf of Rawhide Rodeo Company received 80.5 points from the judges to move into second.  Shawn Minor aboard Cattle Guard from the Bar V Rodeo Company and Roger Lacasse on Chip-N-Dale from Johnson & Jordan Rodeo Company split third and fourth in the round with 79.5 point rides.
It was Lacasse’s turn to set the bar in the third round.  Aboard Ravishing Ruby from the Wild Horse Rodeo string, Lacasse spurred his way to 80.5 points.   Childers drew his second IFR paycheck when he and Big Sky from Hampton Rodeo Company earned 78 points to take second in the round.  Rookie of the Year, Justin Anderson of Sperry, OK earned his first IFR check aboard High Rise from Latting Rodeo Company.  The pair received a 77.5 point score from the judges to slide into third.  Cragar went to the pay window again with a 76.5 point ride aboard Lucky Lady from Cross Creek Rodeo Company.
Cragar had found his groove as he and Griffin shared the win in the fourth round.  Griffin aboard Little Wolf from Rawhide Rodeo and Cragar on Chip-N-Dale from Johnson & Jordan matched 82 point rides.  Lacasse, also in the groove, drew a third place check when he turned in an 81 point ride on Iron Mountain from the Oubre Rodeo Company.  Childers aboard Extra Terrestrial of Wooten Rodeo Company and Justin Hoekwater of Manton, MI on Heaven Can Wait from Wild Horse shared fourth and fifth in the round with 78.5 point rides.
When the final tallies were completed, Griffin had succeeded in breaking Minor’s monopoly of the IPRA World Champion Bareback Riding title and claim it for his own for 2007. 


IFR38 Saddle Bronc Riding

Tyler West of Center Ridge, AR came into IFR38 knowing that he would have to be on his game if he was going to hold off Shawn Minor of Camden, OH.  With only less than $600 separating the two cowboys, there was going to be a showdown in the State Fair Arena. 
Former World Champion Jet McCoy of Ada, OK stepped up and took the lead in round one with 79.5 points aboard Roan Wolf from Rawhide Rodeo Company.  Veteran IFR contender, Stacy Belt of Harrisonville, MO and Willy from Hedrick Rodeo Company took second in the round with 76 points.  Third in the round went to two-time IFR qualifier Clint Zimmerman of Martinsville, IN when he earned 75.5 points with Mardi Gras from Rawhide Rodeo Company.  Reigning World Champion Tanner Cole Daugherty of Yukon, OK finished fourth in the round with 73 points on Plain Dakota from the Ken Treadway Rodeo Company.  West’s first round did not go as planned and he received a no-score on High Roller from Hampton Rodeo Company.
Rookie leader, Tyler Huston of Fort Scott, KS got into the game when he scored 80 points aboard Ozzy from JS Pro Rodeo Company to take the win in the second round.  McCoy on Playgirl from Wild Horse Rodeo and Canadian Luc Cloutier of St-Janvier, QU aboard on Cinnamon Stick from Wagon Wheel Rodeo split second and third in the round with their matching 76 point rides.  A trio of 75.5 point scores split fourth – sixth in the round between Tyler West aboard Black Widow of Hampton Rodeo Company; Shawn Minor on Girlfriend from Wild Horse, and B.J. Prince of Pontypool, ON and Valentine from Ken Treadway. 
McCoy continued his saddle bronc riding clinic with another winning ride in the third round.   Jet and Mardi Gras from Rawhide Rodeo teamed up to earn 83 points and set the bar for the remaining cowboys.  Belt and Treadway’s Valentine received 81 points from the judges to move into second in the round.  Huston and Badlands Molly also from Rawhide Rodeo Company picked up a third place check in the round with their 75.5 point ride.  Canadian cowboy, Cloutier and Blueberry Wine from Wild Horse Rodeo Productions collected fourth with a 73 point score.  Roan Wolf from Rawhide Rodeo Company managed to unseat Tyler West and open the door for Minor to claim his first saddle bronc riding title.
Jet McCoy added another first place check to his bank account when he put the boots and spurs to  Black Widow from Hampton Rodeo Company and marked 82.5 points.  Cloutier also went to the pay window again when he scored 79 points with High Time Gal from Rawhide Rodeo Company.  Clint Zimmerman and Wild Horse’s Girlfriend earned third in the round with 74 points.  Tanner Cole Daugherty and Curly Bob from Johnson & Jordan rounded out the go with a 71 point ride. 
Both Tyler West and Shawn Minor failed to make the eight seconds in the final round, but Minor’s fourth place average win was enough to slip past West and earn his first gold buckle in the saddle bronc riding.


IFR38 Steer Wrestling

The steer wrestling was one of the most exciting races at IFR38 with positions shuffling like a deck of playing cards.  Brian Barefoot of Dunn, NC came into the finals in the number one position with a healthy lead over number two man Jordan Wiseman of McAlester, OK. 
Dwayne Dowdy of Union City, TN set the pace in the first round with a time of 3.4 seconds.  Wiseman and former World Champion, Stewart Gulager of Garland, KS split second and third with matching times of 3.6 seconds.  Three-time World Champion Troy Orr of Lebanon, TN finished out the round with a time of 3.9 seconds.
All-around contender, Justin Thigpen of Waycross, GA and Ryan Mims of Holdenville, OK topped the field when they both got the flag in 3.6 seconds.  Barefoot finally hit pay dirt with his 3.7 second run that shared third and fourth in the round with Cornell Fields of Midwest City, OK.  The world standings shuffled to show Justin Thigpen in second, Ryan Mims in third and Jordan Wiseman in fourth. 
The win in round three went to rookie Casey McGuire of Vinita, OK who turned his steer in 3.5 seconds.  Gulager and a 4.0 run took second in the round.  Tooter Silver of Warner, OK made his seventh consecutive trip to the finals and picked up a third place check for his 4.1 second run.  Fourth and fifth in the round was shared between Donnie Tyner of Elm City, NC and Cameron Fennell of Byhalia, MS who both got the flag in 4.2 seconds.   Wiseman had now dropped to fifth in the world standings, Gulager had moved into second and Barefoot still held the lead.
In the fourth round, each of the top five cowboys had a scenario in their head of what he had to do in this round to get ahead of Barefoot.  Casey McGuire took command of the round with a 3.5 second run.  With the pressure on, Wiseman slid in right behind him with a 3.6 second run that would put him second in the round.  Troy Orr and his 3.7 second run drew a third place check and Cornell Fields finished it off with a 3.8 second trip. 
Wiseman’s dramatic second place win put him in the lead of the all-important average race and put enough money in the bank to slip ahead of Barefoot and claim the world title.  Jordan’s win added him to the gold buckle club at the Wiseman household, Dad, Jack owns four World Champion Steer Wrestling titles and brother Colby Stufflebean earned his gold buckle in 2006 and qualified for IFR38 in 15th position.

IFR38 Team Roping

The team of A.J. and Kyle Horton of Stigler, OK had kept the lead in the world standings much of the 2007 rodeo season but with shake-ups in the air at the State Fair Arena, nothing would be certain until the last loop had been thrown. 
Veteran IFR contenders Jason Tucker of Charlotte, NC and Brad Culpepper of Ashburn, GA took the lead in round one with a 6.4 second run.  Jimmy Tanner of Tifton, GA and Manny Cunde of Madison, GA claimed second in the round with their 6.6 second run.  The rookie team of Clay and Jake Pianalto of Lincoln, AR went to the pay window with a 6.7 second run.  Chris Stubblefield of Rock Island, TN and Vic Shaw of Pine Level, AL rounded out the top four when they got the flag in 8.3 seconds.
Jared Standridge of Dennard, AR and Jory Levy of Twin Oaks, OK earned the win in the second round with a 4.8 second run.  The Sperry, OK team of Cody Heflin and Shawn Kreder took second in the round with their 5.1 second run.  Rydal, GA’s Dustin Buchanan and former World Champion Tom Bourne of Chapel Hill, TN got the flag in 5.7 seconds to take third in the round.  Tanner and Cunde drew their second IFR paycheck with their 5.8 second run. 
Three-time World Champion Terry Crow of Miami, OK and Wendell Stanley of Rose, OK pocketed the first place check in the third round with their 5.2 second run.  Tucker and Culpepper drew their loops tight in 5.8 to take second in the round.  The team of Tanner and Cunde turned in a 6.1 second time that earned the pair a third place paycheck.  The Pinalto brothers earned fourth in the round with a 6.4 second run.
In the fourth round, Jake Weddle and Josh Canant, both of Perryville, AR took control of the round when they turned their steer in 3.7 seconds.  Former World Champion Joel Maker of Tahlequah, OK and two-time IFR qualifier Ben Hogan of Muldrow, OK picked up their first IFR check with a 3.9 second run.  Ross Lowry of Summerville, GA and Shane Edmonson of Rainsville, AL also got in the plus column when they earned third in the round with a 4.0 run.  Former World Champions Kelsey Parchman of Cumberland City, TN and Stephen Britnell of Maryville, TN finished fourth in the round with a time of 4.6 seconds. 
The Horton’s, who were plagued with bad luck and then worse luck, failed to draw a check from their IFR competition and Jared Standridge and Jory Levy took advantage of the opportunity and moved into their slot at the top of the world standings.  This was the first gold buckle for both Jared and Jory. Tucker and Culpepper earned the IFR average win with a total time of 25.1 seconds on their four head. 



2007 Bucking Stock, Timed Event Horses, & Award Winners of the Year


2007 IPRA Bareback Horse of the Year
#080 Heaven Can Wait
Wild Horse Rodeo Productions - Wendel Ratchford

2007 IPRA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year
#139 Tax Man
Rawhide Rodeo Company - Sam Swearingen

2007 IPRA Bucking Bull of the Year
#228 Bloody Sunday
Rawhide Rodeo Company - Sam Swearingen

2007 IPRA Indoor Rodeo of the Year
Ft. Pierce, FL
Wide Open/St. Lucie County Fair & IPRA Rodeo

2007 IPRA Outdoor Rodeo of the Year
St. Tite, QU - Festival Western de St. Tite

2007 IPRA New Rodeo of the Year
Holdenville, OK
Holdenville Round-up Club Annual IPRA Rodeo

2007 IPRA Stock Contractor of the Year
Kevin Hampton
Hampton Rodeo Company

2007 Most Active IPRA Stock Contractor of the Year
Ken Treadway
Ken Treadway Rodeo Company

2007 Clown of the Year
Mike Wentworth

2007 IPRA Announcer of the Year
Danny Newland

2007 Secretary of the Year
Gina Hampton

2007 IPRA Team Roping Heading Horse of the Year
"Monty"
Owned & Ridden by Jimmy Tanner

2007 IPRA Team Roping Heeling Horse of the Year
C.R. Son of a Doc
Owned & Ridden by Stephen Britnell

2007 IPRA Cowgirls Barrel Racing Horse of the Year
All Eyez Are On Me "Legs"
Owned & Ridden by Jessica Moore

2007 IPRA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year
Mar Am Major "Ready"
Owned & Ridden by Ryan Mims

2007 IPRA Hazing Horse of the Year
Fax It Bar "Wiz"
Owned & Ridden by Eldon Day

2007 IPRA Tie-down Roping Horse of the Year
Wills Rosalea
Owned & Ridden by Ronnie Davis


Official IFR 38 Photographer
Cowboy Pix
Becky Hoffarth
(479)530-6713
E-mail becky_cowboypix@yahoo.com
Web-Site www.cowboypix.com
IFR38 Bull Riding

Nathan Tull of Shawnee, OK had the lead in the world standings coming into IFR38 and wasn’t about to give it up easily, if at all.  Two-time IFR qualifier, Clinton Smith of Pavilion, NY made the eight seconds aboard Undertaker from Painted Pony Rodeo Company to earn 79 points and take the win in the first round.  Another two-time qualifier, Jared Long of Ramona, OK won his match with Piney Creek from Bar V Rodeo Company and was awarded 77.5 points.  Tull drew Cross Stitch from the Latting Rodeo Company and earned 77 points from the IFR judges for third in the round.  Rookie John Leinaweaver of Gettysburg, PA made the whistle on Panic from Rafter M Rodeo Company for 73 points to earn fourth in the round. 
Eighteen-year-old, Ryan Dirteater of Hulbert, OK was not only leading the race for Rookie of the Year, he was leading the pack in round two of the IFR.  Dirteater and Red Bull of the Treadway string earned 83.5 points for the win.  Tull struck again aboard The Trick from Hedrick Rodeo Company for 81 points for second in the round and the lead in the average.  Ken Treadway’s Cross Bow couldn’t shake Cody Stephens of Pierce City, MO and the cowboy earned 80 points and a third place paycheck.  Adrian, MI’s Troy Carnes scored 76.5 points aboard Little Rock from Painted Pony Rodeo Company to finish fourth in the round.
Carnes liked his trip to the pay window so he made a repeat trip in the third round but this time he collected the big check for 83 points on Candyman II from Johnson & Jordan Rodeo Company.  The two top rookie contenders, Dirteater and Leinaweaver shared second, third, and fourth with Jared Long.  All three cowboys earned 82 points.  Dirteater was aboard Big Bucks from Painted Pony Rodeo Company; Leinweaver drew his score on Wolf Pup from Hampton Rodeo Company, and Long out-matched Awesome from Latting Rodeo Company.  Tull lost his match-up with Big Hat Rodeo’s Touched by Madness and relinquished his average lead over to Ryan Dirteater.
Dirteater, who now had control of the average race, decided to “step it up a notch” and take the win in the fourth round as well.  The youngster scored 85 points aboard LK Driller from Rawhide Rodeo Company.  Luke Skrabis of Grant, MI made it to the pay window with his 83.5 point ride aboard Fine Wine from Johnson & Jordan Rodeo Company.  Another rookie contender, Dustin Shepard of Hortense, GA, earned third in the round with an 83 point ride on Red Bull from Ken Treadway’s string.  Jared Long hit pay dirt again with 81 points aboard Johnson & Jordan’s Hard Times. 
Despite bucking off of Little Erckel from Cross Creek Rodeo Company in the final round, Tull still out-earned Dirteater for the World Championship.  Dirteater earned the average win and passed Troy Carnes to finish second in the world standings for the 2007 rodeo season.


IFR38 Cowgirl Barrel Racing

Mesa Leavitt of Blue Grass, IA made a clean sweep of IFR38.  The tiny cowgirl earned her second gold buckle and made IPRA rodeo history along the way, earning the win in all four go-rounds and the average. 
In the first round, the twelve-year-old jockey set the pace with a 15.183 second run.  Michelle Miller of Rosemark, TN, who was making her second IFR appearance, earned second in the round with a 15.465 second run.  Heather Moore of New Johnsonville, TN finished third in the round when she clocked in with 15.485 seconds.  Tiffany Teehee of Claremore, OK rounded out the top four ladies with a 15.505 second run. 
Mesa and Junior broke the 14-second mark in round number two of IFR action.  The “dynamic duo” rounded the pattern in 14.925 seconds.  Kathy Fuhry of Easley, SC was also under the 15-second range and earned second in the round with her 14.979 second run.  Sallye Williams of Skiatook, OK collected a third place check for her 15.173 second time.  Michelle Miller earned her second check of the finals when she finished fourth with her time of 15.288. 
In the third round, Mesa bested her previous performance by turning in a 14.844 second run that was flawless in anybody’s book.  Fuhry went to the pay window again with her time of 15.139 seconds.  Henryetta, OK’s Ashlie Smith made it to the pay window with her 15.151 second run and earned third in the round.  Louise MacIntyre of Rockmart, GA finished fourth in the round with a 15.171 second run.   Tiffany Teehee was not able to compete in the third and fourth rounds of IFR38 due to an emergency appendectomy.  The 19-year-old cowgirl had earned the IFR37 High Money Timed Event award and was considered a strong contender in IFR38.  Mesa Leavitt gave her third go-round buckle to Tiffany as consolation for her unfortunate illness.
A time of 15.009 seconds in the fourth round cinched another round win for Leavitt as well as the win in the average.  Ashlie Smith earned her second check from IFR38 when she clocked a 15.182 second run to finish second in the round.  Sallye Williams also went to the pay window when she stopped the electric eye in 15.227 seconds.  Louise MacIntyre, who has made several trips to the IFR, earned another fourth place check with her 15.256 second run.


IFR38 Tie-Down Roping

The tie-down roping at IFR38 was anything but predictable and IFR rodeo announcers Mark McGee and Danny Newland stayed busy trying to keep up with the changes each round delivered.  Justin Thigpen, who was making his fifth IFR appearance, was leading the world standings with a comfortable lead and was anxious to earn his first world title.
Steve Brickey of Tahlequah, OK set the pace in round one with a solid run of 8.1 seconds.  Former IFR average winner, Glen Freels of Cedartown, GA took second in the round with a time of 9.6 seconds.  Rookie, Calvin Johnson of Tulsa, OK got his hands in the air in 9.7 seconds to claim third in the first round.  Allen Livengood of Cleveland, NC, who was making his second IFR appearance, claimed fourth in the round with a 10.5 second run.  Thigpen’s no-time in the first round set the stage for an upset.
Veteran IFR competitor, Chip Porterfield of Sparta, MO, made short work of his second round draw.  The former IFR average winner made a flawless run of 7.7 seconds to take the win in the round and record the fastest run of the finals.  Caddo Lewallen of Morrison, OK got in the win column when he turned in a 7.9 second run.  Bill Warner of Muldrow, OK and Glen Freels shared third and fourth in the round with their 9.4 second runs. 
Warner took the win in the third round with an 8.4 second run and moved to third in the world standings.  Steve Brickey and his 8.5 second run claimed second in the round and moved to the lead in the average race. Chris Neal of Muldrow, OK earned third in the round with an 8.9 second run.  Leader Justin Thigpen and rookie Cody McCartney of Ottawa Lake, MI split fourth and fifth with their 9.3 second runs.
Glen Freels claimed the win in the fourth round with an 8.3 second run.  Seventeen-year-old Cody McCartney and P.J. Spencer of Collinsville, OK split second and third in the round with 9.2 second runs.  First time IFR qualifier, Aaron Puskarich of Piedmont, OH, drew a fourth place check in the round with his 9.6 second run.  The no-time that Thigpen received in the fourth round gave way to Steve Brickey, who cinched the average win with a time of 38.8 seconds on four head.
The win in the average was enough to slide Brickey past Thigpen for the world championship.  It was a trifecta for the first time IFR qualifier who earned his first average win and his first gold buckle.