Brayden Schmidt and 2025 Resistol Rookie contender Jaydon Warner conquered the grass to be crowned the 2025 Pendleton Round-Up champions after winning the finals on Sept. 13.
The team was 6.1 seconds on their last steer for $1,685 a man and ended the Green Mile marathon with a time of 19.1 seconds on three head, winning the average and taking home $10,622 a man.
Benton City, Washington, native Schmidt said his main goal on the grass was to keep it cool and treat it like just another run.
“We just treated it like it was the same as any other rodeo,” Schmidt, 22, said. “Both of our horses were good there. Honestly, we just made runs. I don’t think a guy needs to overthink it. I mean, I don’t want to say it was simple, but with our horses and how we drew, it was not as hard as it could have been.”
For 18-year-old Warner of Tropic, Utah, Pendleton was a business trip.
“We just knew if we could be in the barrier and do our job, the rest would take care of itself,” Warner said. “We weren’t really thinking about times—just to do our job. If they beat us, they beat us.”
It’s All in the Horsepower
As two young kids on the ProRodeo scene, Schmidt and Warner both attributed their summer success to their four-legged teammates, especially on the glassy grass of Pendleton.
Schmidt relied on his 23-year-old veteran head horse RCY Seven Seven, “77,” which he shared with NFR header Tanner Tomlinson.
“Tanner Tomlinson and I both rode my horse,” he said. “I won the first round at Pendleton on him a while back. I haven’t been riding him at all. I rode him on the second one at Ellensburg and then at Pendleton, but my little sister rides him now. He’s been there more than I have, probably.”
Warner rode his 17-year-old buckskin gelding, Lizard, and even loaned the horse to three-time world champion Wesley Thorp for the final round.
Rookie Season Round-Up
It’s no secret that the first year on the ProRodeo trail can be trying, but fellow young gun Schmidt had no doubt in his Resistol Rookie partner.
“I have a lot of confidence in him, I always have,” Schmidt said of Warner. “We’ve roped together for a long time. I mean, it’s been a huge learning curve; there’s a lot he has learned, and I’ve learned with him. But he’s done such a good job.”
This year has not been without lessons learned, though.
“The biggest thing for me was, I’ve roped every day for as long as I can remember,” Warner said. “Being out on the road and not roping every day, that was a big learning curve for me—being able to get confidence from somewhere other than practicing. I think it was for the best, just to be able to work on my mental game this summer. But I have some good horses right now and we did some good; I am excited to keep it rolling into next year.”
Warner’s rookie season is winding down as he prepares to kick off the college rodeo season in Texas. He currently sits No. 2 in the Resistol Rookie of the Year standings with $45,973 won. As for Schmidt, he is gearing up for a busy season at the jackpots and is looking forward to next year.
