When the Fourth of July hits, the sleigh bells heard around the rodeo world are actually jingling spurs as team ropers head out for Cowboy Christmas.
The 2026 Fourth-of-July run is in full swing, with the magic of Cowboy Christmas ramping up over the next week. With a sprint of back-to-back rodeos from the end of June through the Fourth of July, some of the biggest checks of the season drop in a matter of days.
Cowboy Christmas FAQs
What is Cowboy Christmas?
Cowboy Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year on the ProRodeo trail, but it’s also one of the most grueling. Athletes drive thousands of miles and sometimes chase charter flights to make it from back-to-back rodeos over the Fourth of July run.
The Reno Rodeo serves as the segue between the spring run and Cowboy Christmas. For team ropers, the Fourth of July is unique in that athletes will see all different kinds of setups, from longer starts to shorter, as well as one-headers to aggregates.
“Years ago, the Fourth of July run became known as the premier week of the whole rodeo season,” Clay O’Brien Cooper told Spin To Win in 2008. “There were so many good rodeos all in a short span of time, and they added lots of money. The old phrase ‘Cowboy Christmas’ was a big deal. And it still is, really. It’s the one week where there are four, five, six really good rodeos right on top of each other.
Cowboy Christmas is an intense, high-stakes week of rodeos that span from the last day or two of June through the Fourth of July. Team ropers will crisscross the country hitting anywhere from seven to 10 rodeos in one week. The athletes also track their Fourth-of-July earnings (like we do here at The Team Roping Journal) for bragging rights of Cowboy Christmas’ top earners. World Champs Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira wear the ultimate Kings of Cowboy Christmas crowns, smashing the record in 2024 with $47,275 a man.
What rodeos count toward Cowboy Christmas at TRJ?
What rodeos count toward Cowboy Christmas is often debated, with athletes even having separate margins. In 2026, these are the rodeos The Team Roping Journal will count toward Cowboy Christmas earnings:
- Greeley Stampede (June 25-July 1)
- Ponoka Stampede (June 25-July 1)
- World’s Oldest Rodeo (Prescott, Arizona | June 29-July 5)
- Airdrie Pro Rodeo (June 29-July 1)
- St. Paul Rodeo (June 30-July 4)
- Raymond Stampede (June 30-July 1)
- Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo (July 1-4)
- Black Hills Roundup (Belle Fourche, South Dakota | July 1-4)
- Oakley Independence Day Rodeo (Oakley City, Utah | July 1-4)
- Livingston Roundup Rodeo (July 1-4)
- 48th Annual Headwaters ProRodeo (Park Rapids, Minnesota | July 1-4)
- Cody Stampede Rodeo (July 1-4)
- Home Of Champions Rodeo (Red Lodge, Montana | July 2-4)
- Eugene Pro Rodeo (July 2-5)
- Folsom Pro Rodeo (July 2-4)
- Sitting Bull Stampede (Mobridge, South Dakota | July 2-4)
- Brush Rodeo (July 2-4)
- Mandan Rodeo Days (July 2-4)
- Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series (July 2-4)
- Mid-Western Rodeo (Manawa, Wisconsin | July 2-4)
- Basin City Freedom Rodeo (July 2-4)
- Killdeer Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo (July 2-4)
- Western Stampede (West Jordan, Utah | July 2-4)
- Belton CoC 4th Of July Celebration & PRCA Rodeo (July 2-4)
- Toppenish Rodeo (July 3-4)
- Rodeo Roundup (July 3-4)
- Sedro-Woolley PRCA Rodeo (July 3-4)
- Price County PRCA Rodeo (Phillips, Wisconsin | July 3-4)
- Painted Pony Championship Rodeo (Lake Luzerne, New York | July 3)
- Gary Rodeo (July 3-4)
- Bassano Pro Rodeo (July 3-4)
- Benalto Stampede (July 3-5)
- Old West Trail Rodeo (Crawford, Nebraska | July 3-4)
- Cowtown Rodeo (Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey | July 4)
- Painted Pony Championship Rodeo (Lake Luzerne, New York | July 4)
- Mesquite Championship Rodeo (July 4)
- Drummond PRCA Rodeo (July 5)
What does the money look like over the Fourth of July?
The purses are pretty over the Fourth of July, and if a team can get on a roll over Cowboy Christmas, they can nearly lock in their December trips to the Thomas & Mack, or even ride all the way into contention for the world championship come December. In 2026, between the 37 rodeos we’re tracking at The Team Roping Journal, there is a purse of $398,040 up for grabs per end in the team roping.
Canada’s Ponoka Stampede boasts the largest purse at $120,000 ($60,000 per side) in the team roping. Right behind the Maple Leaf country is Oregon’s St. Paul Rodeo, coming in with a team roping purse of $101,180, aka $50,590 per end.
Top 5 Fourth of July rodeos in 2026
| Rodeo | Purse | Per Side |
| Ponoka Stampede | $120,000 | $60,000 |
| St. Paul Rodeo | $101,180 | $50,590 |
| Cody Stampede Rodeo | $72,000 | $36,000 |
| Greeley Stampede | $70,000 | $35,000 |
| Oakley Independence Day Rodeo | $60,000 | $30,000 |
Top team roping earners in 2025
In 2025, Clint Summers and Jade Corkill came remarkably close to a perfect Cowboy Christmas. Summers and Corkill had the best Cowboy Christmas of their careers, cashing in $29,897 a man and picking up checks at nine out of the 10 rodeos they entered.
Not far behind them were the 2025 PRCA World Champs Andrew Ward and Jake Long with $26,421 and Riley Brady Minor at $24,344.
Team roping world standings heading into Cowboy Christmas 2026
As of July 29, 2026
Heading
| 1 | Korbin Rice | $112,403.31 |
| 2 | Jake Smith | $81,163.43 |
| 3 | Kaleb Driggers | $77,763.60 |
| 4 | Tanner Tomlinson | $75,853.78 |
| 5 | James Arviso | $66,617.70 |
| 6 | Tyler Tryan | $64,588.46 |
| 7 | Lightning Aguilera | $62,165.80 |
| 8 | Brye Crites | $60,693.82 |
| 9 | Brenten Hall | $56,068.46 |
| 10 | Dustin Egusquiza | $56,047.66 |
| 11 | Jr. Dees | $52,438.63 |
| 12 | Cory Kidd | $50,519.00 |
| 13 | Jayse Tettenhorst | $50,059.49 |
| 14 | Coleman Proctor | $44,741.63 |
| 15 | Nelson Wyatt | $44,477.57 |
| 16 | Kavis Drake | $43,574.65 |
| 17 | Erich Rogers | $41,937.11 |
| 18 | Corben Culley | $40,438.58 |
| 19 | Derrick Begay | $40,018.22 |
| 20 | Bubba Buckaloo | $39,842.43 |
Heeling
| 1 | Cooper Freeman | $112,403.31 |
| 2 | Douglas Rich | $81,163.43 |
| 3 | Junior Nunes Nogueira | $77,763.60 |
| 4 | Levi Lord | $69,029.22 |
| 5 | Ross Ashford | $65,595.44 |
| 6 | Wyatt Cox | $64,692.90 |
| 7 | Trent Vaught | $58,020.22 |
| 8 | JC Flake | $56,047.66 |
| 9 | Kaden Profili | $53,541.36 |
| 10 | Nicky Northcott | $52,982.05 |
| 11 | Landen Glenn | $52,438.63 |
| 12 | Coleby Payne | $51,941.81 |
| 13 | Carson Johnson | $51,753.54 |
| 14 | Trey Yates | $48,126.38 |
| 15 | Jonathan Torres | $44,477.57 |
| 16 | Travis Graves | $43,921.13 |
| 17 | Cole Curry | $43,673.33 |
| 18 | Denim Ross | $43,574.64 |
| 19 | Cory Petska | $43,277.08 |
| 20 | Denton Dunning | $40,214.56 |
2026 Cowboy Christmas team roping results
As of July 1, 2026.
St. Paul Rodeo
St. Paul, Oregon, June 30-July 4
First round leaders: 1. Cash Duty/Trent Vaught, 4.9 seconds; 2. Devon McDaniel/Sam Saunders, 5.8; 3. (tie) T.C. Hammack/Trey McFarlane and Jaxon Hill/Jessen James, 6.1 each; 5. Marcus Marriott/Mike Marriott, 6.5; 6. Wawa Ben Jr./Brandon Ben, 10.2.
Second round leaders: 1. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 4.6 seconds; 2. Luke Brown/Hunter Koch, 4.7; 3. Coy Rahlmann/Logan Medlin, 5.0; 4. Denver Eng/Calgary Smith, 5.1; 5. Corben Culley/Kaden Graves, 5.2; 6. Cash Duty/Trent Vaught, 5.6.
Average leaders: 1. Cash Duty/Trent Vaught, 10.5 seconds on two head; 2. Jaxon Hill/Jessen James, 14.7; 3. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 4.6 on one head; 4. Luke Brown/Hunter Koch, 4.7; 5. Coy Rahlmann/Logan Medlin, 5.0; 6. Denver Eng/Calgary Smith, 5.1.
Greeley Stampede
Greeley, Colorado, June 25-July 1
First round: 1. Lightning Aguilera/Kaden Profili, 4.4 seconds, $4,442 each; 2. Tyler Tryan/Nicky Northcott, 4.5, $3,862; 3. Coy Rahlmann/Logan Medlin, 4.7, $3,283; 4. (tie) James Arviso/Levi Lord and Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.9, $2,414 each; 6. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 5.0, $1,545; 7. Riley Kittle/Trey Yates, 5.1, $966; 8. Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 5.2, $386.
Second round: 1. Ketch Kelton/Denton Dunning, 4.1 seconds, $4,442 each; 2. Corben Culley/Kaden Graves, 4.3, $3,862; 3. (tie) JC Archuleta/Brandon Baca and Jaxson Tucker/Cesar De La Cruz, 4.5, $2,993 each; 5. Shay Dixon Carroll/Jace Helton, 4.7, $2,124; 6. Curry Kirchner/Tanner Braden, 5.2, $1,545; 7. Cody Snow/Lane Mitchell, 5.3, $966; 8. Cam Jensen/Clayton Symons, 5.4, $386.
Average leaders: 1. James Arviso/Levi Lord, 10.4 seconds on two head; 2. Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 10.9; 3. (tie) Kolby Krieger/Sid Sporer, Cody Snow/Lane Mitchell and Curry Kirchner/Tanner Braden, 11.3 each; 6. Riley Kittle/Trey Yates, 12.2.
Ponoka Stampede
Ponoka, Alberta, June 25-July 1
First round: 1. Derek Hadland/Jeremy Buhler, 5.8 seconds, $4,616 each; 2. Brett Buss/Joey Romo II, 5.9, $4,014; 3. Brady Minor/Riley Minor, 6.2, $3,412; 4. Wesley Thorp/Tanner Tomlinson, 6.4, $2,810; 5. Travis Speer/Dawson Prott, 6.5, $2,208; 6. Kolton Schmidt/Paden Bray, 6.6, $1,605; 7. Kash Bonnett/Logan Cullen, 6.7, $1,003; 8. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 6.8, $401.
Second round: 1. Tyler Tryan/Nicky Northcott, 4.9 seconds, $4,616 each; 2. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 5.3, $4,014; 3. (tie) Sid Sporer/Kolby Krieger and Cory Petska and Erich Rogers, 5.5, $3,111 each; 5. (tie) Cory Kidd/Carson Johnson, Kolton Johnson/Carson Johnson, Tate Schmidt/Kagen Schmidt and Levi Schmidt/Trent Tunke, 6.1, $1,304.
Average leaders: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 12.1 seconds on two head; 2. Brett Buss/Joey Romo II, 12.2; 3. Derek Hadland/Jeremy Buhler, 12.3; 4. Brady Minor/Riley Minor, 12.8; 5. Kolton Schmidt/Paden Bray, 13.1; 6. Kash Bonnett/Logan Cullen, 13.4; 7. Dustin Bird/Tyrel Flewelling, 13.9; 8. Tate Schmidt/Kagen Schmidt, 14.0; 9. Trey Camarillo/Jackson Louis, 14.3; 10. (tie) Scot Meeks/Riley Warren and Colt Kornfeld/Kade Christianson, 15.0; 12. (tie) Garrett Brownlee/Riley Roy and Steele DePaoli/Ty Cahoon, 15.3 each.
World’s Oldest Rodeo
Prescott, Arizona, June 29-July 5
First round leaders: 1. Monty James/Tj Brown, 7.2 seconds; 2. Lightning Aguilera/Kaden Profili, 7.8; 3. Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 8.0; 4. Seth Hall/Pace Blanchard, 9.2; 5. Jet Toberer/Tyler McKnight, 11.1; 6. Brenten Hall/Wyatt Cox, 11.4.
Second round leaders: 1. Brenten Hall/Wyatt Cox, 7.3 seconds; 2. Monty James/Tj Brown, 7.6; 3. Dawson Graham/Dillion Graham, 7.8; 4. Conley Kleinhans/Kyler Kanady, 8.6; 5. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 9.1; 6. Joshua Torres/Jake South, 9.2.
Average leaders: 1. Conley Kleinhans/Kyler Kanady, 23.7 seconds on two head; 2. Dawson Graham/Dillion Graham, 25.8; 3. Jet Toberer/Tyler McKnight, 26.5; 4. Monty James/Tj Brown, 7.2 on one head; 5. Lightning Aguilera/Kaden Profili, 7.8; 6. Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 8.0.
Oakley Independence Day Rodeo
Oakley, Utah, July 1-4
Ketch Kelton/Denton Dunning, 4.6 seconds; 2. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 4.9; 3. (tie) Kolby Krieger/Sid Sporer and Tee McLeod/Jake Edwards, 5.2 each; 5. (tie) Brodi Jones/Clay Elkington and Jet Toberer/Tyler McKnight, 5.3 each.
Cody Stampede Rodeo
Cody, Wyoming, July 1-4
Leaders: 1. Jade Espenscheid/Coy Johnson, 5.6 seconds; 2. Brit Ellerman/Cael Espenscheid, 6.1; 3. Bodie Mattson/Arye Espenscheid, 9.8; 4. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 14.8; 5. Cole Robinson/Seth Andersen, 14.9; 6. Kreece Thompson/Creed West, 20.1.
Mandan Rodeo Days
Mandan, North Dakota, July 2-4
Leaders: 1. Cody Snow/Lane Mitchell, 4.4 seconds; 2. Dustin Egusquiza/JC Flake, 4.5; 3. Trevor Olson/Jet Jensen, 5.0; 4. Cory Kidd V/Carson Johnson, 5.2; 5. Denver Eng/Calgary Smith, 5.6; 6. Weston Lapierre/Brent Lapierre, 7.3.
Livingston Roundup Rodeo
Livingston, Montana, July 1-4
Leaders: 1. Dawson Graham/Dillion Graham, 4.8 seconds; 2. Jet Toberer/Tyler McKnight, 5.1; 3. Caden Gines/Tee Wofford, 5.7; 4. Brit Ellerman/Cael Espenscheid, 6.4; 5. Cyle Denison/Braylon Tryan, 10.0; no other qualified runs.
Raymond Stampede
Raymond, Alberta, June 30-July 1
Leaders: 1. Grady Quam/Clint Weston, 5.2 seconds; 2. Kash Bonnett/Logan Cullen, 5.5; 3. Kolton Johnson/Carson Johnson, 5.8; 4. Logan Bonnett/Keely Bonnett, 6.1; 5. Rhett Haveroen/Jade Shaw, 6.2; 6. Wyatt Hayes/Destry Gonnet, 6.6; 7. Roland McFadden/Devin Wigemyr, 7.0; 8. Brody Groves/Logan Groves, 8.0.
Airdrie Pro Rodeo
Airdrie, Alberta, June 29-July 1
Leaders: 1. Kavis Drake/Denim Ross, 4.0 seconds; 2. Kash Bonnett/Logan Cullen, 4.8; 3. Kevin Schreiner/Taylor Wudrich, 5.3; 4. Roland McFadden/Devin Wigemyr, 5.4; 5. Rhett Haveroen/Jade Shaw, 5.5; 6. Sawyer Eirikson/Wyatt Eirikson, 5.8; 7. Grady Branden/Sloan Smith, 6.2; 8. (tie) Tate Schmidt/Kagen Schmidt and Riley Wakefield/Jon Peterson, 9.4 each.