Resistol Rookie of the Year contender Cole Eiguren is on the biggest roll of his budding career, raking in $100,000 at the 2024 BFI and winning the High Desert Stampede ProRodeo in Redmond, Oregon.
The 23-year-old originally from Jordan Valley, Oregon, roped with his cousin, Birch Eiguren, to win the BFI #12.5 Sunday, March 31, at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Their 32.46 on four steers pocketed them the biggest check of the week of $100,000 a man. After winning big bucks and trying his hand in The Feist for the first time, Eiguren plans to never miss another BFI Week.
2024 BFI Week results
“I’m not sure if I’m going to always be able to rope with Birch in the 12.5,” Eiguren said with a laugh, “but I will be back here because it is dang sure the best roping of the year and it’s fun. It was a cowboy’s event.”
Eiguren is also travelling hard on the ProRodeo road, picking up the Redmond win with his brother, Tyler Eiguren, after stopping the clock in 5.3 seconds Saturday, April 6, for $3,763 a man.
$100K for Eiguren at the BFI
Eiguren’s may have been a Lazy E and BFI rookie, but it didn’t stop him from a successful trip. The road to the #12.5 win started out in the early morning Rotation 1. The cousins stayed focused on their game plan across two full rounds and one progressive round.
“I just wanted to catch the cow, use my horse and go rope,” Eiguren said. “I knew if I turned them, Birch would clean them up—he just doesn’t miss. There were some good steers in there, so I didn’t want to try to use my rope too much, just let the cards play out.”
Watch the 2024 BFI
Birch, 20, lived up to the hype behind his relative, staying solid throughout the day. With a 24.14 on three steers, they entered the short round No. 5. An 8.32 in the short round, the Eigurens locked in the #12.5 win with a 32.46 on four steers for $200,000 for the team.
Cole’s buckskin “Juicy,” aided in making the win a sentimental one. The 7-year-old gelding came from Quinn and Jessie Kesler right before Quinn died Feb. 26, 2024.
“I have a hard time believing Quinn wasn’t watching and paying attention,” Eiguren said. “I know he loved that horse, and I’m just grateful that he thought so much of me to let me have him. Obviously, I hope their family is doing well, and I send all the prayers to them. But it was dang sure cool to win on that horse.”
Double threat in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race
Eiguren is also in contention for the Resistol Rookie of the Year title in the heading and the tie-down roping.
“Last year my brother and I were on our permits, and we circuit rodeoed,” Eiguren explained. “I made the [Wilderness Circuit] Finals in the team roping and the tie-down and then, this year, we bought our cards and we’re going to try to go to everything we can to see how much we can get won.”
Eiguren is currently staying at eight-time World Champion Joe Beaver’s place in Huntsville, Texas, getting in a lot of practice in both the team roping and tie-down roping.
“He’s been really good to me,” Eiguren said of Beaver. “I’ve stayed there a couple years, and he has just helped me with my calf roping and stuff. It’s a good spot. We like Huntsville because there’s a bunch of team ropings and a bunch of calf ropings down there.”
Currently, Eiguren is No. 8 in the Resistol Rookie heading standings with $4,448.14 won on the year and No. 9 in the tie-down roping with $4,816.62.
