SIMPSON AND CARROLL WIN BAKER
2016 World Champion Header Levi Simpson and two-time NFR qualifier Shay Carroll had a big weekend, winning the Fallon County Fair & Rodeo in Baker, Montana. They roped their steer in 4.4 seconds, adding $5,425 to each of their earnings, plus adding another $954 a man after placing fourth at the Bear Paw Roundup in Chinook, Montana.
“We talked about the run after, and it felt like a training run, not even a nice rodeo run,” said Carroll about their run in Baker. “It felt like I was practicing or horse training back there. The steer was so good and he [Levi] handled him so nice. When it was over it felt like I was riding a 4-year-old being able to come through there and just rope the little happy-hopper. He roped the horns so tight and then he just took his time bringing the steer through the turn.”
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Simpson rode his ex-pack horse Stetson (13), registered Teel Bar Badger by Jag Bar Badger, out of Miss Teel Bonanza, the horse he’s counted on during rodeo’s regular season for most of his career.
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“I think that horse is great,” Carroll (29) said. “He’s real forward—not dropping and whipping steers. Levi’s got it down to where he can rope the horns from maybe one coil or two coils on the way in and as he throws he’s still moving forward. Part of our success this summer has been that Levi is reaching, but he hasn’t ducked one time. He’s throwing and his horse is moving up and out. He just slows down bringing them through like he would for a colt or something.”
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Carroll was on his 9-year-old bay gelding, DMAC Weeping Widow (Empire), by Widows Freckles, out of My Lady Stylish.
“That’s about all I’ve got,” Carroll said. “This year he has confidence. I’m not horse training on him, I’m not putting him into position, I’m not doing anything other than kicking him leaving the box and putting him on the cow. He’s doing everything. He’s worked so good this summer. I’ve just kind of come to expect it. I thought he worked amazing on that run but the deal is I’m not thinking about him at all. I’m not thinking to put him here, push him there. I’m watching the cow and I’m kicking toward the cow and he’s in the right spot.”
Carroll is on his way to qualifying for his third NFR, sitting seventh in the PRCA world standings with $46,810.31 in total season earnings. Carroll believes his roping has evolved since his last NFR qualification in 2016, when he heeled for Kolton Schmidt.
“In 2016 I knew that for me to be better and to win more and get better partners and be more consistent I’m going to have to go faster,” Carroll said. “Then in 2016 I made the Finals and every once in a while I’d go fast and it’d feel good, but I didn’t have it down. I knew for me to improve I was going to have to stop and go pretty much reinvent myself. That’s when I was heading, and when I was heading I was still working on my heeling every day. One of the reasons that I got rid of all my heel horses was because they knew me so well. I was trying to change stuff, but the horses knew me so well that I had a hard time changing them. I went to heading and did that and the whole time I’m trying to do different things heeling. I feel like I’ve went a different direction with my heeling since 2016.”
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Simpson, currently 10th in the PRCA world standings with $40,918.32, and Carroll will finish out the year with hopes that there is still an NFR in December.
“I think we’re enjoying what we’re doing,” Carroll said. “There’s talk about guys going home and we don’t know if they’re having the NFR, and this or that. Our horses are sound and we’re making money and our run feels easy. I don’t have a real good craft. My show horses that are showing up, they don’t show up until September, so there’s nothing for me to do but just finish out the end of the year and try to win as much as we can. We’re having fun doing it so we might as well stick with that.”
Top 15 PRCA World Standings as of 8/18/2020
Headers:
- Luke Brown, $80,999.04
- Clay Smith, $67,285.10
- Colby Lovell, $60,277.73
- Dustin Egusquzia, $58, 163.38
- Charly Crawford, $53,501.07
- Cody Snow, $53,113.49
- Clay Tryan, $47,500.30
- Andrew Ward, $42,760.43
- Nelson Wyatt, $41,672.61
- Levi Simpson, $40,940.65
- Matt Sherwood, $39,342.26
- Kolton Schmidt, $39,263.41
- Erich Rogers, $38,177.08
- Brenten Hall, $37,831.78
- Chad Masters, $37,577.91
Heelers:
- Jade Corkill, $67,285.10
- Joseph Harrison, $64,307.90
- Jake Long, $53,098.16
- Logan Medlin, $52,892.64
- Travis Graves, $52,508.64
- Paul Eaves, $50,928.13
- Shay Carroll, $46,810.31
- Levi Lord, $42,871.11
- Buddy Hawkins, $42,760.43
- Junior Nogueira, $41,677.40
- Hunter Koch, $39,263.41
- Tyler Worley, $39,206.68
- Paden Bray, $38,177.08
- Chase Tryan, $37,831.78
- Wesley Thorp, $37,577.91
Full Results:
Fallon County Fair & Rodeo
Baker, Mont. 1. Levi Simpson/Shay Dixon Carroll, 4.4 seconds, $5,425 each; 2. Eli Lord/Levi O’Keeffe, 4.5, $4,854; 3. Shawn Bessette/Matt Robertson, 4.6, $4,283; 4. (tie) Derick Fleming/Ike Folsom and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.7, $3,426 each; 6. (tie) Cory Clark/Wyatt Cox and Jon Peterson/Cash Hetzel, 4.8, $2,284 each; 8. (tie) Paul David Tierney/Matt Kasner, Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates and Tyler Wade/Billie Jack Saebens, 4.9, $857 each.
Cowtown Rodeo
Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J. 1. David Ballantyne/J.R. Wenger, 6.1 seconds, $1,086 each; 2. Colby Clement/Bill Riel, 6.2, $815; 3. Eric Fabian/Derek Carey, 6.4, $543; 4. Jimmy Healy Jr./Chris Boxler, 6.6, $272.
Mesquite Championship Rodeo
Mesquite, Texas 1. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 4.0 seconds, $956 each; 2. Gavin Foster/Bradley Johnson, 4.5, $792; 3. Colby Lovell/Paul Eaves, 4.6, $627; 4. (tie) Casey Tew/Steve Northcott and Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 4.9, $379 each; 6. Manny Egusquiza Jr./Tyler McKnight, 5.0, $165.
Eureka Pro Rodeo
Eureka, Kan. 1. Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn, 4.6 seconds, $1,038 each; 2. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.3, $859; 3. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Joe Day and Cale Markham/Cody Doescher, 5.4, $591 each; 5. (tie) Zack Woods/Kolton Good, Cooper Bruce/Reed Boos and J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 5.6, $167 each.
McCone County Fair PRCA Rodeo
Circle, Mont. 1. Cory Kidd V/Clay Futrell, 4.1 seconds, $2,432 each; 2. (tie) Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, Ian Austiguy/Sam Levine and Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 4.3, $1,798 each; 5. Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 4.4, $1,163; 6. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 4.5, $846; 7. Turner Harris/Matt Zancanella, 4.6, $529; 8. (tie) Hayes Smith/Evan Arnold, Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II and Charly Crawford/Logan Medlin, 4.7, $71 each.
Bear Paw Roundup
Chinook, Mont. 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 4.5 seconds, $1,976 each; 2. Rhett Anderson/Cullen Teller, 4.6, $1,636; 3. Clay Ullery/Tyce McLeod, 4.7, $1,295; 4. Levi Simpson/Shay Dixon Carroll, 4.9, $954; 5. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 5.3, $613; 6. (tie) Cory Kidd V/Clay Futrell and Zane Barnson/Cole Wilson, 5.4, $170 each.
Wyoming State Fair & Rodeo
Douglas, Wyo. 1. Tanner Tomlinson/Brady Norman, 4.4 seconds, $1,757 each; 2. Travis Bounds/Joe Roderick, 4.9, $1,528; 3. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 5.0, $1,299; 4. Paul Beckett/Jayden Johnson, 5.1, $1,069; 5. Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira, 5.3, $840; 6. Rhett Anderson/Cullen Teller, 5.5, $611; 7. Reno Stoebner/Colton Brittain, 5.6, $382; 8. Ken McKibbin/Riley Pedro, 5.7, $153.
Big Timber Weekly Rodeo
Big Timber, Mont. 1. Hayes Smith/Evan Arnold, 4.5 seconds, $1,390 each; 2. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 4.7, $1,151; 3. (tie) Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates and Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 4.8, $791 each; 5. (tie) Cyle Denison/Lane Mitchell, Dustin Bird/Sid Sporer and Tyler Wade/Billie Jack Saebens, 5.0, $224 each.
Jerome County Fair And Rodeo
Jerome, Idaho 1. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 5.2 seconds, $1,767 each; 3. Reno Stoebner/Colton Brittain, 5.4, $1,267; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 6.3, $934; 5. Tyler Wade/Billie Jack Saebens, 6.7, $600; 6. Chase Sanders/Justin Brinkerhoff, 6.8, $333.
