NFR, accompanying events set attendance records

Hayden Welsh chooses not to dwell on what could have been. Back in January, he made the decision to remain on his permit, a move that seemed prudent.

The itinerant Texas cowgirl doesn’t come from privilege or money. So when she decided to see how far her love of horses would take her in a long-shot bid to qualify for the NFR, sacrifices were made.

For 17 years now, Wrangler NFR bullfighter Dusty Tuckness has made it a point to give some of his time to the Exceptional Rodeo. This year, that time came Thursday morning at the Thomas Mack Center.

The probability that Brushton Minton was going to be involved in rodeo was high. What that looked like took some time to sort itself out.

After winning the 2024 NFR average title as a header, Clint Summers began 2025 on unsure footing. He had no permanent partner and was trying to figure out what was next.

Statler Wright first made the NFR in 2024, but the 22-year-old has been at the Thomas Mack nearly every year of his life, giving him a unique view of how far the Finals have come.