Leading the Bareback Riding field is reigning World Champion Kaycee Feild looking for his fourth consecutive world championship (2011-2013). In the number two position is Oregon cowboy Steven Peebles who finished second last year in both the world and average race. Peebles won rounds 2 and 3 at the WNFR 2013. Just $4,000 separates fellow Oregonian Austin Foss from Peebles. Tim O’Connell from Iowa makes his rookie debut at the WNFR in fourth position. O’Connell is the 2013 PRCA Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year and 2012 PRCA Bareback Riding Permit Holder of the Year. Three-time World Champion Will Lowe is making his 13th WNFR appearance in fifth position. The third Oregon cowboy to qualify in bareback riding is Four-time World Champion Bobby Mote in number sixth position.
Richmond Champion
If there is any luck to the number seven in Las Vegas all bets are on Richmond Champion who won $1.1 million dollars this past March at THE AMERICAN. Caleb Bennett won the first go-round last year and he’s making his third WNFR since 2012 in eighth place. In the past seven years since joining the PRCA he’s earned over $400,000. Contestants entering 9th – 15th are nearly $100,00 behind the leader, Feild sitting in first place. The go-rounds pay well and rankings can change quickly along with consistency in the average. Winn First Ratliff is making his second WNFR appearance and representing Louisiana in 9th position. His name alone represents his accomplishments this year where he won first at 11 PRCA Rodeos including his win at the Wrangler Champions Challenge in Scottsdale, Ariz. Wyoming cowboy J. R. Vezain finished third last year overall and enters in 10th place for 2014. The newly crowned 2014 Canadian World Champion Jake Vold is making his first WNFR appearance. Jessy Davis from Power, Montana earned $37,260 last year at the WNFR and will make his sixth appearance overall. Texas sends two in bareback riding along with Champion is Tilden Hooper from Carthage. Hooper is making his fourth appearance at the WNFR. He is the former 2007 College National Finals Rodeo Bareback Riding champion and 2007 PRCA Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year. The 2008 World Champion Justin McDaniel enters in 14th place and Steven Dent from Mullen, Nebraska rounds out the top 15. Dent is making his 7th WNFR and this year and won 12 all around titles in the regular season.
Gretchen Kirchmann is a veteran journalist covering a variety of events across the country each year. She founded Kirchmann Media Group in 2009 and works as a marketing consultant with a forte for the western lifestyle industry, festivals, fairs and rodeo world. Her work includes 15 national communication awards plus coverage of Nashville's CMT Awards and CMA Fanfest. A favorite assignment was attending the all cast reunion of the Dukes of Hazard in 2006 and 2007 at Dukesfest. In December you will find her covering the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and Miss Rodeo America pageant live from Las Vegas. Her favorite color is orange, favorite song "Rocky Top" and she loves to dance especially clogging.
