The best bareback riders in the world descended on the Richard Cromwell Memorial Rodeo Grounds in Darby on June 2nd & 3rd for the Yellowstone Darby XTREME Bareback competition.
Kaycee Feild, the 6-time World Champion from Genola, Utah, scored 93.5 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo Company’s Night Crawler in the final round to win the event. Feild took a majority share of the $54,050 purse, which was the single largest purse in history for a stand-alone bareback event.
“This rodeo is amazing,” said Feild. “The tradition that’s been developed in such a short period of time is fabulous. I’ve been doing this for a long time but here, at this rodeo, I get amped up, I get fired up. They bring the best stock, they attract the best competitors in the world, and it makes it one of those events you look forward to all year long. When you’re writing down your goals at the start of the year, Darby’s right there at the top of the list.”
The event was previously called the Darby Riggin’ Rally and is in its 4th year. The event was sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and attracted the world’s best bareback riders. Paramount Network’s original series, “Yellowstone,” was the presenting sponsor and it was broadcast on the Cowboy Channel.
On Saturday, June 2nd, 47 riders competed for 10 spots in Sunday’s finals. On Sunday, these 10 riders joined the top 20 pre-ranked riders, making 30 total riders for Sunday. These 30 riders all rode once on Sunday, with the top 12 scores making it to the finals. Corvallis’s Caleb Bennett was the top qualifier on Saturday, scoring 87.5 points. Stevensville’s Richard Champion also qualified for Sunday’s event.