Derrick Bigey and Colter Todd won the 2023 Clark County Fair & Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada by roping two bulls in 8.8 seconds.

The team wasn’t originally at Logandale, but got the chance to fill it out when it happened.

“I actually got a call a week before Logandale,” said Begay, who made nine trips to Thomas & Mack at Headingside. “They (PRCA) called us if we wanted to go because some teams pulled out.”

Begay called Todd but got no answer. Todd’s ranch in Wilcox, Arizona has no phone service. They only had 1.5 hours to make a decision, but that time passed before Todd finally allowed Begay to participate. Less than an hour later, fate came in the form of another call to another open spot, and they took it.

“God is in control of my life,” said Todd, a three-time NFR qualifier. “I’m going to San Angelo. I can go home [and] I have four days at home before I have to go to California. [Begay’s] “By the way, they had a spot in Logandale, so I beat us.” And that’s like, man, perfection.

The last-minute trip ended perfectly, with the teams taking home a total of $6,718 each.

every play

Begay and Todd roped the first steer in slack on Saturday, April 15 to win the round with a 4.0 second run. That’s enough for $2,687 each pocket.

“Our first steer was great,” said Todd, who was riding a seven-year-old bay gelding he calls Buddy. “If you paint well and do the job right, you can set it up pretty well. ran a good pattern.I may have checked it off a bit when Derrick’s head rope turned on, but it was good.

Todd admits he was a little taken aback by their time. He thought he heard someone yell for breaking a barrier as they left the box, and instinctively changed his approach on the field.

Todd expected Bigey, who thought he had missed the opportunity to train horses, but he didn’t. Nothing was counted, so everything went neutral.”

But it counted and there were no broken barriers. The team moved on to their performance that same night and were out of the round money at 4.8.

“He dealt with the opposite [first] Todd talked about the draw in the second round. “Really fast. A lot of action. I used to be a little nervous with that bull before because I kind of like dead bulls. It’s easier when they don’t have a lot of action. But Derrick pulled it off and felt like he was a little behind. It comes down to the determination not to miss the.”

But that 4.8 was enough to slip them into the average lead, which held up to the end.

“In the first race I knew I was fast, so I had a little bit of time to not play, but in the second race I didn’t have to be so aggressive. Castration of old sorrel. That was my second plan, I don’t want to plan or think about what should be But I know what I have to do. I have to do my part and he has to do his part, and it worked.”

again

Both Begay and Todd have resolutely withdrawn from Rodeo Road. One from just a few years ago and the other back in his 2008. At least sometimes there’s something about how life pulls them back on the road.

“I’ve been to all the major rodeos. [them] More than anyone knows how many times, it’s the same thing,” said Bigey, 39, of Seba Dalkai of Navajo Nation, Arizona. I know what it looks like or how it feels and it’s definitely a competition and that’s why I keep going I don’t know if you call it competition or just the feeling of being competitive No, but it keeps me going.”

His love of competition is still there, but his priorities at home have taken him a step back.

“I just hate leaving the house,” said Begay. “That’s why I think I’m different. It’s fun when I’m at the rodeo. I don’t think bad things. But on the way to the rodeo or after the rodeo, that’s when you start thinking about other things.”

Todd knows the situation well. He also has a family and responsibilities to go home and take care of, which is why he withdrew more than a decade ago. But above all, he is guided by faith.

“What pulled me back, or what I was hoping for, was a lot of prayers, which is exactly what God wants me to do,” said Todd, 39. “For a long time, it was kind of a fear that if I messed around, I would make bad decisions and do something that would put my family and everyone in danger, so I hope. This is one of them, you don’t know the answer until it’s all over, you don’t know what the consequences or implications will be until you look back and say ‘it was right’ or ‘it was wrong’. don’t understand.”

same page

After all, Bigey and Todd are more friends than partners.

“It all starts with him being my best friend,” Begay said. “I happen to be roping and he happens to be roping, so that’s the core.”

Todd agrees.

“As far as partnerships go, no. It’s just friendship for me,” Todd said. “And as long as he comes into me and I can make it, I enjoy it.”

This dynamic makes a big difference in how you choose when and where to go.

“I know his family and his responsibilities are at home,” Begay said. “I know that’s his number one priority. No. I understand that. But that’s life. It’s not just team roping. That’s all the other ways. ”

Having a mutual understanding and being in the same place in life made a big difference in forming a team as well.

“He’s the same,” said Begay. “If something happens at home and I have to call him and say, ‘Hey, I can’t go this weekend,’ he’ll say, ‘Okay, you better take care of that. “You have to go home and take care of yourself. So it’s peaceful because you know there’s no pressure. It’s a relief to know that you’ve got such a partner.”

Begay and Todd will be heading next door to Red Bluff, CA, but that’s a toss-up for the rest of the year.

“I’ve always been to rodeos and probably will continue to do so,” Begay said. “I’m going. I don’t know how hard it is, how crazy it is.”