Our NFR Explainer answers all your questions about rodeo’s action-packed championship event in December and the year’s worth of road-warrior grit it takes to get there.
The competition at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is tough, but the road to get there might be even tougher. The athletes have lived much of their lives on the road for the past year, vying for a shot at the “Super Bowl of Rodeo.” They’ve sometimes battled injuries (to themselves or their livestock), broken-down vehicles, travel delays, and fatigue. By the time they arrive at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in December, they might be road-weary, but they’re also adrenaline-fueled and prepared to compete for the coveted title of world champion.
Kassie Mowry, the 2024 World Champion Barrel Racer, competing at the Thomas & Mack Center with her horse Force the Goodbye.
Getting There
The top 15 money-earning contestants in each Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event (saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, team roping, and steer wrestling) and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (barrel racing) qualify for the NFR. It’s not an easy feat. “I don’t think most people realize the commitment and the traveling we have to do,” says Lisa Lockhart, an 18-time NFR qualifier in barrel racing with more than $3.7 million in earnings. “And there’s no downtime. The season ends September 30, and the new season starts October 1. “But more than anything, we all love what we do or we wouldn’t be doing it. It’s for the love of the horse, the love of the competition, the love of the sport in general.”
The Official Organization
The PRCA is the largest rodeo organization in the world. There are about 6,600 active PRCA members in the United States, and nearly 3,900 WPRA members across all of its regional circuits. They rack up impressive earnings during the year at sanctioned rodeos, which number about 600 for barrel racers and about 650 for PRCA events. Although many professional sports have highly paid individuals or team members, rodeo contestants pay their own expenses, which can be considerable. Travel, horses, trailers, veterinary care—they all add up. Sponsors help, but the bulk of expenses falls on the contestants. Paying an entry fee is like gambling on yourself, and rodeo contestants make those bets all year long. Fitting, then, that it all culminates in high-stakes arena action in The Gambling Capital of the World.
The Cowboy Circuit
The heartbeat of the PRCA might be its circuit system. Contestants compete within a home circuit—12 in the United States and one in Canada. Top performers qualify for their circuit finals rodeos, which are some of the highest-paying events of the year. Through those finals, two contestants from each circuit qualify for the NFR Open (formerly the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo). From these high-paying events, contestants have a chance to move up in the standings and secure a spot at the NFR.
The Main Event
The arena action is held nightly in the Thomas & Mack. It’s fast-paced, with one event after another. There’s always time for a victory lap for the event winners, however. The arena, which is usually home to the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels basketball team, seats nearly 17,000 during rodeo performances. There’s not a bad seat in the house. “It’s like no other. It’s an electric atmosphere,” Lockhart says. “For contestants and spectators, it’s an amazing show.” After the arena dust settles, the amazing show continues. The night’s still as young as you are, and the whole glittering Strip awaits.
Rope Like A Girl
Breakaway roping, although not part of the NFR performances, has grown tremendously in recent years. Both PRCA and WPRA sanction breakaway events, and since 2019, the number of approved events has grown from 30 to 500 annually. Held prior to the first go-round of the NFR as a separate event, the National Finals Breakaway Roping has grown in popularity among both spectators and contestants. The action is fast and furious, with ropers often logging times of just a few seconds after throwing a successful loop and stopping their horse, causing the rope to break away from the saddle. If you blink, you’ll miss it. The WPRA maintains breakaway standings, and the top money earners are now rivaling those in other events. As of late spring, top-ranked breakaway roper Taylor Munsell was closing in on $100,000 in earnings for the season. The top 15 WPRA breakaway ropers competed for more than $300,000 in prize money in 2024.
Putting Stock In Rodeo
While ropers and barrel racers count their equine partners as part of their team (and family!), the bucking stock used in rodeo is the responsibility of contractors who breed or buy, raise, feed, haul, and provide health care to the broncs and bulls. Those contractors are held to the highest standards of care. Bucking bulls and horses are responsible for half of the riders’ scores, so only the best of the best are invited. Contractors nominate their best animals, which are required to have competed in at least eight PRCA-sanctioned rodeos. PRCA event directors then select the animals that will show their skills in the Thomas & Mack, and PRCA officials make the final approval. It’s an accomplishment equal to that of the cowboys and cowgirls for a bull or horse to make it to the WNFR.
Cowboy Christmas
Although there are numerous high-paying rodeos throughout the year, such as Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon in September and Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington every Labor Day Weekend, the months of June and July are known as “Cowboy Christmas.” The term conjures anticipation and excitement, like Christmas itself, with cowboys and cowgirls standing to make a bundle during a stretch of particularly lucrative major rodeos. The period is especially rich with rodeo around the Fourth of July. Prescott Frontier Days in Arizona, the Calgary Stampede in Canada, Greeley Stampede in Colorado, and Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming are among the summer rodeos that cowboys count on for the opportunity to increase their earnings and move up in the standings.
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Shopping Spree
Another sort of Cowboy Christmas draws shoppers to Las Vegas during the NFR. The official gift show of the NFR has been a drawing card since 1986. More than 350 exhibitors showcase wares—from jewelry and clothing to art and furniture—filling 500,000 square feet at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Shuttle service is available between the Thomas & Mack Arena and the show. And if the shopping isn’t enough, there’s always something to do or see at Cowboy Christmas. The Ariat Rodeo Live Stage during the event offers daily entertainment, and the YETI Junior World Finals also is held adjacent to the South Hall of the convention center. Although it’s the official gift show of the NFR, Cowboy Christmas isn’t the only game in town. Other gift markets are held at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, the Downtown Christmas Expo, and a group of shows produced by Group W Productions at several other locations in Las Vegas. You better win big at the casinos!
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How To Watch
Watch complete coverage of the 2025 NFR on the Cowboy Channel starting at 4 p.m. EST on opening day. From Zero In, Western Sports Round-Up, and Rodeo Live! presented by Tractor Supply Company to the opening ceremonies, all of the National Finals Rodeo events, and the post-show from Resorts World Las Vegas, The Cowboy Channel has wall-to-wall rodeo action—anything and everything NFR. If you don’t have the Cowboy Channel, head to cowboychannelplus.com to subscribe. For more information about the broadcast schedule, visit the cowboychannel.com.
The NFR 411
Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Presented by Teton Ridge
December 4–13, Las Vegas
Tickets: NFRexperience.com
PRCA: prorodeo.com
WPRA: wpra.com
From our August/September 2025 issue
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy Las Vegas Events/Clay Guardipee
