May will enter the Finals atop the bareback riding leaderboard

Dalton May’s body had enough.

A decade of bareback riding that included a broken arm in 2018 and a broken neck from bull riding in 2019 had taken its toll.

“I was thinking about hanging it up this year, not going to lie,” said the 25-year-old cowboy from Coram.

Friend Jason Colclough had other ideas. Colclough called with a simple directive: “You’re entered, we’re going,” he told May of a mid-July rodeo on the Mountain Health Co-op Tour.

The rest of the bareback riders wish Colclough would have left his traveling partner at home.

May flat-out sizzled the final five weekends, earning wins at Superior, Twin Bridges, Deer Lodge, Boulder, Chinook and the regular-season finale in Helmville.

He did pay a price for his 80-point win in Deer Lodge. “I was knocked out. Only for about 10, 15 seconds,” May said.

He stuffed $4,618 into his pockets those final weeks and rocketed to the top of the standings.

“Oh gosh, I’m having as much fun as a person can have,” said the friendly May who possesses a self-deprecating sense of humor. “I enjoy riding and being around my buddies.”

May will enter the Northern Rodeo Association Finals presented by nuWest Builders atop the bareback riding leaderboard.

The NRA and Northern Women’s Rodeo Association’s premier event is Oct. 24-26 at Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell. The three-performance Finals will determine the year-end champions for the 2024 season.

“I’ve been competing in that building since I was seven, eight years old,” said May. “I’m sure it will be full of family and friends.”

All Finals contestants will have an opportunity to compete for the Tito’s Challenge, a $1,000 bonus to the high-money earner presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

“I guess keep doing what I’ve been doing,” May said of the Finals gameplan. “And keep a level head. I would like to be that No. 1 guy during the opening ceremonies.”

May also earned wins at Shelby and the second rodeo in Bozeman, along with placing second at Darby and third at Havre, Three Forks, Townsend, the third Bozeman and Hamilton.

He earned $6,475 after the late start.

“I was a little rusty at first. It took a few rides to knock the rust off,” May said of his return. “More than anything, a lot of it was getting on some great horses.

“I don’t think it’s ever easy. Riding good puts you in a good frame of mind and helps you keep rolling.”

He will enter the Finals with a lead of $569.52 over Leighton LaFromboise of Helena. Wyatt Warneke of Great Falls is third in the standings. The pair finished 1-2 at the Montana high school rodeo finals in June in the same building.

“They’re pretty young. They don’t know who I am,” said May with a laugh. “They bounce back better than I do.”

May’s connection to the NRA is strong. His uncle, Ben Richmond, got May started on bareback horses. Richmond is the 2009 NRA bareback champion.

“He got me started,” said the 2017 graduate of Kalispell Glacier High School. “He talked to me about riding, set me up with my first rigging, how to set it up and how to ride.”

While his peers were nodding their heads in the bucking chutes in June and the first two weeks of July, May spent his weekends building barns.

“I was making extra money to pay for a new pickup,” said May. He works for a company in Columbia Falls that builds satellite communication trucks. The company is preparing some trucks to be shipped to the Arctic Circle.

“I didn’t watch the results. I would check in with Jason and ask, ‘How you doing?’ “

Turns out pretty well. Colclough, of Libby, enters the NRA Finals leading the saddle bronc standings.

They pair upped the ante during their season.

“We had a little competition going of who has a better spur ride marked by the judges,” May said. “We rode for 20 bucks.

“Makes you try a little harder,” he added with another laugh. “I’m sure we’ll work something out (another wager) as the Finals approach.”

While riding high, May is uncertain about his 2025.

“Depends on the Finals. I might have a few more rides in me,” he said.

But the first order of business is the 2024 Finals. Third in the 2023 NRA standings, May is aiming a little higher this year.

“Shoot, the goal is always to win the whole deal,” he said.