Kaehl Berg was quick with his answer.

The query was, “What was the high mark ride on his bull Maple Bar this summer?”

“Nobody rode him,” replied the owner of Red Eye Rodeo.

Enough said.

With a perfect record, Maple Bar was selected the 2025 Bull of the Year for the Northern Rodeo Association.

But the hard-bucking bull isn’t the only rough stock winner to get fed 10 miles south of Deer Lodge.

High Line, also owned by Red Eye Rodeo, is the 2025 Bareback Horse of the Year. It’s the second time the horse has earned the honor.

The NRA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year is Scar Face, owned by Jacobs Rodeo out of Great Falls.

“I feel like a failure, I didn’t go three for three,” Berg said with a laugh.

Along with the best cowboys and cowgirls, the top bucking stock will be showcased at the 50th Annual NRA Finals presented by nuWest Builders, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell.

The Finals, which features the top 10 qualifiers in each event, will determine the 2025 year-end champions from the Mountain Health Co-op Tour.

And for three evenings, Berg will have the best seat in the house. He was also chosen to work as a pickup man along with Quentin McCauley. McCauley was the 2010 NRA bareback riding champion.

“That really helps me able to work my horses a little better since I know them so well. It’s easier to guide them into place from the arena,” he said of the eight-second maneuvering. “And working with Quentin, we have good communication and directions.”

Red Eye Rodeo will have 13 bareback horses, 11 saddle bronc horses and six bulls at the Finals.

“We want our stock to be showy, something to sell to the crowd,” said Berg.

The five-year-old Maple Bar is a star in that pen.

“He’s a flat-horned bull with a lot of action,” said Berg. “He has a whip action to him. He bucks hard every time.

“They just don’t ride him.”

Berg is partners with David and Judy Vela of Vela Bucking Bulls, on Maple Bar. “We couldn’t do without them,” he added.

High Line is a 15-year-old sorrel gelding. Berg purchased the horse 10 years ago from Tim Pankratz. High Line was bucked at Deer Lodge, Hamilton, Wilsall, Big Timber and Harlowton.

“He has a lot of action but doesn’t cover a lot of ground,” Berg said. “Guys have a chance to win on him every time they nod their head.”

Along with putting on rodeos across the state, Berg does a fundraiser to help young athletes get started in rodeo, providing equipment and instruction.

And during the week, the family works 2,500 irrigated horse hay, selling to customers all over the world.

“Spent a lot of time on the tractor in the summer,” said Berg.

And in the saddle.