If the second half of the 2025 Mountain Health CO-OP Tour is anything like the first half, it will be record-breaking season.

Which is saying something since 2024 was a record-breaking season for the well-respected Northern Rodeo Association and Northern Women’s Rodeo Association.

The Mountain Health CO-OP Tour events in Havre, Three Forks and Shelby last weekend marked the halfway point of this summer season.

First half numbers for all the important rodeo elements – membership, entries, payout and attendance – are up from a year ago.

“Yes, pleasantly,” said Theresa Sorlie, the executive secretary for the NRA and NWRA of being surprised about the 2025 increases. “We had such a great year in 2024, which was our best year, we were hoping to be on par with 2025.”

At the halfway mark in 2024, membership was 840. This year, it is 904 with the second half of the season remaining. The Tour finished with 918 members last year.

“We should surpass that,” Sorlie said as more memberships trickle in during the final months. “What we are seeing is a lot more new members than we’ve ever had before. And we have a lot of new out of state members.”

Total entries are 2,953 up from 2,842 while the most important element to cowboys and cowgirls – the payout – is $330,390.80 so far. The money paid out a year ago was $314,810.10.

Competitors from nine different states and 84 Montana communities have brought home money.

There have been 42 checks of $1,000 or more handed out.

“The timed events, straight across,” Sorlie said of the increase of entries. “The rough stock events are staying on pace.”

With 13 rodeos remaining on the regular schedule, the numbers will continue to climb.

“We’re hoping they do,” said Sorlie.

Balance is the word.

Nothing is guaranteed on the Mountain Health CO-OP Tour.

With the exception of bareback riding, the seven other events have had eight or more different winners at rodeos across the Treasure State.

With so many moving parts – two cowboys, two horses and one steer – it is only logical that team roping is wide open every weekend. There have been 12 different team roping winners through the first half.

Right behind is barrel racing with 11 different champions, followed by saddle bronc (10), steer wrestling (9), breakaway roping (9), bull riding (8) and tie-down roping (8).

Bareback has been an exclusive club with five different winners. Going into last weekend, Trevar McAllister of Ronan has won a season-best five events. Ballantine’s Jade Gardner is a four-time winner in tie-down roping.

Last week

There was a sense of familiarity at the Great Northern RAM Rodeo in Havre.

The McAllister boys – Trevar and Trapper in bareback, along with Koy and Kane in saddle bronc – placed 1-2 in their respective events.

A pair of cowboys with similar names – Justus Peterson and Jaxsen Petersen – were 1-2 in steer wrestling while Kevin Peterson won tie-down roping. None are related.

Reigning champion Lisa Warfield of Helena extended her lead in the barrel racing standings with wins at Havre and Shelby, along with a second-place finish at Three Forks.

Polson’s Caden Fitzpatrick put together the high-mark bull ride of the summer, going 89 points at Three Forks. At the other end of the arena, Molly Salmond of Choteau had a time of 1.8 seconds in breakaway roping, the fastest time of the Mountain Health CO-OP Tour.

Havre winners: Trevar McAllister, Ronan, bareback; Koy McAllister, Ronan, saddle bronc; Kobe Whitford, Cut Bank, bull riding; Justus Peterson, Dillon, steer wrestling; Kevin Peterson, Dillon, tie-down roping; Cash Trexler, Corvallis-Royce Levine, Wolf Creek, team roping; Lisa Warfield, Helena, barrel racing; Alicia Bird, Cut Bank, breakaway roping; Sylvia Eash, Fortine, junior barrel racing; Royce Levine, Wolf Creek, junior breakaway roping.

Shelby winners: Morgan Buckingham, Miles City, bareback; LeRoy Eash, Fortine, saddle bronc; Kobe Whitford, Cut Bank, bull riding; Casey Collins, Huntley, steer wrestling; Mitch Detton, Great Falls and George Marcenko, Havre, tie-down roping; Miles Kobold, Huntley-Matt Schieck, Floresville, Texas, team roping; Lisa Warfield, Helena, barrel racing; Paige Johnston, Polson, breakaway roping; Sylva Eash, Fortine, junior barrel racing; Axton Mansch, Great Falls, Kaid Sinclair, Ronan, junior breakaway roping.

Three Forks winners: Trevar McAllister, Ronan, bareback; Jason Colclough, Libby, saddle bronc; Caden Fitzpatrick, Polson, bull riding; Logan Beattie, Helena, steer wrestling; Weston Hersel, Lewistown, tie-down roping; Radley Day-Kyler Day, Volborg, team roping; Milee Dailey, Pray, barrel racing; Molly Salmond, Choteau, breakaway roping; Sylvia Eash, Fortine, junior barrel racing; Ridge Cameron, Townsen, junior breakaway roping.

Bright future

That Wyatt Warneke had a top-five finish at the National High School Finals Rodeo is no surprise to Mountain Health CO-OP Tour fans.

The 2024 NRA bareback champion placed fifth overall at the NHSFR, July 13-19 in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Great Falls teenager climbed the final standings with an 80-point ride for third place in the championship round.

Ryder Gaasch, who last year became the youngest cowboy to win the NRA all-around title, was sixth overall in steer wrestling. He won the first round of bulldogging at the NHSFR. He is also the defending NRA steer wrestling champion.

Colter Haase of East Helena, who won at Harlowton and Choteau during the Fourth of July run, was 14th in the final saddle bronc standings.

Other Montana competitors who placed in the top 20 of the NHSFR were: Josie Robbins, Dillon, sixth, goat tying; Levi Noyes, Sarpy, saddle bronc, eighth; Tahj Wells, Browing, bull riding, 14th; A.J. Swenson, Huntley, steer wrestling, 19th. Swenson won the state all-around title in June.

Up next

The Mountain Health CO-OP Tour closes out July with rodeos in Scobey and Eureka.

The Daniels County Fair Rodeo is July 24 with a 6:30 p.m. performance.

The Eureka Rodeo is July 25 and 26, starting at 8 p.m. each evening.