After a four-day pack trip in the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area of the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, I found myself in Sheridan during the city’s highly regarded Sheridan WYO Rodeo this past July. It was Friday night, tickets were sold out, the grandstand seats were full, and the action was packed with fierce competition. Rodeo riders from all corners of North America rode fast and hard to win substantial prize money in front of a highly enthusiastic audience. It was everything a rodeo should be.
The next day I returned to witness the famous Indian relay races. Once again, the crowds filled the stands and spectators lined the railings of the track to cheer on native teams as they raced each other, riding bareback through clouds of dust on the dirt footing.
First introduced to the rodeo as pre-rodeo entertainment, the Indian relay races became an official event in 1997 and now, it’s hard to imagine the Sheridan WYO Rodeo without them. It was a definite crowd pleaser, as after each lap of three, in front of the grandstand for all to see, the riders jumped off their horses to run to their next mount, leaping on its back from the ground with the help of their teammates and taking off at full speed to barrel down the track.
Curious of how this small-town rodeo, coming up to its 94th year, became so iconic in the Western world, I caught up with a few past and present board members of the Sheridan WYO Rodeo Association to get some history and discover its secret.
How the Sheridan WYO Rodeo Got Its Boost
Executive Director Zane Garstad from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, who came to Wyoming to attend Sheridan College on a rodeo scholarship years ago, told me that in earlier years, the rodeo wasn’t such a draw as it is now.
“The rodeo was quite small, the prize money was low, and it didn’t attract the crowds or the high end competitors,” says Gartstad. Billy Craft, president of the WYO, concurrs.
“Originally, the rodeo was called the Bot Sots Stampede—bot sots meaning ‘heaps good’—but the stock wasn’t heaps good back then,” says Craft with a chuckle. “The rodeo had become stale and the people running it had become complacent. It was the same as any other rodeo.”
Craft joined the board in the early 1990s, when Tracey Swanson was president. Swanson blamed the low attendance on two things: the stock not being challenging enough and the prize money being too low. He managed to get a contract for new stock, provided by Sankey Rodeo and Phenom Genetics, who have outstanding breeding programs, according to Craft and Garstad.
With more challenging stock, the higher-ranked competitors began to take notice, but the $1,000 per event prize money (a far cry from the $17,000 per event purse now) just wasn’t enough to draw the top dogs. They needed more sponsors to boost the winnings, but didn’t know how.
Enter Forrest Mars Jr., a key family member of the famous candy giant Mars Inc., who moved to Sheridan almost 20 years ago.
“Forrest asked the board if they wanted him to simply write a check or help build the rodeo,” says Craft. “It was a seven-second decision.”
Mars went on to contribute millions of dollars into the Sheridan community and was a key part of bringing the rodeo to where it is now. With his sponsorship, the rodeo gained credibility, bringing more affluent people to the table, and he mentored board members in how to attract other sponsors.
“He taught us how to fish.” says Craft.
Mars passed away at the age of 84 in 2016, but the rodeo continues to receive donations from his estate.
Tom Ringley, author of various books published by Pronghorn Press on the history of the Sheridan Rodeo, says that in 1952, the rodeo was on the verge of failure.
“They did a public poll to see if people wanted to keep the rodeo, and the response was in favor for it to remain,” says Ringley. “However, they wanted it renamed to reflect the town, so it became the Sheridan WYO Rodeo.”
When asked about the success of the rodeo, Larry Gold, past treasurer and board member, pointed to a team effort.
“It’s the dedication and hard work of a lot of really caring people,” says Gold.
One other important component of the Sheridan WYO Rodeo was the introduction of the Gold Buckle Club, where members pay an annual fee to join. They get the royal treatment, including a buckle and pendant, VIP parking, preferred seating, food and drinks during the rodeo, and live entertainment in the members-only Buckle Club tent.
The profits for the club are split three ways between capital improvements, the rodeo, and maintaining the club. It’s a win-win, with 250 current members and 127 on the waiting list.
If you’ve never been to the Sheridan WYO Rodeo, I highly recommend it. Get your tickets at sheridanwyorodeo.com in advance, and be sure to get there early enough to catch the exhilarating Indian relay races.
The main street of Sheridan hosts an annual parade in the daytime and street dances with live entertainment nightly. The rodeo itself attracts some of the best competitors around.
Go get WYO’d, as they say!
This article about the Sheridan WYO Rodeo appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
