April 15, 2024 – Darby, MT – For the fifth consecutive year, the Darby Rodeo Association
(DRA-501 (c)(3)) will host the YELLOWSTONE DARBY XTREME BAREBACK at the
Richard Cromwell Memorial Rodeo Grounds in Darby, MT, June 1-2.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned event will attract many
of the top ranked bareback riders in the country, to compete for $60,000 in added
money, which is the richest purse ever offered at a stand-alone bareback event.
Paramount Network’s original series, YELLOWSTONE will be returning as title sponsor.
The event will run over two days, with the qualifier taking place on Saturday, June 1 at
2:00 PM (gates open at 12:00 PM) with $10,000 in added money up for grabs. The top
ten qualifiers will move on to Sunday’s XTREME rounds, where they will be joined by
twenty of the world’s top PRCA riders, with $50,000 in added money on the line.
Sunday’s performance will start at 6:00 PM (gates open at 3:00 PM) and will be
televised live on the Cowboy Channel and Cowboy Channel +. There will be Calcutta’s
both days, one on Saturday and two on Sunday.
In 2023, we witnessed legend, Kaycee Feild ride to the top once again with a 93.5 on
Pickett Pro Rodeo horse, Night Crawler. Feild’s impressive competitive rodeo career
including six-world bareback titles, spanning over ten years and $3 million in career
earnings, came to a close last year as he retired at the end of the 2023 season.
The Yellowstone Darby XTREME Bareback event has rapidly grown to be one of the most
exciting bareback events of the year as well as one of the biggest go-to family event on
the calendar in the Bitterroot Valley.
Tickets for Saturday’s qualifier are $25.00. Tickets for Sunday’s event are $45.00. A
combo ticket for both events can be purchased for $60.00. Tickets can be purchased
online at https://www.darbyrodeo.org/tickets-events, Darby Wine & Spirits, Murdoch’s in
Hamilton, MT, or at the gate. The DRA will offer a 10% student discount to all students
who buy tickets at the gate with a student ID. Net proceeds from both days of
competition will benefit the DRA and their community programs, including their youth,
high school rodeo and scholarship programs. Children under age 3 are admitted for free.
“The support we’ve received in the way of sponsorships from businesses and friends of
the DRA, in the Bitterroot Valley and Missoula area is what allows us to bring these great
events to the community,” said DRA President Cal Ruark. “Our mission has always been
to promote the sport of rodeo and the western way of life through quality entertainment.
The net proceeds from these events go directly to support all our programs, including
youth and high school rodeo and our scholarship program for graduating Bitterroot
Valley rodeo athletes. To host the richest bareback event in the country, attracting the
best riders is pretty darn special,” continued Ruark.
About Darby Rodeo Association (DRA):
DRA is a qualified – 501(c)(3) charitable community organization on a mission to preserve and promote the sport of rodeo and our western way of life through the production of quality western entertainment events, support and encouragement of youth and high school rodeo, and investment in building the community.
About Bareback Riding: a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding a bucking horse that attempts to throw or buck off the rider. Originally based on the necessary horse breaking skills of a working cowboy, the event is now a highly stylized competition that utilizes horses that often are specially bred for strength, agility, and bucking ability. A rider must stay on for eight seconds to complete a qualifying ride. Riders are judged on their control, spurring technique, and ability to adapt to whatever happens during the ride. The horses are judged on their power, speed, and agility. A good score in bareback riding is in the mid-80s.
