Cheyenne Frontier Days isn’t just the biggest rodeo in the world, it’s the most legendary. Known as The Daddy of ’Em All, this historic event began in 1897 as a one-day cowboy roundup and has grown into a 10-day celebration of rodeo and western heritage that draws hundreds of thousands to Cheyenne, Wyoming each July.

As the oldest continuously running major rodeo, Cheyenne has shaped the sport’s evolution, from being one of the first to offer prize money to pioneering arena formats and promoting women’s events long before others did. Today, it’s not only a massive professional competition with some of the biggest payouts in rodeo, it’s a living museum of cowboy culture.

What to Know

Bareback Riding: Last year was the first time both Semifinal winners and the champion were 90 points or better since switching to the current format in 2019.

Steer Wrestling: The last Cheyenne Steer Wrestling Champion to make the NFR that same season was JD Struxness in 2016.

Team Roping: Over the last five years, the winning time has been anywhere from 6.6 to 10.2 seconds.

Saddle Bronc Riding: The winning ride each of the last three years has been 90+ on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ The Black Tie.

Breakaway Roping: Three of the four fastest runs of the rodeo in 2026 came from the last-chance Wildcard Round.

Tie-Down Roping: In the past two years, there have only been three times faster than 12 seconds in the Finals. There were four such times in 2023.

Barrel Racing: Every barrel racer that finished in the Top 6 in 2025 made the NFR and five of them finished in the Top 8.

Bull Riding: They have covered an average of five bulls in the Finals over the last five years.

Who to Watch

Bareback Riding: Kade Sonnier made the Finals in 2025 and won in 2023, Jess Pope has finished Top 5 three of the last five years, RC Landingham finished third in 2021, second in 2022, and fifth in 2024.

Steer Wrestling: World No. 6 Tyke Kipp won a last season and is in the midst of the best season of his career, Trisyn Kalawaia is coming off of a second-place finish in Calgary and has finished Top 5 in Cheyenne the last two years.

Team Roping: Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira are both ranked No. 2 in the World and finished third in 2024 and second in 2023 in Cheyenne.

Saddle Bronc Riding: Zeke Thurston, Shorty Garrett, and Lefty Holman have all finished in the Top 5 two of the last three years.

Breakaway Roping: Rylee George finished second in 2025 and won the Qualifier in 2023, Danielle Lowman and Shelby Boisjoli-Meged are past champions.

Tie-Down Roping: Riley Pruitt has won the Qualifier back-to-back years with a 9.6 and 9.8, Shad Mayfield won the rodeo in 2024 and his Performance in 2025, John Douch tied for second in 2023 and won rounds in 2021 and 2025.

Barrel Racing: Hailey Kinsel just won Calgary and finished third here a year ago, Tayla Moyekens has finished Top 5 each of the last two years.

Bull Riding: World No. 2 Tristen Hutchings has won a round each of the last three years, Josh Frost finished second in 2022 and 2023.

What Happened Last Year

Bareback Riding: Kade Berry made a 93.5-point ride in a Short Round that required 88 points just to finish in the Top 6. Jess Pope was 91.5 and Wacey Schalla was 90. Schalla also won the First Semifinal with a 90 while Rocker Steiner was 92 in the Second Semifinal.

Steer Wrestling: Tyke Kipp made the fastest run of the rodeo at 5.5 seconds to win it. He also won the Sixth Performance with a 6.7-second run.

Team Roping: Aaron Tsinigine/Jeremy Buhler barely made the Semifinals and then barely made the Finals, but none of that mattered when they turned in a 9.3-second run to win the rodeo by two-tenths of a second over Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp and Luke Brown/Trey Yates.

Saddle Bronc Riding: Wyoming native Brody Cress won all three rounds he rode in, finishing the job with an 89.5 in the Second Semifinal and 91 in the Finals. Zeke Thurston won the First Semifinal with an 87.5-point ride and was second in the Finals with a 90.

Breakaway Roping: Danielle Lowman started with a 4.3 in the Qualifier and finished with a 4.3 in the Finals to win the breakaway roping title. She made a total of $19,538.

Tie-Down Roping: Tyson Durfey almost sparked a surprise run to the NFR at 42-years-old after winning Cheyenne with a 10.9. He also made the fastest run of the rodeo in the Second Semifinal with a 9.4.

Barrel Racing: Lisa Lockhart did not clock a run faster than 17.21 seconds until a blistering 17.03 to win the rodeo by 0.16 seconds over Tayla Moyekens. Hailey Kinsel finished third and three of her four runs were 17.23 or faster.

Bull Riding: In his Cheyenne Frontier Days debut, Qynn Andersen went 90 on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hunter in the Short Round.