A rodeo season is a long, hard year with hundreds of runs and rides that make up either a successful season or one you hope to forget. Even though some competitors compete at more than 100 rodeos in one season, there are times when winning or losing comes down to just one run, one chance at the title, or one chance to regret all the way home.

Here’s a look back at the times when rodeo competitors were faced with extreme pressure, and they down right refused to buckle under it.

Brooklyn Gunter: Back-To-Back IFYR Pole Bending Champion

There are a lot of variables in the event of Pole Bending — six poles that you have to pass by multiple times, hoping you don’t knock one over or make a move that will slow your momentum in the pursuit of the infamous 19-second run. Multiply that by three runs against strong competition at the IFYR and you’ve got a high-pressure situation, to say the least.

Sulphur, Louisiana’s Brooklyn Gunter proved in 2016 that she could handle that pressure by winning the IFYR pole bending title, so the heat was on for a repeat in 2017 when she made it back to the finals. Two solid runs during the go-rounds placed Gunter 10th and fourth, in the first and second rounds respectively.

First place to fifteenth was separated by a mere 1.274 seconds, so when Gunter hit the arena for the short round every second, or hundredth of a second, was crucial. The bay horse was on fire that day, though, and Gunter pulled out the only sub-20-second run of the short round to squeeze by her competition and claim her second IFYR pole bending title. 

Levi Simpson: Helping Partner Jeremy Buhler To WNFR

When you’re the reigning world champions, the pressure is on to duplicate your winning ways every time you nod your head. They’d had a good season, but unfortunately by the time it was starting to wrap up, it appeared that 2016 world champion header Levi Simpson did not have a chance to make the 2017 WNFR, but his world champion partner Jeremy Buhler had a shot.

So Simpson set aside his own disappointment over not getting back to his second WNFR and focused on spinning steers for his partner to get him back to the big show. It came down to one final run in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Levi was feeling the pressure of making sure his partner made the few extra dollars he needed to make the WNFR.

Levi made sure he had the steer in his sights and then just let Jeremy do what he does best, getting his partner to his second WNFR with a third place cheque for their 5.5-second run.

Emily Ward: Staying Consistent In The JrNFR Short Round

Young Emily Ward has a little trouble keeping her nerves in check before a big run. The Miles, Texas, cowgirl admits she doesn’t eat much before she competes, and definitely didn’t have her breakfast before the short round of the 2017 Junior NFR.

Ward was sitting fourth in the average heading in to that final day and was the last barrel racer to run. Ward had to sit and watch as 19 others went before her, she also saw the top three competitors go out of the competition, leaving the door open for her if she could just come through with a good run.

Ward put her nerves aside and took to the arena, making the same consistent run she’d been making all throughout the competition and winning the junior barrel racing world title.

Winter Williams: Ties Arena Record To Win Breakaway Roping at IFYR

What do you do when your competition is breathing down your neck, you’re a touch behind in the average, and someone just roped a breakaway calf in a time that was just one-tenth off the arena record? You rope yours faster; that’s what you do.

Copan, Oklahoma’s Winter Williams was having a good finals at the 2017 International Finals Youth Rodeo, but her competition was unyielding. Williams won the first round of competition with a 2.1-second run, but a slower time of 3.7 seconds in the second round meant she’d place much further down the pack and not collect any money.

Williams had some time to make up heading in to the final round of competition after her two times set her over a second off the fastest breakaway roper on two head. Her closest competition, Kaytlyn Miller from Dammeron Valley, Utah, made a 1.9-second run, just one tenth off the arena record.

Two swings and a quick throw later, Winter Williams handled the pressure and became the 2017 IFYR breakaway roping champion with her 1.8-second run.

Chance Butterfield: Making His Comeback At The Biggest Rodeo Of His Career

On August 1 of 2017, Chance Butterfield was rushed to the hospital with severe internal injuries after his horse panicked during the fireworks at a rodeo and kicked Butterfield in the chest with both feet. Butterfield was having the best rodeo season of his career one moment, and the next he was losing blood and battling for his life as he underwent trauma surgery.

Luckily, this cowboy is married to a physiotherapist, who immediately began helping him on his uphill battle to become healthy enough to compete again.

“It’s one thing to reach your own goals; it’s another to help the people around you reach theirs,” Kenda Butterfield said in a Facebook post. “This one hits a little closer to home — CFR 2017? Only time will tell, but I will throw everything I have at it.”

After months of hard physio, Butterfield had his first practice session 79 days post-surgery, just four weeks before the biggest event of his career.

Before he was injured, Butterfield had earned enough money to qualify for his very first Canadian Finals Rodeo. So the first time he nodded his head at a rodeo again would not only be at Canada’s pinnacle rodeo event, but the biggest event of his career.

It would be hard not to be nervous to take that first steer, but Butterfield prevailed by placing third that night, and continued to make good runs during the six-round finals, just months after he nearly lost his life.