As I watched countless trailers, campers, and rodeo vans drive down the highway here in Alberta last weekend on their way to and from rodeos, I couldn't help but hear the lyrics from Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back In Town in my head. It was the first big-money weekend in Canada with the Grande Prairie Stompede, Leduc Black Gold Rodeo, Hand Hills Lake Stampede, and the Wildwood Bronc Bustin’ all on the roster.

South of the border there were 19 PRCA events going on, proving that rodeo season truly is kicking into high gear and will remain that way for a while now.

Kellie Collier Double Dips At Canadian Rodeos

Hereford, Texas’ Kellie Collier headed north last weekend and picked up two checks to add to the WPRA and CPRA standings. Collier qualified for her first WNFR last year and is looking like a strong contender for another qualification this year with her No. 8 spot in the WPRA standings. 

Collier won the Grande Prairie Stompede in the Northern town of Grande Prairie, Alberta with her time of 16.516, edging out reigning Canadian Champion Carmen Pozzobon who ran a 16.607. She earned $2744.80 in Grande Prairie.

Collier also earned a second-place check of $1,116.72 at the historic Hand Hills Lake Stampede with her time of 16.411; fellow Texan Angela Ganter won the event with a time of 16.264. 

Other competitors that collected multiple checks last weekend include saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston, who split third at Grande Prairie, fifth at Hand Hills, and then placed second in the first round, won the second round, and the finals of the Wildwood Bronc Bustin for a total of $7060.28; and steer wrestler Tanner Milan, who won three checks over the weekend—first place at Leduc, sixth at Hand Hills, and split seventh three ways at Grande Prairie for $3283.62.

Bareback rider Caleb Bennett also saw success at all three of the events offered to him in Canada—winning Hand Hills, splitting the win at Leduc, and splitting eighth at Grande Prairie for a total of $2,567.70. 

*All totals are unofficial.

Lonnie West Wins Moncton PBR With Fourth Attempt On Wild Hoggs’ Double Major

It was a storyline made for a sold-out crowd at the PBR Canada’s Monster Energy Tour’s event in Moncton, New Brunswick. Twenty-two-year-old Lonnie West started out the event by splitting the first round win with the now No. 1 in the Canadian Standings, Brock Radford. 

Video courtesy of PBR. 

West was 86 points on Vold Rodeo’s Applause while Radford road Thompson Rodeo Livestock’s Heaven Sent. 

Looking ahead to the short go, he faced another challenge. West had just come off a round-two buck-off and was matched up with Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk’s “Double Major,” a bull that the PBR’s Kacie Albert said he’d made three previous attempts to ride and was yet to make the whistle. 

Ride No. 4 on the bull would prove to go West’s way. The Cadogan, Alberta, cowboy scored 87 points on the bull, earned $5,699.53, 540 Canadian PBR points, and 120 world points.

Video courtesy of PBR. 

The Wright Show at Santa Maria

The bronc riding at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo in Santa Maria, California, was downright dominated by the Wright family. Two Wrights—Rusty and uncle Jake—split the win with a pair of 85-point rides aboard Rosser Rodeo’s Yeti Rambler and Flood Tide, respectively. Ryder followed close behind in the third spot with his 84-point score, Spencer’s 82-point score put him at No. 4, Cody was 79 points for seventh, and Alex picked up the eighth-place check with a 78.

Of the $9,843 that was up for grabs in the bronc riding at Santa Maria, the Wrights only failed to earn just $1,182 of those dollars. See full results for Santa Maria, which paid out over $120,000 HERE.

The PRCA Standings is a story that looks much the same with six Wrights plus brother-in-law CoBurn Bradshaw all sit within the top 50 in the world: Rusty (No. 5), Bradshaw (No. 6), Ryder (No. 12), Jake (No. 17), Jesse (No. 19), Spencer (No. 29), and Cody (No. 36).