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COMING VERY SOON, THE RIATA CHAMPIONSHIPS!

COMING VERY SOON, THE RIATA CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Aug 6, 2024

The Riata Championship Event is September 25th-29th!  Online entries are open or mail in entry forms can be downloaded at RiataBuckle.com. This $3 Million dollar roping is on track to be the 2nd or 3rd richest roping in the world. Thanks to all of you who have made this happen in the first 36 months of this program! Here are some of the ways that ANYONE can get in on the action.....

It's true that owning a Riata Buckle rope horse is one way to the $1.5 MILLION in ADDED money, the most added money ever for a team roping.  But owning a Riata rope horse is not the only way into the Championship event at the Lazy E.  Ropers are borrowing, leasing, or riding a Proxy horse.  If you or your partner own a Riata 3-year-old or younger Riata you can take advantage of the proxy program. Our proxy program allows you or your partner to ride a proxy (substitute) rope horse, provided at least one side is riding a Riata horse. In other words, this allows Riata nominators who own aged or young Riata horses more options.  Once a proxy is attached to one of these young horses, that proxy is legal in all divisions but must stay attached to that nominated 3-year-old or younger horse no matter. 

The BOTTOM LINE, this is the most added money ever for ropers of all handicaps, riding horses of all ages, out of some of the nicest stallions in the entire country.

 

What You Need to Know!

1.   Please pay attention to the mail-in entry deadline and the late online entries. Discounted entries are available thru August 31st - mailed or online.  Both sides must be paid at time of entry!  We understand you may prefer to write a check and mail in entry forms. Mail in entries can be sent with a personal check(s) or with two separate credit card numbers, or one check and one credit card number.  If you choose the mail-in option, the postmark deadline is August 31st. All entries after August 31st are considered late and will cost an extra $100 per roper per entry for the team roping. The only option after mail-in deadline is to enter online with a credit card. The books will be left open online until September 15th. Both partners need to be entered and paid at time of entry.

2.    You can NOMINATE ONLINE when you enter or separately before you enter – If you are a roper with a Global ID, you can nominate your horse by clicking the "enter on-line" tab at Riatabuckle.com and select "nominate" at the top of the form. Also, Riata horses may be nominated online when you enter a mini-qualifier or the Riata Championships. If you have multiple horses, you can use the online process or download nomination forms at the website.

3.   If you are NOMINATING ON A FORM, please send in your nomination form with your entries to the Albuquerque address. Mailed in entries must be postmarked on August 31, no checks accepted after that date.

4.   Don't have a partner with a Riata? We continually get the question, "what ropers have Riata's"? We will once again be running the partner finder on Facebook. However, this time when you contact Keri concerning partners, she should be able to give you a list of Riata nominators within your zip code.

5.   Concerning all the horse changes, and there are many - we will accommodate all your horse changes until September 13th. After September 13th  and until the roping begins, every horse change will cost $100.  Call the Riata entry office with any horse changes so that nominations can be verified.

6.   NEW! THE Experimental Riata #8.5 Format – we added the #9.5 division last year with plans to add 8.5 this year. Despite ADDING over $400,000 to the 9.5 division last year, it was our smallest roping. So, we've made it simpler and easier to play in the 8.5 Riata. Ropers can enter this roping with only one Riata horse, lower entry fees than the other divisions, no proxies needed, and ropers may enter three times. We have switched the payoff from a guaranteed pot to an Added bonus. Since we realize some of these horses will not be Riatas, the Bonus added money will be for the Riata horses only. If one end is a Riata, anyone with a registered rope horse can be the partner. Ropers still must be at least 21, but, by popular demand, all the other limitations have been removed.

7.   The $250,000 BREAKAWAY- Riata horses may enter the breakaway online as they did last year, but since Pink and Ruby horses are joining us for the breakaway, Pink and Ruby stallions will have to be confirmed by hand. Pink and Ruby breakaway entries will be by entry form only and can be downloaded online. The $250,000 Added includes $50,000 guaranteed money paid in the 5-year-old incentive. This most certainly will be one of the richest breakaway ropings in the country. The Riata double short round format will be in use.

8.   THE NOMINATOR BONUS - in 2024 with the former 10% Breeder Bonus has changed to Nominator Bonus.  The 10% Nominator Bonus goes to the first person or entity who nominates a Riata horse placing in the roping. This should encourage anyone purchasing a Riata "eligible" horse who wants to train, rope, or even resell, to go ahead and nominate their Riata horse.

9.   RIATA SHOWCASE HORSE SALE with the WSTR Finale!
Livestreaming begins Sunday morning, December 8, South Point, Las Vegas, starting with the Riata Horse Sale, featuring 50 top horses, hand selected to showcase in front of the most engaged set of buyers in the industry.  True to the gambling spirit of Las Vegas, all the Calcutta teams from the Open to the World will be auctioned with the horses. The Ariat WSTR's Riata Open to the World Finale will follow the sale, providing five rounds of high-stakes action inside the South Point. Of course, this is Vegas, and maybe, just maybe, there might be a little entertainment mixed in there somewhere.  Starting in 2025, a $100,000 horse sale incentive, for horses purchased here, will be awarded to the highest earning rope horses at the Riata Championships. Deadline for consignments end when the Riata Championships are completed. Don't wait, get your horse signed up at https://riatabuckle.thesalecompany.org.

10.    AGE CHANGE FOR OPEN FUTURITY INCENTIVE - We have dropped the requirement that both horses meet the age requirement to be in the Pro Futurity Incentive. Guaranteed Futurity Incentive money will be split evenly between head horses and heel horses, and the holes paid will be based on their respective rankings on those respective sides. Which means you may pair a 4-year-old incentive horse with a 5-year-old. Only the 4-year-old will be paid in the incentive.

11.  RIATA COWGIRL STEER STOPPING - There are over 4,800 active lady ropers in this country and growing, 95% of them headers. We think there is real potential here for Riata head horses. Guaranteed money here, traditional barrier, we will post a video at RiataBuckle.com on how it is flagged.

12.   THE PROXY/HELPER PROGRAM - The proxy program will continue for Riata Buckle nominated horses 3 years old and younger with a couple of rule changes:

  •     Proxy/helper horses are not allowed in the Pro Futurity the Junior roping, or the #8.5 Roping.
  •     One of the two contestants within a team using a proxy must be the owner of record of the 3-year-old or under, Riata nominated. Once a proxy is attached to one of these young horses, that proxy is legal in all divisions but must stay attached to that nominated 3-year-old or younger horse no matter.  You cannot loan or borrow a nominated progeny. A registration application on a pending colt will be required to show proof to ride a proxy.
  •     In Utero proxy has been eliminated.
  •     Proxy horses will be eligible for equal payoffs including added money, less a 20% commission.

13. WSTR Qualification Event - The Riata Championship event is an Ariat WSTR Finale qualification event - all checks paid earn a discounted entry to the 2024 Ariat WSTR Finale.


The Most Asked Question Of 2023 was:

About The Number of Entries for Ropers and Horses – these questions generated over half of all our phone calls last year. The rules are written in the description of each roping division, but we hope this helps you!

  • Normal Entries - Ropers and horses may enter ONLY twice per division! A horse may have more than one rider but is limited to two entries.
  • If A Roper Has a Futurity Incentive Horse – They may enter up to three times: Ropers may enter twice in the All-Age and once in the futurity incentive, or twice in the futurity incentive and once in the All-Age. Roper may enter up to three times provided at least one is an incentive. Up and back is permitted but there shall be NO duplicate teams (same header and heeler twice). An incentive horse may double dip, so no horse shall be entered more than twice. In all ropings with futurity incentives, based on the description above, a roper can potentially be entered three times on just one end.
  • PRO FUTURITY – is the only Riata Futurity and entry rules are different for this division than all the others. Ropers can enter three times, but the rules are set up to prevent world class teams from roping together more than once unless up and back. Unless up and back, ropers and horses may enter only ONCE in the 5-Year-Old Pro Futurity. If entered up and back in the Pro Futurity, then ropers may enter a third time in the 4-Year-Old Incentive. If entered up and back in the 4-Year-Old Incentive, then they may enter the Pro Futurity only once, for a total of three. Up and back is permitted but there shall be NO duplicate teams (same header and same heeler twice). Based on these rules, ropers will not be able to rope three times on their primary end. In the futurity, horses may be ridden by different riders, but entry limitations for horses remain.

 

For more information visit RiataBuckle.com, call Keri, 480-322-2437, then Denny at 505-280-2402, or Lucas 505-280-6044.