Riata Buckle Debuting as 5th Richest Roping, 2nd Richest Open
The new Riata Buckle Futurity advertisements are very boldly stating that the NEW event will be the fifth richest team roping in the world. There are only four team roping events that exceed the $2 million mark, and clearly Riata will be the fifth.
How Will the Riata Buckle Split That $2 Million?
There have been lots of questions on how the payoffs will be distributed among the Riata Buckle's five divisions. Some were worried the futurities might get more than the all-age divisions, and the Pro Futurity was afraid they might get less than the handicapped ropings. It is official now: all monies will be divided equally among the divisions. There are five divisions, two handicapped slide futurities, two handicapped all-age slides, and one Pro Futurity. Each of the five divisions will be guaranteed a minimum of $400,000 each. If you pay close attention to team roping, this announcement is a BIG DEAL for professional ropers that play the futurity game. At $400,000 minimum, the Riata Buckle becomes the second richest open roping in the world.
What Does "Guaranteed Minimum" Mean?
There is no way to know how many horses will be nominated for the Riata Buckle. Nominations are simply memberships for horses instead of people. There is also no way to know how many teams will attend and how much entry fees will be in the pot. In other words, $2 million is the minimum. Riata Buckle has the potential to pay more money. The beauty of the Riata Buckle is this: it really makes no difference if there are a lot of teams or not, $2 million minimum is going to be paid. There's no such thing as commissions here.
When Are Nominations Due?
The first round of $200 nominations are due on August 1. If you have a horse, get them nominated now at the rate. If you don't have a horse, better get out and find one!
