The best amateur cowboys and cowgirls in New Mexico will descend on Cuba this weekend for the 2024 New Mexico Rodeo Association (NMRA) Finals.
Taking place Oct. 5 and 6 at the Sandoval County Fairgrounds, the finals bring together the best talent from across New Mexico and showcase the state’s top 10 competitors’ skills in traditional rodeo events, including bull riding, team roping and barrel racing.
“I just love the whole thing, for us cowboys and cowgirls, this is like a big family get together for us,” Lance Tolbert, president of the NMRA, said.
Daily slack performances begin at 10 a.m. These overflow events provide opportunities for contestants who can’t fit into the main rodeo schedule to compete.
The main performances start at 1 p.m. and showcase eight standard events: bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, team roping, calf roping and two women’s events — breakaway roping and barrel racing.
The finals culminate a yearlong circuit of competitions in towns, including Taos, Cliff, Cuba, Bernalillo, Gallup and Grants. The top ten money winners from the year-long events advance, with higher earnings determining their ranking in the bracket.
Winners will receive their certificates and buckles at the awards banquet following the events on Sunday.
“It’s a past tradition that was forged here in [places] like New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, where the cowboys had to do these events for their living,” Tolbert said.