Amateur Ropers Win $200,000 in Reno

School teacher Jody Higgins of Monroe, Louisiana, and his horse-trading friend Mark Smith of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, teamed up at the last minute to split $200,000 in the Wrangler National Patriot #11.5 roping in Reno, Nevada. Higgins, 39, became tearful upon accepting...

Dees and Siggins Win BFI, $120K in Reno

The flag at the 42nd Annual Bob Feist Invitational on June 24 was still moving at the end of the final run of 7.2 seconds when 26-year-old Lane Siggins began racing around the arena to celebrate the resulting $120,000 cash prize with partner Junior Dees, 21. The...

Smith Repeats As Hooey Junior BFI Champ, Wins $10K

Britt Smith of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, became the second-straight Hooey Junior BFI Championships Open heading champ on June 22, this time with defending national high school champion Breck Ward of Jerome, Idaho. The pair roped four steers in 34.58 seconds to split...

Man Behind The Bronze

Because of the BFI’s 18-foot head start and hard-running cattle, head horses in Reno are tested to the utmost on scoring, speed, ability to handle fresh cattle and possibly pull up the fence. They and their heel-horse counterparts have been honored for years with...

How to get Rich in Reno

The only heeler to have won the Bob Feist Invitational three times has also banked more than $200,000 cash over the roping’s four decades. It’s safe to say he’s mastered the most challenging roping in America. Just why is it so tricky to win the BFI? Why is it that so...

Walt’s 2019 BFI Strategy

“Something makes me crazy about the BFI!” says Walt Woodard, who’s roped there 41 of 42 years and won the roping in 2008 with Clay Tryan. “They do one of the coolest things that’s ever been done at any roping – if you catch five steers at the BFI, they will give you...