Bull riding is always a high stakes gamble, especially at the Ponoka Stampede. While the rodeo takes the top twelve rides from the six performances to the Finals, some years there haven’t been twelve riders make the whistle. But in 2025, there were 15 rides, and it took a mark of 82 to crack the top twelve. Monday afternoon three cowboys earned their ticket to ride in the Stampede Finals.
Ashton Sahli rode his eight second opportunity on the Outlaw bull Forrest Gump to 86.25 points, to tie for the number one position with Wacey Schalla.
“He’s a big brindle, bucks around to the right, perfect for my style. I’d say maybe I ride a little wilder than some guys going, but it’s whatever gets the job done,” says Sahli.
The Lacombe cowboy has been waiting and hoping to be ready for Ponoka, after tearing an MCL in his knee at a PBR event in the spring.
“I took a few weeks off at home and I’ve missed out on pretty much most of the beginning of the summer run,” explains Sahli. “I chose to opt out, and hang out and get feeling good. I’m glad I did. I’m pretty close to a hundred per cent, and I just proved it’s going to work.”
Sahli has his sights set on the $90,000 available to bull riders at Ponoka this year.
“There’s way too much money here to think about anything else. Everybody’s going to come back for the Finals is going to come back with the same game plan, to try and take a piece of the big pie.”
The reason the bull riding pot is the biggest of them all is that none of last year’s Showdown finalists were able to make the whistle, so that $15,000 was carried over and added to this year’s total.
Sahli is confident that won’t happen again this year.
“The twelve guys that are coming back, there’s some bull ridin’ fools in there, so I think we’ll get some rode.”
Garrett Green and Bo Vocu also made the Finals with their rides on Day 6 of Ponoka.
The last man with a chance at the leaderboard in the saddle bronc riding Monday proved to be the best. Wyatt Casper set his saddle and his spurs to the tune of 86.75 points on the Outlaw Buckers horse Quarter Moon, which put him in a tie for second overall.
“That little black horse had a lot of potential coming in here,” says the Texan. “He was fast. I dang sure had to get out my sprinting feet for that one. He’s still pretty young, but just glad we had the trip that we had.”
“It’s a great rodeo, and one of the biggest rodeos over Cowboy Christmas, so we’re all up here trying to get a piece of the pie.”
“I’ve been coming up here a while, but his will be my first short round (at Ponoka). So we’re excited.”
The other saddle bronc rider to make the Finals in Monday’s action was rookie James Perrin of Maple Creek, who just became the first Canadian to win a U.S. College Championship in the saddle bronc riding.
Another cowboy who will be sticking around in Ponoka for another go will be Evan Spady, who managed to get two steers wrestled in 9.5 seconds, sliding into second place behind leader Craig Weisgerber.
“They let me have some pretty good steers in the draw,” says Spady, who was also quick to give credit to the horse he used. Tyson, owned by the Cassidy family, has earned the AQHA World Steer Wrestling Horse of the year three times.
“He made it pretty easy, to be honest with you,” says Spady. “It’s nice when it goes that way.”
“Everything’s easy about him. He runs a nice pattern. He lets you catch the horns every time, and scores. He runs hard, and that’s important. I’ve rode about four or five different horses here now and that’s the first time I’ve been on him. He’s like riding a Cadillac,” smiles Spady, who will be running steers in the Ponoka Finals for the first time.
From Monday’s results, Spady will be joined by his traveling partner Cody Cassidy, as well as Ryan Shuckburgh and Jesse Brown in Tuesday’s twelve-man round.
Kyle Lucas is no stranger to the Ponoka Stampede, and he’ll make a return trip to the Finals Tuesday after putting together a pair of tie-down roping runs in 18.7 seconds. The total gave him second place in the ‘long round’, behind Brushton Minton’s 17.3 second tally. While Lucas has had a lot of success on Logan Bird’s famous horse Peso, this year he was able to get a seat on Tyler Popescul’s horse Lincoln for Ponoka.
“That’s such an amazing horse,” praises Lucas. “I’m thankful to get to ride that one.”
Lucas has roped at Ponoka since 2013, when he remembers taking second in the second round in 7.4 seconds.
“It’s been good. Every second year at least, I’ll do really good. I’ve made it in the final four here and won second before. But I’ve never won it, so that’s kind of what I’ve been after this year.”
Lucas would like nothing more than to join other family members on the winner’s wall at the Stagecoach Saloon.
“My Dad (Joe) is there and my sister (Katy) is too. She’s actually on the wall as the Ponoka Stampede Queen, and then Canadian Queen. So maybe I’ll be the Ponoka champ, and then the Canadian champ,” smiles Lucas.
The breakaway roping got faster again, with Amanda Terrell snapping out a 2.4 second run, putting her on top overall with a mere 6.6 seconds. The Colorado cowgirl has been roping and traveling in Canada since May, when she teamed up with Jenna Dallyn on the road.
Terrell ropes off a horse called Midget, which she acquired in a trade for her goat horse.
“Midget has just been the biggest blessing to me. I wouldn’t be able to do it without him, that’s for sure. He’s my best friend and he’s a good one,” says Terrell.
Terrell was able to rope in the pre-Stampede breakaway jackpot, where she experienced the famous ‘long score’ run.
“I’d never actually watched the Ponoka Stampede before,” she admits sheepishly, relying on advice from fellow ropers on how much to ‘see’ before heading out after her calf. But it worked and she won plenty at the jackpot, notching a 2.8 there and gaining some valuable experience on the challenging setup.
“I definitely think it’s more of a cowgirl roping, which I like. I like those long scores. I’ve grown up watching Cheyenne Frontier Days, and have roped there the past few years. I love rodeos like this. You’ve really got to read your calf. You’ve just got to feel it out, and ride your horse and go rope.”
Kendal Perison and Payton Scalzo also advanced from Monday to the Ponoka Finals.
Taylor Manning of Yellowhead County posted the fastest time around the barrels in the sixth performance, at 17.58, taking her to the Finals in sixth spot. Lynette Brodoway also advanced. Brothers Brady and Riley Minor of Washington sit tied for second in the team roping aggregate heading to the Finals, with their 12.7 second total. Also earning another Ponoka shot were Kavis Drake and Denim Ross.
One of pro rodeo’s stars who lives up to his name rolled into Ponoka once more, to test his fate. Bareback rider Rocker Steiner wanted to give the Stampede another chance.
“I’ve loved it, and I’ve hated it and I love it again,” grinned the Texas talent, who spurred to 85.25 points, good enough for third in the standings.
“I had to redeem myself from last year. I got catapulted into the grandstand, so I had to come back and get a decent score. So we’re going into tomorrow feeling good.”
It was the Big Grey who had his way with Steiner in short order last year, even though Steiner had a record setting 92 ride on Virgil earlier.
“I was so nervous and I kind of held on to it too much, so first jump I didn’t let my feet roll like I always do, and he pulled me forward and slung me into the air. It wasn’t a great day in my life, but heck, maybe one day we’ll try it again.”
Steiner felt like his Ponoka horse this year, Outlaw’s Burbank, was a better fit.
“I’ve seen this horse with some guys, and it looks like it’s trying to be cool. It’s a little horse. I bet it doesn’t weigh but 900 pounds, and I only weigh a buck forty-five. I figured it wouldn’t even know I was there. So I knew he was going to have a good trip, and I’ve been helping horses out pretty good.”
Steiner’s been on a roll, sitting second in the world standings, and is feeling like he could keep up the momentum into the Finals.
“It’s been great. I’ve won about as much as I could win. I had four wins in a row. I think I’m trailing (season leader) Bradlee Miller by thirty grand, maybe? So win this thing, and I’ll give my buddy a hug and say I’m sorry,” claimed Steiner. “When you’re at number two, you’ve only got one way to go. Bradlee Miller is a great friend of mine and a great bareback rider, but somebody has to be number one and it’s going to be me.”
Kade Sonnier and World Champion Dean Thompson also both made rides that got them into the Ponoka Stampede Finals.
Canada Day action at the Stampede will see each events top twelve returning for another go, and then from there, the four best accumulated scores and times will go into the rich Showdown Round to determine the 89th Ponoka Stampede Champions.