The Prairie Circuit continues to grow like wildfire under an intense wind, fueled by six surrounding circuits and featuring a mountain of co-approved rodeos that keep cowgirls rodeoing all summer long.

“Our circuit is tough is because there are so many rodeos,” Oklahoman Taylor Munsell said. “Any rodeo I go to within 6 hours of my house is probably co-approved.”

Whereas some circuits, like the Southeast, die back during the summer due to sweltering heat—or the Maple Leaf takes time to defrost in the spring, the Prairie Circuit roars all year long. The only circuit to match it for six surrounding circuits is Western neighbor The Mountain States.

“Prairie circuit is an all-year circuit,” WPRA Eastern Roping Director, Prairie Circuit Director Christi Braudrick said. “Ours doesn’t die down much. In the winter you can go to co-approvals, and in the summer you can stay busy with both the Prairie Circuit rodeos and co-approvals.”

According to Braudrick, Prairie Circuit membership has “exploded” in the last year, with breakaway members pushing 100. In the next two weekends alone, Braudrick says there is $25,000 in added money between Prairie Circuit rodeos and co-approved rodeos in surrounding states.

WPRA Circuit co-approval guidelines

• Less than $6,000 in added money
• Within 150 miles of circuit’s border
• No entry limits

“This past year we’ve had some rodeos remove entry limits, which opened them up for co-approval, and then some rodeos added breakaway for the first time,” Braudrick said. “It makes is awful hard not to go all the time.”

Currently, Braudrick is in the process of fundraising for their Circuit Finals, which take place Oct. 17–19 in Duncan, OK. The standings for Circuit Finals qualification will conclude one month prior, in September.

Until then it’s game on, with Munsell explaining that while many Top 15 ladies head out for a run of Idaho and Montana rodeos following Cheyenne Frontier Days in late July, she goes back home to Alva in Northern Oklahoma.

“I’ll get to stay home and hit rodeos like Dodge City, Abilene Kansas, Phillipsburg, Lawton and Vinita,” Munsell said. “There are 3 weeks there—the last week of Cheyenne and the two weeks following—where I get to practice and rest up before the last seven weeks of the ProRodeo regular season.”

Unofficial Prairie Circuit standings as of Aug. 13

Recent Prairie Circuit rodeo results:

Lawton Rangers Rodeo

Lawton, Okla., Aug. 7-10

1. Rylie Smith, 2.2 seconds, $2,905; 2. (tie) Rheagan Cotton and Melyssa McDonald, 2.5, $2,251 each; 4. Christi Braudrick, 2.7, $1,743; 5. Mataya Eklund, 2.8, $1,452; 6. (tie) Madalyn Richards and Tia Wallace, 2.9, $871 each; 8. (tie) Jamie Farmer, Jayme Marcrum, Shelby Whiting, Winter Williams and Bailey Witt, 3.0, $436 each.

The Original Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo

Vinita, Okla., Aug. 7-10

1. (tie) Danni Clover and Layni Masters, 2.8 seconds, $2,484 each; 3. (tie) Braylee Shepherd, Jaci Traul and Winter Williams, 3.0, $1,613 each; 6. Ari-Anna Flynn, 3.3, $1,019; 7. (tie) Alyssa Bigon and Tia Wallace, 3.4, $637 each; 9. Summer Williams, 3.5, $382; 10. (tie) Anna Brisbane and Sierra Heinert, 3.6, $127 each.

Linn County Fair & Rodeo

Mound City, Kan., Aug. 9-10

 1. Addie Weil, 3.2 seconds, $1,472; 2. (tie) Jenna Lee Adams, Molly Hamilton and Leann Thomas, 3.3, $964 each; 5. Brandi Buzzard, 3.5, $457; 6. Jamie Farmer, 4.3, $254.

Kimball-Banner Fair and Rodeo

Kimball, Neb., Aug. 6

 1. Amanda Terrell, 2.8 seconds, $850; 2. Sierra Spratt, 2.9, $637; 3. Coralee Spratt, 3.0, $425; 4. (tie) Reagan Davis and Shelby Winchell, 3.3, $106 each.

Dodge City Round Up Rodeo

Dodge City, Kan., July 31-Aug. 4

First round: 1. (tie) Ashley Goforth, Erin Johnson and Taylor Munsell, 2.5 seconds, $1,924 each; 4. Layni Masters, 2.6, $1,347; 5. Kaitlyn Ricke, 2.7, $1,058; 6. Braylee Shepherd, 2.8, $770; 7. (tie) Timber Allenbrand, McKenna Brennan and Shayla Hall, 2.9, $224 each. 

Second round: 1. Tia Wallace, 2.0 seconds, $2,212; 2. (tie) McKenna Brennan and Danielle Lowman, 2.1, $1,780 each; 4. Maddy Deerman, 2.2, $1,347; 5. TiAda Gray, 2.4, $1,058; 6. Nicole Baggarley, 2.5, $770; 7. Rylie Smith, 2.6, $481; 8. (tie) Martha Angelone and Chenoa Vandestouwe, 2.7, $96 each. 

Finals: 1. Bradi Good, 2.7 seconds, $1,085; 2. Josie Conner, 3.1, $898; 3. Braylee Shepherd, 3.2, $711; 4. Baylee Lester, 3.3, $524; 5. (tie) Maddy Deerman and Kelsie Domer, 3.4, $262 each. 

Average: 1. Bradi Good, 9.2 seconds on three head, $3,319; 2. Braylee Shepherd, 9.3, $2,886; 3. Taylor Munsell, 9.4, $2,453; 4. Josie Conner, 9.5, $2,020; 5. Kaitlyn Ricke, 9.7, $1,587; 6. (tie) Maddy Deerman and Baylee Lester, 10.0, $938 each; 8. Kelsie Domer, 10.3, $289.

Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo

Phillipsburg, Kan., Aug. 1-3

1. Martha Angelone, 2.0 seconds, $2,546; 2. (tie) Beau Peterson, Taylor Raupe and Winter Williams, 2.3, $1,859 each; 5. Ari-Anna Flynn, 2.4, $1,213; 6. (tie) Rickie Fanning, Kaitlyn Ricke and Leann Thomas, 2.5, $728 each; 9. (tie) Harley Meged, Ashlyn Marie Moeder and Summer Williams, 2.6, $202 each.

Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo

Abilene, Kan., July 30-Aug. 2

1. (tie) Jordan Jo Hollabaugh and Taylor Munsell, 2.0 seconds, $3,008 each; 3. Molly Hamilton, 2.2, $2,277; 4. (tie) Jacoby Johnson and Shelby Whiting, 2.3, $1,789 each; 6. (tie) Brooke Curuchet, Shayla Hall and Winter Williams, 2.4, $867 each; 9. (tie) Sarah Angelone, TiAda Gray and Kamie Landolfi, 2.5, $488 each; 12. (tie) Taylor Engesser, Bailey Jay, Madalyn Richards and Sadie Waldron, 2.6, $81 each

Jayhawker Round-Up Rodeo

Hill City, Kan., July 29-31

1. Sequin Brewer, 2.6 seconds, $987; 2. Quincy Sullivan, 2.7, $817; 3. Winter Williams, 3.0, $647; 4. Makenzie Wilson, 3.1, $476; 5. Shelby Whiting, 3.3, $306; 6. (tie) Mataya Eklund and Tia Wallace, 3.4, $85 each.

Nebraska’s Big Rodeo

Burwell, Neb., July 24-27

1. Summer Williams, 2.4 seconds, $2,910; 2. (tie) Shalee King, Mable McAbee and Emilee Pauley, 2.7, $2,086 each; 5. (tie) McKenna Brennan, Mataya Eklund and Taylor Raupe, 2.8, $1,067 each; 8. (tie) Nicole Hadley and Jace Hurlburt, 2.9, $546 each; 10. (tie) KC-Gail Churchill and Sierra Heinert, 3.0, $400 each; 12. (tie) Katie Dent, Kelsie Domer and Danielle Wray, 3.1, $97 each.