Hannah Giger won two rodeos and placed at a third to walk away from the week with $6,292 in her pocket and confidence to hit the circuit.
Giger won Durant, Oklahoma, with a 2.0 for $2,985, the Flint Hills Rodeo in Strong City, Kansas, with a 2.3 for $1,920 and split fourth over in Fort Smith, Arkansas, with a 2.2-second run worth $1,387.
Out of the entire weekend, Giger said Durant was her favorite win of the bunch. She spent four years at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant and feels at home in that arena.
“I haven’t been in a performance there and it was a hometown rodeo pretty much,” said the Wilburton, Oklahoma native. “The calves were pretty strong and I knew I had to be in the barrier to do any good because it was already pretty fast when I got there.”
She did it hauling one horse—Tough Lil King, a 16-year-old gelding she calls “Goose”—through a five-rodeo stretch that ran from Monday in Fort Smith to Saturday back in Durant.
Giger has had Goose for four years, when she got him from Dillon Holder of Vian, Oklahoma, after losing her good mare.
Goose gave her the same trip he always does.
“It’s the same trip every time,” Giger said. “You can run a bunch of them on him in practice, so that helps me out a lot.”
The 23-year-old got into roping through her dad and grew up team roping before finding breakaway. He is also her support system and practice help.
“I try to practice just like the rodeos—not to think too much about it,” Giger said. “My dad is usually out there with me practicing every night.”
Last year was her rookie ProRodeo season , and she made the Prairie Circuit Finals. She graduated in December from SEOSU with a physical education degree and now rodeos as a hobby.
“I just rodeo for fun,” Giger laughed. “I don’t like being gone for that long.”
After a weekend like this, the Prairie Circuit schedule she wasn’t planning to chase may be worth a second look.
“I really wasn’t planning on doing too many circuit rodeos this year,” said Giger. “But it looks like I’m going to keep going after this week.”
