Joe Beaver had a plan when he drafted breakaway roper Madison Outhier for his team in the 2025 edition of Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo (KRRR), a team format competition to be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on May 16.

The 2021 Women’s Pro Rodeo Association (WPRA) Rookie of the Year, Outhier has been winning since her days in youth events, proving time and again her grit and talent.

But likely her two biggest wins to date—The American Rodeo in 2019, the first to have breakaway roping, and the inaugural Women’s Rodeo World Championship title in 2020—both came inside the home of the NFR’s Dallas Cowboys.

“When Joe called and said, ‘You’re a Joker,’ I was pumped,” Outhier said. “It’s so cool getting to rope there [at AT&T Stadium]; there’s a great atmosphere in that building.”

Outhier has proven that nerves and pressure don’t get to her, something that’s a plus for any Kid Rock competitor. In the timed events, athletes don’t start behind a traditional rope barrier, but instead compete head-to-head off a Christmas light, drag-race-style start.

Adding to resume for selection was Outhier’s legendary horsepower and her previous experience on the drag race start.

“I’d done the red-light, gree-light start at Joe Beaver’s youth ropings,” Outhier said.

She was also able to participate at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo’s KRRR Qualifier, helping her team reach the final Shootout round.

“I was glad to have a trial run there [before Arlington],” Outhier admitted. “It’s difficult . . . you need to go fast and it’s hard because you want to anticipate the gate. It’s a whole new aspect of scoring and it’s hard to go that fast—but it was really fun,” she added with a laugh.

“It’s a nerve wracking deal,” Outhier said of the KRRR system, where athletes have a series of lights allowing them to get into the box and get ready before the green light begins competition. “You try to get in there and not have to sit too long, or leave early.”

Horsepower makes the difference

Outhier relies on Allo Gallo Colonel, better known around the business as “Rooster,” her now 17-year old gelding for the high pressure runs.

“It’s an advantage to be confident in your horse,” Outhier said. “It’s still nerve wracking, but it helps!”

Colonel was raised by Outhier’s grandparents’ LA Waters Quarter Horses, a 50-Year Breeder of AQHA Horses. Her father, National Finals Rodeo (NFR) saddle bronc rider and Linderman Award winner Mike trained the horse and he’s been Madison’s almost since she started roping.

More on Madison Outhier’s string:
With the tremendous growth in the rope horse futurity game, the Outhiers are now focusing efforts into prepping their horses for those lucrative payouts. Outhier has two young horses, full siblings by LA Waters’ stud, Wild Card Dun It.
“We raised them both and dad gets them started,” Outhier explained. The mare, Lets Boogie Wildcard, aka Eva, was sold and competed in reined cow horses competitions before the Outhiers bought her back. “I’ve done most of the training for breakaway on Eva. And her full brother is six, Nifty Wild Card, or Cash. He’s done well at the futurities.”
While Eva and Cash are working the aged events and Outhier’s college rodeo outings for Texas A&M, Rooster will definitely get the call for the KRRR.

Events like KRRR are raising the bar

While Outhier was not part of the inaugural event in 2024, which was won by the WCRA’s team, the Free Riders, she enjoyed the modified version in Fort Worth which included KRRR staples like the use of instant replay.

“I actually was flagged out for a bad catch but they reviewed it and it was legal,” she said. “So that’s a cool aspect, that they have a replay system there.”

Outhier also enjoyed the chance to be a part of a team and have a coach like Steiner.

“I love the team aspect. We’re usually pretty focused just on ourselves but there we were all watching all the events and cheering on our guys,” she said of the Fort Worth event which she called “pretty chaotic.” “We were all asking each other who needed help.”

“Sid was pretty involved in the rough stock end but then he came down there and called for the review on my run. He was pretty fired up when that went our way,” she laughed. “It was fun to have his energy there.”

Unlike Fort Worth’s event, timed event competitors in Arlington will compete simultaneously in a heads-up match, something Outhier also experienced at Beaver’s youth ropings.

“The crowd gets really pumped up—you know, it’s pretty hard for them to tell the difference in a 2.2 run versus a 2.5, but when it’s happening at the same time, they can see how close it really is.”

Before getting to Arlington, Outhier will finish out her spring college rodeo run, hoping to keep her team in first in their region. The summer will find Outhier back on the ProRodeo road in search of her first Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping berth. She was derailed last summer when her horse flipped on her on the asphalt in Salt Lake City, landing in the ICU with a broken collarbone, fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and lacerated liver.

Incredibly, she was back behind the barrier in just over two months, and is currently ranked inside the top 50 of the WPRA’s ProRodeo Breakaway World standings with limited rodeoing.

“Everything is good, I’ve feeling one hundred percent again,” Outhier said.

Mostly, she’s looking forward to helping the Jokers attempt to claim the lion’s share of the KRRR’s $1 million payoff after getting a taste of the action in Fort Worth.