At just 19 years old, breakaway roper Jordi Edens claimed 2022 bragging rights as the Cowboy Christmas high money earner after winning $15,500 in ProRodeo earnings.

Edens’ name popped up in all the right places throughout the weekend. Her 2.0-second run took an early lead in Oakley, Utah, and held through the rodeo for a $6,387 win. In Belle Fourche, South Dakota, a solid 2.4-second run was worth another $4,426. Her pair of 3.5s in Prescott, Arizona, equaled two more go-round checks and an aggregate placing to collect $4,687. In total, 11.4 seconds on the clock earned her $15,500 for the week. 

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Thanks to her earnings, Edens moved into Top 15 territory and, as of July 06, 2022, she is seated No. 11 in the WPRA world standings with $29,628.21 won. 

Breakaway Roping’s Top Money Earners During Cowboy Christmas 2022

Really, Edens’ recent windfall was a coup considering the myriad unforeseen challenges she’s faced.

“After Prescott, we were supposed to drive up to Belle Fourche, but my mom accidentally put DEF in our diesel tank,” Edens said. “I had to catch a flight up to Denver, where my dad met me with my backup horse. We got super lucky because my dad knew somebody who knew a mechanic in Prescott, and my mom got to get out of there by the next evening.” 

The Gatesville, Texas, native was simply determined to have a great Cowboy Christmas after a disappointing Fourth of July run in 2021. 

“I roped one calf out of all the rodeos,” Edens said of that trip. “I went to Pecos, Texas, and roped my first calf. But it was the wrong calf, so didn’t even count. I didn’t rope one single calf for money after that.”

Last year’s losses, though, were the driving force to get her back to the winner’s circle. 

“After Killdeer (North Dakota, in 2021), we drove all the way home,” Edens said. “I roped every day for two weeks before Cheyenne and ended up fourth at Cheyenne. That was my turning point. I realized I needed to take it a little more serious, put a little more effort in. I think missing those calves was the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me mad. It gave me the drive that I didn’t have, that I needed. I think it was God’s way of humbling me but making me want to work for it even harder, at the same time. 

Edens is the 2019 National High School Finals Rodeo champion breakaway roper and, at the age of 16, she cashed a check for more than $50,000 after winning the Days of ’47 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Edens noted that she’d become comfortable roping against names like Lari Dee Guy, Jackie Crawford and JJ Hampton during her high school years because she was used to seeing those names on the day sheets at Texas’ amateur rodeos. 

However, Edens realized that not every roper gets that kind of exposure before hitting the rodeo trail. 

“If you’re new to it, finding good traveling partners that you get along with, [who] have the same common interest and ways of taking care of business is huge,” Edens said. “If you’re not comfortable, it’s hard to stay good and have a good mindset. Last year, I didn’t have a good mindset. I was ill to be around, and it showed because I didn’t rope very good. The roping is just like anywhere else you’re going to go; it doesn’t change.”  

To hear more about Edens and her Cowboy Christmas run, check out her episode on “The Breakaway Breakdown.”

For full results from the week, check out our results and top money earners post. 

Curious about 2021’s Cowboy Christmas? Look back at Cheyenne Guillory pocketing $14,375 on the one-year anniversary of a family tragedy. 

WPRA World Standings

June 06, 2022 (From WPRA.com)

World Standings updates are brought to you by Cactus Ropes.