Rickie Fanning and her powerhouse gelding “Copper” muscled their way to a gold medal finish at the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City, Utah, earning $19,389 in the revamped tournament-style rodeo.

But the win wasn’t just about speed—it was the payoff of months of fine-tuning her style to handle Copper’s size and strength. Fanning is on the small side, and after swapping from her late gelding “Rolo” to beefy “Copper,” she had some homework to do to stay in sync with the big gelding.

Redemption in Salt Lake

Fanning finished the 2024 Days of ’47 with the No. 2 silver medal after losing the title in a tiebreaker to Willow Wilson. It was her first time competing at the event, and while second place was a strong debut, she wanted the gold.

“To come back and win it this year, it’s pretty special,” Fanning said.

This year, the pressure was amplified by a new format. Instead of a large field and multiple runs, the Days of ’47 limited the roster to 40 ropers and advanced only the top two on average from each bracket to the finals. Fanning came out of Bracket One with runs of 2.4 and 4.0 seconds—good enough to punch her ticket into the clean-slate round.

That’s where she finally erased the memory of 2024. Backed into the corner as the last roper out, Fanning and Copper fired out of the box for a flawless 2.3-second run that clinched the gold medal.

“It was awesome to even have my dad, Shorty, there this time,” Fanning added. “We had a plan going into the short round, and when it worked out like that after everything last year, it just felt right.”

Riding a Giant

While the win in Salt Lake is headline-worthy, the real story is about how Fanning had to reinvent her style to match her new, massive, powerful partner.

“Copper’s like a [hand] and a half bigger than Rolo,” Fanning said. “Little strides versus big, long, strong strides—it was a 180 in feel. It took me a long time to make that switch.”

Copper’s strength out of the box is both his advantage and his test for Fanning.

“He’s very powerful through the line,” Fanning said. “He doesn’t change—he’ll score and run across the line the same every time. It’s on me to stay with him. If you get rocked back or blown off the front, it’s really hard to fight your way back when you have to be so fast.”

@breakawayropingjournal Rickie Fanning and “Copper” got some redemption at the Utah Days of ‘47 Rodeo last night in Salt Lake City, posting a 2.3 second run to earn $18,000. In 2024, Rickie lost the tiebreaker for the championship in Salt Lake, making this win extra sweet. More coverage coming your way on the site thanks to @Top Hand Ropes ♬ Headstrong – Trapt

Training for Power

To keep up with Copper, Fanning has had to adjust her riding and roping mechanics. One of her key changes? How she positions her left elbow.

“I’ll tip my elbow out just a touch so my arm can fully extend away from me. It helps me bring everything forward with him instead of pushing my hand and rocking my body back,” Fanning said. “It’s a little thing, but it makes a big difference when you’re trying to stay ahead of a horse with that much stride and strength.”

At home, Fanning focuses on scoring more than running on Copper.

“I really need him in my hand, dead sharp in the box,” Fanning said. “If he moves at the gates, I lose him. So we work on a lot of scoring to keep him honest and to keep me with him.”

She also rotates bits to keep Copper responsive without over-bridling.

“His rodeo bit is a small solid port, but at home, I’ll bounce around with softer bits,” She said. “It keeps him honest without constant pressure.”

Staying in Sync

Despite Copper’s size and power, Fanning credits the gelding’s consistency and heart for their success.

“He’s the same every run,” Fanning said. “He’s solid and he wants to do his job. It’s just up to me to ride him right and stay ahead of him.”

That partnership paid off in Salt Lake, and Fanning hopes it carries her into the fall push for the National Finals Breakaway Roping.

“My goal is to get back to Vegas, and this win definitely helps for that push,” Fanning said. “We’re hitting Idaho, Montana, and the Northwest next.