Beau Peterson delivered consistency across three rounds in Guymon, Oklahoma, going 3.4 seconds in Round 1, 3.6 seconds in Round 2 and a smoking 2.6 seconds in Round 3 to be 9.6 seconds on three head to take home $4,881 for her efforts.
The horse-training Council Grove, Kansas, cowgirl is no stranger to winning—with two National Finals Breakaway Roping qualifications, she knows what it takes.
Guymon has a tricky setup, big walking fresh calves in a big open arena. With that in mind, Peterson relied on her at-home training routine to take her to the top.
“I pen rope a lot and ride a lot of young horses,” she said. “I feel like that prepares me well for how unpredictable walking fresh calves are.”
Peterson showed off that preparation when her Round 1 calf played dirty and went left on her.
“You don’t really have time to think in that moment,” Peterson said. “On calves that go left, I try to really make myself overemphasize everything I’m doing. I got by him and was pretty happy with the run I made.”
In Round 2, she was out in the middle of the pack—watching as girls took themselves out and figuring that all she had to do was her job. Drawing on the strong end, she did just that to head into Round 3 with a chance to win something in the performances.
Peterson traded to get the Saturday performance, drew a good calf and finished the job.
“I maxed the barrier out—I was a little closer to it than I wanted to be,” Peterson said. “It was meant to be, I guess.”
Cowboys Missn A 338, better known as “Festus,” played a large part in this winning equation. The 2013 roan gelding by Miss N Catch out of Hes A Peptospoonful mare Spoonful Of Cookies is Peterson’s go-to rodeo horse.
“I have a really good horse for that setup—he scores great and rates the calves so good,” said Peterson. “I think that’s half the battle—my horse doing his job and making it pretty easy on me.”
Festus is well known among the breakaway ropers, with his big personality and looks he is hard to miss—and he was the missing link in Peterson’s string.
“I didn’t really know what I was missing until I bought him,” Peterson said. “He’s one of a kind for sure.”
This win wasn’t just another ProRodeo win for the Prairie Circuit cowgirl but a chance to count money towards the circuit standings. Guymon is a designated Prairie Circuit rodeo and with the $4,881 she just won; she will boost herself into the No. 1 spot.
As for the rest of the ProRodeo season, Peterson is going to keep her head down and keep hitting the road—going to the big ones and making the most out of this confidence boost going into the summer with her sights set on making her third NFBR qualification.
“There’s so much money to be won in the summertime. I’m feeling good and ready to head out and hit the rodeo trail,” Peterson said.
