Rickie Engesser (25) of Spearfish, South Dakota, wasn’t a major player in world standings conversation when the summer run began, but a successful Cowboy Christmas changed the direction of her season. Engesser has been scratching her way up the WPRA world standings, and as of July 25, she sits No. 8 with $35,794.38.

Engesser’s summer run started out with more losses than wins, but a successful Cowboy Christmas turned things around. She placed in both long rounds and the finals at Colorado’s Greeley Stampede to collect $8,140 and the aggregate win.

Listen: Cowboy Christmas Breakdown with Breakaway High-Money Winner, Jordi Edens

If Greeley was good to Engesser, the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was better. She qualified for the event by earning the title of 2021 Badlands Circuit Champion, and she found her groove at the Pike’s Peak or Bust. In the second round, her 2.40-second run was worth $3,087. Her times of 3.4 and 5.0 in the semifinals and finals helped cash her two second-place checks for $5,052, and earned her an aggregate check of $2,021. Her total earnings in Colorado Springs came to an impressive $15,212, which rocketed her up the standings.

Read: Breakaway’s Martha Angelone is Top Money Earner at NFR Open

“I try not to even focus on the standings,” Rickie said. “I stay focused on each rodeo. My goals stay the same, so does my job at each rodeo.” 

It may be a distant memory now, but things weren’t going well for Engesser at the start of the summer run. She was hopeful for another circuit finals qualification, and was entering bigger rodeos, but didn’t have her sights locked on Las Vegas. She had been riding her 13-year-old gelding, Rollo going into the Fourth.

“Before Greeley, I was in a slump, so I switched horses,” Engesser explained. “Rollo was putting me in a good spot to win at a couple rodeos and I just couldn’t seem to catch.”

She pulled out “Copper,” a green gelding 6-year-old gelding owned by her fiancé, Rhett Fanning.

“He’s been ranched on a lot,” Engesser said of Copper. “But Greeley was probably his third actual rodeo, and his first big one.” 

Her plan worked and, after Greeley, she’s been snagging calves on either horse. 

“They say it only takes one to get your confidence back,” Engesser noted. “That’s what I told myself going into Greeley. After that, I just felt better. My confidence was up in my roping and my horses again. It gave me a slingshot going into the Fourth run.”

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Engesser is the daughter of mom Punky, a collegiate basketball player, and dad, Shorty, a team roper. Rickie and her sister, Taylor (27), have both been rodeo standouts since their junior high days. The two are traveling partners, and Taylor sits No. 21 in the world standings with $22,119.79 earned.

Rickie wasn’t just wicked in the rodeo arena, but also on the soccer field, as well as the volleyball and basketball courts. Her diverse athletic portfolio helped her develop her impressive mental toughness.

“With all sports, you have to hold your mental composure if things aren’t going well,” Rickie said. “You have to figure out a different solution to work around it, you can’t just give up and get mad. It’s the same thing in rodeo.”

After high school, Rickie went south to Tarleton State University. 

“It was very humbling at first,” Engesser said of her time in Texas. “It’s completely different than up north—the setups are different and there’s a lot of people. I had to learn how to get the rope out of my hand, ride the barrier harder, a lot of things. I learned what I needed to do to get better and faster, and that’s a lot of what pushed my roping in the right direction.”

While at Tarleton, Engesser qualified to the College National Finals Rodeo all five years she competed in college rodeo. She won Rookie of the Year during her freshman showing and was the reserve champion in the women’s all-around, along with earning reserve champion breakaway roping accolades. 

Rickie and Taylor may both be winning on the road, but they still have to rodeo smart due to high traveling costs.

“We’re not going to travel everywhere—it’s just too expensive,” Rickie said. “We know we have to capitalize on every rodeo that we do enter.” 

As for a potential NFBR qualification, Rickie notes that although she fully intends on securing a position, her game plan hasn’t changed due to her recent success. It might just be her rock-solid mental approach that earns her a place in Las Vegas.

“My mom used to tell me in any sport—basketball, volleyball or anything, ‘Just make it happen,’” Engesser explained. “That was big for me. Whatever you need to do, do it to make it happen. When it comes to being on the road or in life, you just can’t make excuses or complain, you just make it happen.” 

World Standings updates are brought to you all season long, thanks to our friends at Cactus Ropes.

Check out our mental game videos from the pros at BreakawayRoping.com!

• Moving Your Toes in the Box
• Staying Sharp on the Road Without Practice
• Overcoming Pressure to be Fast

WPRA World Standings

(From WPRA.com, updated July 25)

ProRodeo Results

July 18-22

Salinas, California, July 21-24

1. Sawyer Gilbert, 3.1 seconds, $2,271 2. Martha Angelone, 3.7, $1,975; 3. Tacy Webb, 3.9, $1,679; 4. Cheyenne Blackmore, 4.0, $1,382; 5. Jane Karney, 4.1, $1,086; 6. Halle Tatham, 4.2, $790; 7. (tie) Shelby Boisjoli, Allie Hoskins, Karri Jones, Beau Peterson and Fallon Ruffoni, 4.3, $138 each

Second round: 1. Erin Johnson, 3.8 seconds, $2,271; 2. (tie) Jackie Crawford and Jordan Jo Hollabaugh, 4.0, $1,827 each; 4. (tie) Shelby Boisjoli and Laramie Johnson, 4.3, $1,234 each; 6. Liz Hirdes, 4.4, $790; 7. Josie Conner, 4.5, $494; 8. (tie) Madison Outhier and Paige Stout, 4.7, $99 each. Finals: 1. Alex Loiselle, 4.3 seconds, $1,114; 2. Lari Dee Guy, 5.2, $922; 3. (tie) Shelby Boisjoli and Addie Weil, 5.4, $634 each; 5. Tacy Webb, 5.5, $346; 6. Gianna Cianfichi, 5.6, $192

Average: 1. Shelby Boisjoli, 14.0 seconds on three head, $3,407; 2. Alex Loiselle, 14.2, $2,962; 3. Lari Dee Guy, 15.7, $2,518; 4. Madison Outhier, 15.9, $2,074; 5. Gianna Cianfichi, 16.3, $1,629; 6. (tie) Tacy Webb and Addie Weil, 17.0, $963 each; 8. Allie Hoskins, 24.0, $296.

Monte Vista, Colorado, July 22-24

1. Tasha Hansen, 2.6 seconds, $2,058; 2. Tana Johnston, 2.8, $1,790; 3. (tie) Rylea Fabrizio and Hadley Koske, 2.9, $1,387 each; 5. Tamara Tunink, 3.2, $984; 6. Trish Mackey, 3.4, $716; 7. Kassidy Dennison, 3.5, $447; 8. (tie) Tammy Barnes and Kaylee Billingsley, 3.8, $89 each.

Shelby, Montana, July 23-24

1. Callahan Otoupalik, 2.9 seconds, $900; 2. Cadee Williams, 3.2, $744; 3. Molly Salmond, 3.5, $589; 4. (tie) Tammy Carpenter and Katelin Conway, 4.6, $357 each; 6. Alexa Major Wilcox, 5.1, $155.

Nampa, Idaho, July 19-23

First Round

 1. Cheyanne Guillory, 1.8 seconds, $2,546; 2. Shelby Boisjoli, 1.9, $2,182; 3. (tie) Brighton Bauman and Addy Hill, 2.0, $1,697 each; 5. (tie) Aubryn Bedke, J J Hampton and Joey Williams, 2.1, $970 each; 8. Megan Burbidge, 2.2, $485; 9. (tie) Britni Carlson, Taylor Hanchey, Josey Murphy and Lynn Smith, 2.3, $152 each.

 Finals

1. Brighton Bauman, 1.8 seconds, $977; 2. Shelby Boisjoli, 2.0, $808; 3. Josey Murphy, 2.2, $640; 4. (tie) Britni Carlson and Addy Hill, 2.3, $387 each; 6. Taylor Hanchey, 2.4, $168

Average: 1. Brighton Bauman, 3.8 seconds on two head, $3,819; 2. Shelby Boisjoli, 3.9, $3,274; 3. Addy Hill, 4.3, $2,728; 4. Josey Murphy, 4.5, $2,364; 5. (tie) Britni Carlson and Aubryn Bedke, 4.6, $1,637 each; 7. Taylor Hanchey, 4.7, $1,091; 8. Megan Burbidge, 4.9, $727; 9. Lynn Smith, 5.1, $546; 10. Joey Williams, 13.9, $364.

Wahoo, Nebraska, July 21-23

1. Rheagan Cotton, 2.7 seconds, $1,184; 2. Angie Green, 3.0, $1,015; 3. Christi Braudrick, 3.2, $846; 4. Jesse Alsup, 3.4, $733; 5. (tie) Miranda Arndt and Mollie Bassett, 4.1, $508 each; 7. Joslynn Masters, 4.4, $338; 8. (tie) Jenna Lee Adams, Micah Samples and Michelle Wilson, 4.6, $169 each.

Manhattan, Kansas, July 21-23

1. Ashlyn Marie Moeder, 2.3 seconds, $1,000; 2. Christi Braudrick, 2.6, $750; 3. Mollie Bassett, 2.7, $500; 4. Michelle Wilson, 2.9, $250.

Philadelphia, Mississippi, July 22-23

1. (tie) Karrigan Cagley and Leann Thomas, 3.5 seconds, $533 each; 3. Amanda Weekley, 4.5, $305; 4. Hollie Ladner, 4.8, $152.

Mesquite, Texas, July 23

1. Mitzi Duke, 6.0 seconds, $978; 2. Hadley Clearman, 12.2, $733; no other qualified runs.

Lake Luzerne, New York, July 23

1. Claire Felton, 3.5 seconds, $348; no other qualified runs

Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey, July 23

1. Aimee Getgen, 3.0 seconds, $519; 2. Kelsey King, 3.2, $389; 3. DeNiess Kilgus, 3.8, $259; 4. Megan Cameron, 4.6, $130.

Lake Luzerne, New York, July 22

1. Cheyenne Chamberlain, 3.1 seconds, $368; 2. Claire Felton, 14.2, $276; no other qualified runs.

Forsyth, Montana, July 20-21

1. Kassie Kautzman, 2.8 seconds, $1,145; 2. (tie) Kelsey Ferguson and Meghan McGinley, 2.9, $849 each; 4. Sierra Lee, 3.0, $553; 5. Kacie Jo Wiersma, 3.6, $355; 6. Stephanie Newman, 4.3, $197.