Reed and Pearce Cap Roping Roll With Pendleton Win

Where better to finish up a fun fall that followed a spectacular summer than the Pendleton Round-Up? Ryan Reed and Dalton Pearce couldn’t think of a better place when both were left breathless from the hot lap around the track that surrounds a football field at Oregon’s reigning Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year.

- Kendra Santos

Reed, 24, and Pearce, 20, banked $10,519 per man for coming tight on three steers in 19.5 seconds on the green of that gargantuan grass arena. They finished fourth in round one, and split the short round with David Temple and Tee Jay Brown.

“I’ve always talked about how I wanted to win a big rodeo, like Salinas, Ellensburg or Pendleton,” said California native Reed, who still spends spring and some of summer in the Golden State, but these days considers Ozzie and Judy Gillum’s place in Wittmann, Ariz., home. “It was a big deal to me to win a rodeo outside my home state, and besides Filer (Idaho) two weeks before, this was the first one. The victory lap was really awesome. I couldn’t really compose myself. I went a little crazy. To finally win one of the big ones was such a relief.”

“It was really, really cool,” said Pearce, a Cuesta College junior and this year’s PRCA Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year, who lives in San Luis Obispo, Calif. “You really don’t realize how cool it is until it happens, and it doesn’t really set in until later on. I’ve always wanted a Pendleton buckle, and the victory lap was a pretty good feeling.”

Yes, that victory lap is a hot one, and the race was on. Then it was back to shoeing horses for Reed and back to school for Pearce. Reed finished up the last couple rodeos of the regular season spinning for Clint Harry. Pearce wrapped it up heeling for Hayes Smith.

Reed will ring in the new year heading for Cody Pearson, but since Pearson won’t get into a few of the winter rodeos plans to rope with Pearce at places like Denver and San Antonio. Pearce was unsure of his 2017 partner plans at press time, but did know he’d again head for fellow Central Coast cowboy Tristan Ruffoni at the college rodeos.