By: Kendra Santos
Bareback riders Leighton Berry, RC Landingham and Clayton Biglow are all gunning for glory out on the world’s biggest rodeo stages. The full-time cowboy-sport shuffle keeps them busy, and yet they stopped and took the time to take in the World Champions Rodeo Alliance’s $553,000 Rodeo Corpus Christi. Why???
“I’m a bareback rider who’s chasing every dollar they’ll pay me,” said Berry, who 86.5 points aboard Dakota Rodeo’s big bucker Green Bay later tied at the top with Landingham in Wednesday night’s opening performance at American Bank Center. “The WCRA is paying out a lot of money, so I’m coming to try to get some of it. My #1 goal is to get back to my second NFR (National Finals Rodeo), and to make a good living riding bucking horses.”
Berry, who’s 23 and hangs his hat in Weatherford, Texas, qualified for his first Finals in 2020. But the following month—on January 27, 2021—a horse flipped on him in the chute at the rodeo in Odessa, Texas and took him out of the draw for eight months after having his T12 and L1 vertebrae fused. He’s back now, and with a big burning fire in his belly.
Interesting is that Berry’s a very versatile young cowboy with another lofty rodeo goal in mind.
“My #2 goal is to win the Linderman Award,” he said of the honor awarded each year in memory of the legendary Bill Linderman, which rewards talent at both ends of the arena and in at least three events—Berry’s being bareback riding, tie-down roping (he recently won the tie-down title at the 2022 rodeo in Belton, Texas) and team roping. “I’ve always wanted to be an all-around cowboy. I looked up to Ty Murray and Trevor Brazile growing up, but I especially looked up to Phil Lyne for being great at both ends of the arena.”
Landingham, who’s 31 and came all the way to Rodeo Corpus Christi from Hat Creek, California, earned his 86.5 points on the back of Dakota Rodeo’s Last Dance. He and Berry each earned $3,000 for sharing the win in their performance. The champion’s check come Saturday night will be $15,000.
Contestants pay no entry fees here at Rodeo Corpus Christi, and because of his #1 ranking on the WCRA Leaderboard amongst bareback riders, Landingham had first pick of his performance’s horses at the pre-perf Draft Party.
“I also get first pick on Saturday night, which is a pretty big perk to being #1,” he said. “We all get here by nominating rodeos we’d have gone to anyway. You have to win at those rodeos to earn points to qualify to ride here, but it eliminates us having to get on extra horses to qualify for big events like this one.”
That’s a big deal given bareback riding’s reputation for being brutal on the bodies of cowboys. Because he was ranked #1 on the Leaderboard, Landingham didn’t have to ride in last night’s progressive round. He chose to do that anyway.
“None of us would be here if it wasn’t worth it,” said the three-time NFR bareback rider, who’s closing in on $1 million in career earnings.
Landingham and Berry’s matching 86-point rides meant auto-advancement into Saturday’s Showdown Round. But because Landingham is #1 on that WCRA Leaderboard, Biglow will also ride again after finishing third Wednesday with 83.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s High Heels.
“I’m here because this thing pays $15,000,” smiled six-time NFR cowboy Biglow, 26, who calls Clements, California home and won the world bareback riding crown in 2019. “I like that the WCRA gives everyone a chance—veterans, young kids, all of us. The horses are good, the payoff’s great. What’s not to like about a rodeo like this one?”
Berry, Landingham and Biglow will now bide their time as they like until Saturday night’s Showdown Round.
“I have a friend with a polo ranch down at South Padre Island,” Berry said. “So I’m headed to the beach with my girlfriend (2019 Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Kodi Smalygo) for a few days.”
