Pro cowboys, local charities win big again at 152nd Silver Spurs Rodeo

  • Over four days of Silver Spurs Rodeo action, nearly $175,000 was awarded to professional cowboys, with thousands more going to local charitable foundations. For more photos, see our in the Photo Gallery at AroundOsceola.com. PHOTOS/KATIE WILLIAMS
    Over four days of Silver Spurs Rodeo action, nearly $175,000 was awarded to professional cowboys, with thousands more going to local charitable foundations. For more photos, see our in the Photo Gallery at AroundOsceola.com. PHOTOS/KATIE WILLIAMS

Despite wet, lousy weather outside over the weekend, the 152nd Silver Spurs Rodeo played to a capacity crowd Saturday and over 6,000 fans Sunday afternoon as some of the finest Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) cowboys rode and roped to win a piece of the $174,137 awarded in prize money offered up at the “Biggest rodeo east of the Mississippi.”

(Check out a photo gallery from the event late Wednesday morning at AroundOsceola.com.)

It was the 80th year of pro rodeos in Osceola County, a tradition local ranchers started in 1944 to help the war effort, as World War II bonds were the prizes that first year.

The impact, as usual, went far beyond the tens of thousands of fans who came to see four performances of rodeo, or the cowboys themselves who put on the show and, if successful, went back home– or to the next rodeo–with a cash prize in their pocket and valuable placing in the PRCA standings as they hope to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo.

And in the spirit of this year’s theme–“ Tradition Rides On”– that tradition of helping the community as well, the rodeo donated thousands of dollars to local charities, which this year included the Future Farmers of America chapter at Harmony High School, the Russell Home for Atypical Children, and The Lifeboat Project. And, for the 19th year, the Silver Spurs Riding Club paired children with special needs with cowboys and rodeo Queens during the annual Sunday morning Special Needs Rodeo–everyone involved is already excited for the 20th edition of that in 2025.

As for the cowboys, Jobe Johns, a tie-down roper from Zolfo Springs, Fla., won his event with a 7.7 second run and took home the All-Around Cowboy honors. As for the other event winners:

Bareback riding: Ethan Crouch, Gonzalez, Texas (No. 12 in the world), 83.5 points on Silver Spurs Club’s Nina, $4,442.

Steer wrestling: (tie) Cody Devers, Perrytown, Texas, and Chance Howard, Sallisaw, Okla., 3.4 seconds, $3,252 each.

Team roping: Reno Stoebner (Bastrop, TX)/ Clay Green (Pine Grove, La.), 4.5 seconds, $4,075 each.

Saddle bronc riding: Zachary Dallas, Las Cruces, N.M., 85 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Fringe Benefits, $4,343.

Barrel racing: Jamie Olsen, Brock, Tex., 15.63 seconds, $5,545.

Bull riding: (tie) Colt Galvan, Lenoir City, Tenn., on Silver Spurs Club’s Kiss Me, and Clayton Sellars, Wildwood, Fla., on Silver Spurs Club’s C buddy, 86 points, $4,035 each.

So what’s next? Well, the 153rd rodeo of course! It takes place May 31 and June 1 of this year, continuing a tradition that is unmatched in Osceola County and unique to the rest of Central Florida.