The National Western Stock Show is an annual

livestock show A livestock show is an event where livestock are exhibited and judged on certain phenotypical breed traits as specified by their respective breed standard. Species of livestock that may be shown include pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, llamas ...

and festival held every January at the National Western Complex in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

since 1906. The show’s original purpose was advertised as showings to demonstrate better breeding and feeding techniques to area stockmen, however it was largely the main showings as a means to attract patrons to the surrounding vendors. The founders included

Elias M. Ammons Elias Milton Ammons (July 28, 1860 – May 20, 1925) served as the 19th Governor of Colorado from 1913 to 1915. Born in 1860 in Macon County, North Carolina, he is perhaps best remembered for ordering National Guard troops into Ludlow, Colorado ...

, president of the Colorado Cattle and Horse Growers Association and later governor of Colorado; George Ballentine, general manager of the Denver Union Stock Yard Company; and Fred P. Johnson, publisher of the ''Record Stockman''. Since 1906, it has become the world's largest stock show by number of animals and offers the world's only carload and pen cattle show. Originally limited to the livestock from the western United States, the show was expanded by 1908 to include entrants from around the world. A horse show was added in 1908, and a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

was added in 1931. By 1925, an event for 4-H, the 4-H Roundup, was also held in conjunction with the stock show. By 1981, the organization owned numerous buildings, more than twenty acres of stockyards, several acres of parking, and assets totaling about five million dollars. The stock show is governed by the Western Stock Show Association, a Colorado

501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

institution, which produces the annual National Western Stock Show in an effort to forward the association's mission: "To preserve the western lifestyle by providing a showcase for the agricultural industry through emphasis on education, genetic development, innovative technology and offering the world's largest agricultural marketing opportunities". Proceeds from the National Western Stock Show go to the National Western Scholarship Trust. The Trust awards 64 scholarships annually to students studying agriculture and medicine at colleges and universities in Colorado and Wyoming. The horse shows at the annual National Western Stock Show are among the largest in the world with more than 18,000 entries at the 2006 event. The horse show includes Quarter Horses, Paint Horses, Hunters & Jumpers, FUSE Open Horse Shows, Mules Shows and the Draft Horse Show & Pull. The National Western Rodeo is nationally recognized as one of the largest indoor rodeos and has won honors from the

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National F ...

(PRCA), including multiple Indoor Rodeo of the Year titles. Additionally, the

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, inducted the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in 2008. The show was not held in 1915 due to a national outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease (now also known as Hoof & Mouth) which affects animals with cloven hoofs such as cattle and again in 2021 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

restrictions. It returned in 2022.

References

External links

Official Website - National Western Stock Show

Historic Denver - National Western Stock Show

Historical timeline
{{coord, 39.78249, -104.96918, format=dms, display=title, type:event_region:US-CO National Western Stock Show Archives Agricultural shows in the United States Economy of Denver Tourist attractions in Denver Rodeos ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees