The Professional Roughstock Series (PRS) was an American

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 vaq ...

organization based in

Belle Fourche, South Dakota Belle Fourche (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 5,617 at the 2020 census. It is near the geographic center of the United States, which moved some 550 miles northwest from the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It featured American rodeo's three roughstock events: bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and

bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...

History

The organization was founded in 2001. Though in its first several years it was composed of a few annual stand-alone events, it was eventually formed into a formal sporting league. 12 bareback bronc riders, 12 bull riders, and 12 saddle bronc riders were included in each event. They each paid an entry fee to compete. All competitors competed in the first round. The top four riders in each category then moved on to the championship round to determine the event champions with the two highest scores. When the regular season ended, the top 12 riders in each event based on points would qualify for the PRS World Finals. The top riders based on overall points for the year were crowned the PRS World Champions. The first world finals event took place in 2012 in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

. The second world finals took place in

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western S ...

. The third world finals also took place in Rapid City, only this time in conjunction with 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 ...

(PRCA) sanctioned Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo. The 2015 PRS regular season ended two-thirds of the way in without its planned world finals event, which was scheduled to take place in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

. In October 2015, the Professional Roughstock Series announced on its website that it was suspending operations. It was due to the loss of financial backing and the inexperience of leadership that was its ultimate demise. From 2013 to 2015, PRS events were televised on

RFD-TV RFD-TV is an American pay television channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United St ...

PRS World Champions

Bareback Riders

*2014 Brian Bain *2013 Justin McDaniel *2012 Steven Peebles

Bull Riders

*2014 Dave Samsel *2013 McKennon Wimberly *2012 Seth Glause

Saddle Bronc Riders

*2014 J.J. Elshere *2013 Cort Scheer *2012 Jesse Wright

External links

Professional Roughstock Series

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
Rodeo organizations Rodeo in the United States Rodeo competition series Organizations based in South Dakota Sports competitions in South Dakota Organizations established in 2001 2000s establishments in South Dakota {{Rodeo-stub