International Professional Rodeo Association

Last updated
International Professional Rodeo Association
International Professional Rodeo Association logo.jpg
Sport Rodeo
Founded1957
CountriesFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Most recent
champion(s)		 Flag of the United States.svg Justin Thigpen, All-Around
Official website ipra-rodeo.com

The International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) is the second-largest American rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions rodeos in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the International Finals Rodeo (IFR), held every January. The IPRA is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [1]

Contents

History

The association was formed in 1957 as the Interstate Rodeo Association. At the end of that same year, it named its first world champions. However, world champions would not be crowned again until 1960.

In 1961, it became the first rodeo organization to recognize cowgirls' barrel racing as a world championship event in a predominantly male rodeo.

In 1964, the Interstate Rodeo Association changed its name to the International Rodeo Association. That same year, it set its headquarters in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, and created a Board of Governors, which consisted of performers, producers, fans, contestants, and contractors.

In February 1971, the association debuted the International Finals Rodeo (IFR) to determine the world champions in each rodeo event. It was the finals event for the 1970 season, and was held at the Tulsa Assembly Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it remained the home of the IFR through 1973. In 1974, the IFR relocated to Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1975, the event returned to Tulsa, where it remained through 1990. After the IFR celebrated its 20th anniversary, the association announced that they had signed a multi-year agreement with the Oklahoma City All Sports Association to hold the event in the city's Myriad Convention Center beginning in January 1991. In 1997, the IFR moved to Oklahoma City's State Fair Arena where it took place through 2002. The city's recently opened Ford Center hosted the IFR in 2003. The event then returned to the State Fair Arena in 2004, where it remained through 2019. The IFR moved to the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 2020 during its 50th year, where it remains today.

In 1983, the organization was renamed the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA).

In April 1993, the IPRA changed its Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, headquarters to Oklahoma City, adjacent to the city's historic stockyards. [2]

In 2023, the IPRA was acquired by Rodeo Logistics. [3]

Events

[4]

Organization

The IPRA has been sanctioning rodeos for over 60 years in cities of all sizes. It sanctions almost 300 rodeos throughout the country, making it the second largest organization in the sport. [5] The association is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [1]

Montana Silversmiths partners with the IPRA and provides their belt buckles and is recognized as the "Official Silversmiths of the IPRA." [6]

The IPRA is registered on Bloomberg. [7]

The IPRA announced on August 28, 2019, that the IFR would now be held at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. [8]

From 2016 through 2023, the IFR was streamed live on the now-defunct Wrangler Network application. Since 2024, it is streamed live on the NextGen Rodeo app, and since 2025, it is televised live on The Cowgirl Channel and also streamed live on the subscription-based Cowboy Channel+ app. [9]

Mis Rodeo USA

The Miss Rodeo USA pageant is held at the IFR every year. The Miss Rodeo USA Association has represented the IFR for over five decades. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport which 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 vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. Professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding, breakaway roping, and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the timed events and rough stock events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as goat tying and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronc riding</span> Rodeo event that involves riding a bucking horse

Bronc riding, either bareback bronc or saddle bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding a bucking horse that attempts to throw or buck off the rider. Originally based on the necessary buck breaking skills of a working cowboy, the event is now a highly stylized competition that utilizes horses that often are specially bred for strength, agility, and bucking ability. It is recognized by most rodeo organizations such as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian rodeo</span> Rodeo style in Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">National High School Rodeo Association</span>

The National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA), based in Denver, Colorado, was incorporated in 1961 to promote interest in rodeo sports among high school students, to provide training, and to establish venues for their performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Professional Rodeo Association</span> Womens rodeo sanctioning body

The Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Association currently has over 3,000 members from all over the contiguous United States, Canada, and Australia.

The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier championship rodeo of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money winners in the season for each event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pendleton Round-Up</span> Rodeo in Oregon, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association</span> American rodeo organization

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Gene Lyda is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He now manages the Fort Stockton Division of La Escalera Ranch, one of the largest Black Angus cattle ranches in Texas.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federación Mexicana de Rodeo</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucking horse</span> Untrained horse or a horse that habitually bucks

A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Little Britches Rodeo Association</span> Youth based rodeo organization

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Professional Rodeo Association</span> Governing body of professional rodeo in Canada

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References

  1. 1 2 Lupine, Gideon (March 25, 2016). "What Is The International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA)?". Cowboy Lifestyle Network. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "History of the IPRA | The International Professional Rodeo Association". International Professional Rodeo Association. www.ipra-rodeo.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "IPRA acquired by Rodeo Logistics". Rodeo Logistics. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "2017 World Standings" (PDF). International Professional Rodeo Association. www.ipra-rodeo.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "About the IPRA | The International Professional Rodeo Association". www.ipra-rodeo.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "IPRA | Montana Silversmiths". www.montanasilversmiths.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "International Professional Rodeo Association Inc/The: Company Profile". Bloomberg. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  8. ↑ "IFR | International Finals Rodeo". IPRA Rodeo. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ "IFR Live Stream". International Professional Rodeo Association. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Miss Rodeo USA". Miss Rodeo USA. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
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