Red Lodge is less than 47 miles from Cody as the crow flies, while Livingston, Montana, is a little more than 107 miles. So, to hit all three in one evening, why stick to the roads?

Brody Wells made the most of the Fourth of July with a little help from a charter airplane.

The Powell saddle bronc rider, who was holding on to a top-20 spot in the PRCA rankings heading into the mind-bending sequence of rodeos over the Independence Day week known as Cowboy Christmas, started his day competing in Red Lodge.

In order to make it to the Cody Stampede in time after the mid afternoon contest in Montana, Wells and three other riders went the fastest way they could, chartering an airline. So they hightailed it to the airport, flew to Cody and were behind the chutes in time to get ready.

After they rode — Wells earned a re-ride but was bucked by an ornery bronc less than a second away from a full 8 seconds — they were scrambling back to the airport to fly back to Montana, this time to Livingston, for the finale of that rodeo starting at 8 p.m. Wells was even granted a quicker-than-usual re-ride after the horse fouled on his initial go, announcer Boyd Polhamus noting that Wells had to catch a flight and thus couldn’t wait until the end of the rodeo.

While he would have liked to have been able to stick around longer to see more of his family and friends, many of whom showed up to watch, Wells has embraced the fast-paced rodeo life. Still, he was happy to be home, even for just a bit.

“I love coming back here, seeing my family and friends,” he said. “The whole town’s here … it’s great to be here on the Fourth of July. I’d like to see my family and friends, but it is what it is.”

That he was squeezing three rodeos in to one day shouldn’t come as a surprise for the cowboy in his second year on the PRCA circuit, who’s made the most of his time in pro rodeo.

Wells said he made sure to do all of the winter rodeos, and went into the New Year on a high note, capping the New Year’s Eve Buck and Ball in Gillette with an 89 ride and nearly $5,000 in prize money.

“It started out really well,” he said. “It’s kind of slowed down a little bit but it’s picking back up.”

Over the Fourth week he was at his best July 3 in Killdeer, North Dakota, one of two rodeos he competed in that day, as he finished third in the first round with a score of 82.5 on Collect Call to bring home $2,000 and dropped slightly in the rankings to 21st in the world.

It’s a whirlwind for the high school wrestler and Cody Nite Rodeo alumni who started riding at 16, inspired by his father who had rode, and in growing up in Wapiti and then Powell.

“I grew up around here, loved doing the Nite Rodeo,” he said. “And I’ve always wanted to be a cowboy.”

It was at the rodeo grounds in Cody that he met Brett Franks, rodeo coach at Clarendon College in Texas, who changed the trajectory of Wells’ life. Franks asked Wells if he wanted to go down to the famous rodeo college in Texas, and so Wells did.

After graduation, the 2022 season was Wells’ first to put his experience and training to the test on the PRCA circuit, and he did, finishing 35th with $48,457 in earnings. 

Cody Stampede

All-around cowboy: Stetson Wright, $13,596, saddle bronc riding and bull riding.

Bareback riding: 1. Tim O’Connell, 89 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Breaking News, $9,870; 2. Keenan Hayes, 88.5, $7,567; 3. Waylon Bourgeois, 86.5, $5,593; 4. Orin Larsen, 86, $3,619; 5. (tie) Bradlee Miller and Dean Thompson, 85.5, $1,974 each; 7. (tie) Tanner Aus, Sam Petersen and Jayco Roper, 84.5, $768 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. Blake Knowles, 3.9 seconds, $8,885; 2. Aaron Vosler, 4.2, $7,840; 3. (tie) Bridger Anderson and Reed Kraeger, 4.3, $6,272 each; 5. Ty Erickson, 4.4, $5,226; 6. (tie) Stephen Culling and Olin Hannum, 4.7, $4,442 each; 8. (tie) Denver Berry, Coltin Crawford and Kyler Dick, 4.8, $2,962 each.

Team roping: 1. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 4.6 seconds, $8,310 each; 2. Ty Arnold/Kaden Profili, 4.7, $7,332; 3. (tie) Jake Clay/Kollin VonAhn and Nelson Wyatt/Chase Tryan, 4.9, $5,866 each; 5. Chad Masters/Trey Yates, 5.0, $4,888; 6. (tie) Keven Daniel/Travis Graves, Jr. Dees/Ross Ashford, Clay Smith/Coleby Payne and Garrett Tonozzi/Jace Davis, 5.1, $3,666 each; 10. (tie) Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham and Garrett Rogers/Jake Minor, 5.3, $978 each.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Sage Newman, 89 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Miss Ellie, $9,701; 2. Wyatt Casper, 88.5, $7,437; 3. Brody Cress, 87.5, $5,497; 4. Stetson Dell Wright, 86.5, $3,557; 5. Ben Andersen, 86, $2,264; 6. Shorty Garrett, 85, $1,617; 7. Leon Fountain, 84, $1,293; 8. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Tegan Smith, 83.5, $485 each.

Breakaway roping: 1. Martha Angelone, 2.0 seconds, $5,104; 2. (tie) Samantha Fulton and Bryana Lehrmann, 2.3, $3,701 each; 4. (tie) Peggy Garman, McKenna Hickson, Danielle Lowman, Shaylee Terry and Macy Young, 2.4, $1,710 each; 9. (tie) Taylor Engesser, Erin Johnson and Taya McAdow, 2.5, $893 each; 12. (tie) Sarah Angelone, Elizabeth French, Rylee A George and Alie Thiel, 2.6, $447 each.

Tie-down roping: 1. King Pickett, 7.4 seconds, $9,668; 2. Jake Pratt, 8.0, $8,531; 3. Hagen Houck, 8.1, $7,393; 4. Ty Harris, 8.5, $6,256; 5. Marty Yates, 8.6, $5,687; 6. Kincade Henry, 8.7, $5,118; 7. (tie) Tyler Boxleitner, Zack Jongbloed and Chris McCuistion, 8.8, $3,981 each; 10. (tie) Marcos Costa, Jordan Ketscher, Karson Kolacek, Riley Pruitt and Sterling Smith, 8.9, $455 each.

Barrel racing: 1. Paige Jones, 17.20 seconds, $11,759; 2. Hailey Kinsel, 17.34, $9,408; 3. Sydney Graham, 17.36, $7,644; 4. Michelle Darling, 17.47, $5,880; 5. (tie) Emily Beisel and Stevi Hillman, 17.48, $4,116 each; 7. Ivy Saebens, 17.55, $2,940; 8. (tie) Margo Crowther and Leslie Smalygo, 17.56, $2,499 each; 10. (tie) Wenda Johnson and Taycie Matthews, 17.59, $1,911 each; 12. Shelley Morgan, 17.63, $1,470; 13. Victoria Procter, 17.64, $1,176; 14. Hailey Garrison, 17.65, $882; 15. (tie) Abigail Knight and Ilyssa Riley, 17.66, $294 each.

Bull riding: 1. Stetson Dell Wright, 90 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Pokerface, $10,039; 2. Tristen Hutchings, 89, $7,697; 3. Tyler Bingham, 87.5, $5,689; 4. (tie) Roscoe Jarboe and Maverick Potter, 86, $3,012 each; 6. (tie) Bryce Burnell and Trey Kimzey, 84, $1,506 each; 8. Ruger Piva, 82.5, $1,004.