Crossfire Bullriding's First Ontario Stop Comes Down to One Point on Four Bulls
Crossfire Bullriding rolled into Ontario for the first time ever this past weekend as Dryden Tourism brought us the 807 Bulls and Barrels presented by Dryden GM. The second High-Paced Series event of the season saw numerous top-scoring bull rides as well as a face-off between the previous High-Paced barrel racing winner and a cowgirl looking to prove herself in her home arena. After two days of competition, the four-round bull riding was decided by one point, the barrel racing by just 0.37 seconds.
Round One started off with Davis Young (R.), a previous High-Paced Series bull riding winner, taking on RKO Calm Like a Bomb, and besting the bull for a 75 point ride. Fifth out was the number one rider in the BRC, Brodi Beasley (R.) who was matched up against RKO Chain Smoker and rode to the buzzer for 84 points, moving him into the top spot on the round. Immediately following him was Marshall Senger against RSR Stone Bender and scored just shy of the round leader at 82 points. After a couple more tough buckoffs, the number 3 man going into the event, Kaden Piper got out on LSB Jingle Bell Rock for a successful ride worth 80.5 points. As the rounds progressed, these 4 riders would set the stage for a rivalry that would reach into day 2.
Following the first round of bulls came the Dryden Home Hardware Barrel Racing, once again produced by Rocking W Barrel Racing. Earlier in the day, a qualifier was held and the top 10 moved onto the main event. Among the qualifiers were local cowgirls, a Manitoban competitor, and the previous High-Paced barrel racing winner, Kathy Johnston from Murillo, ON. After the first 4 runs, the top time was Amy Wildhaber from Dryden, ON with 15.65. Amy's time kept the lead through several more racers until Kathy ran a 15.33, taking the top spot and keeping the lead to the end of the round. Behind her was Amy in second and tied for 3rd with 15.66 was Kiya and Kirstin Fenwick, sisters from Dryden, ON.
Round Two in the bullriding saw even more success than the first. With five of the twelve outs reaching the 8-second buzzer, all of them at 85 points or more, this would prove to be the event round with the highest coverage percentage at 41.7%. First out was the round one leader, Brodi Beasley on R8B Way Back Jack, unridden up to this point in the season. The bull very nearly threw Brodi to the ground but the cowboy managed to stay on and was scored 86 points for his effort.
The next successful ride was from Marshall Senger on R8B Copper Cutlass for 85.5 points, the highest score of Marshall's season so far. Next, Westen Wade, who is looking to be among the top 20 going to the BRC finals, covered LSB War Remedy, landing a score of 85 points. Right after him, Kaden Piper matched up with LSB Batter Up and scored 87 points to take the round lead. On the bull's tenth outing of the season, Piper's score became Batter Up's high-water mark, beating Joel Fisk's 85.5 from Moosomin in July by a point and a half. The final successful ride of the night came at the hands of Davis Young, looking to improve on his 75 point score from earlier in the day. He matched with LSB Moosomin Dodge Elk, a bull that has only ever given riders 85+ point rides so far this season, and this time was no different. Davis rode to the buzzer and was awarded 88 points, the highest of the day. When the dust settled and the scores tallied, it was Brodi with the lead going into Day Two.
Day Two started with the return of the barrel racers, ready to find a champion in front of a sold out crowd. We saw some very quick times including an impressive 15.84 from Ignace, Ontario's Shannon McKay, but it was Kiya Fenwick, the seventh cowgirl into the arena that took the lead. Kiya sprinted in with a blazing 15.01 time, which would put her into first place and end up being the fastest time through the entire event. The two racers after her, Kirstin Fenwick and Amy Wildhaber, each knocked a barrel, adding +5 seconds to their time, putting them out of the running. Last on the day was Kathy Johnston who posted a 15.71 second run bringing her two-day total to 31.04, ahead of Shannon's third place time of 32.08. This meant that Kiya would walk away as the champion with a total time of 30.67 on two runs, just 0.37 seconds ahead of the previous High-Paced winner, Kathy Johnston.
As the bull riding returned, there were four riders in contention for the title, each a perfect 2-for-2 on the first day. However, round three would prove to be a much tougher challenge, posting only a 25% ride rate, and breaking the perfect streak of one of the Four. The first successful ride of the round came to the sixth outing, Kaden Piper, who covered RKO Chain Smoker for 83.5. Right after him, Brodi Beasley faced LSB Quiet Riot and scored 81 points. The next rider was another of the Perfect Four contenders, Davis Young. Davis matched against LSB Bull Dog, a bull that beat Kaden in MacGregor previously but was bested by Brodi in Waskada. Davis needed an 88.5 point ride to take the lead but was thrown to the ground before the buzzer, now making his chances of a win an uphill struggle. After a couple more buckoffs, the final of the Perfect Four was Marshall Senger who conquered LSB Batter Up, scoring 84 points, moving him to the number one spot in the event with a total of 251.5. Tied behind him were Brodi and Kaden, only half a point away from the leader at 251.0.
Before the final round of bulls, the barrels were brought back into the arena for the final $500 face-off between the top two barrel racers. First into the arena was Kathy Johnston, no stranger to the head-to-head competition in the High-Paced events. She sped towards the first barrel but unfortunately, knocked it down on the way past. She finished her run with a 15.81 with +5 seconds for the downed barrel, ending up at 20.81. Next was Kiya Fenwick who made a clean run at 15.56, the second-fastest run of the weekend, winning her the $500 cash bonus.
The final round of competition of the night was the Pick Your Poison style championship round where the top six riders would return, given the opportunity to choose their opponent, starting with the event leader, Marshall Senger. The first two riders out the chute were Mason Hamilton and Westen Wade. During Westen's ride, he took a bad hit and had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher and was driven to the hospital. Luckily, the injury wasn't too serious and he was released from hospital later that night. After Westen, Davis Young, looking for a round win, took on one of the highest rated bulls in the pen, RKO Razors Edge. The bull scored 44 points for his effort, matching the 44 bull score posted by Moosomin Dodge Elk during Davis's ride the night before, but this time Davis was not able to last the 8 seconds, ending his weekend on the ground before the buzzer. Kaden Piper was next and he selected an old friend in LSB Scooby Snacks, a bull that he had covered in MacGregor and Waskada earlier this season, and being the only rider this year to ride him at all, was looking to repeat his success. Not only did Kaden make the 8, he was also scored the highest the pair had posted so far, at 88 points, thanks in part to Scooby Snacks' bull score of 44 points. This would move Kaden into first place with still two riders yet to go.
Following him was Brodi Beasley who hand-picked LSB Moosomin Dodge Elk to give him a chance at the number one spot. Elk didn't let Brodi down, being the third bull in a row to post the event-high bull score of 44. Brodi was able to match him jump-for-jump, bringing the overall ride score to 89 points, moving him past Kaden into first place. The final rider of the night was Marshall Senger who had first choice and selected a bull that Davis Young had ridden to win the previous High-Paced Series event in Grunthal, LSB Sons of Junkie. However, Marshall was not able to outlast the bull and hit the ground, ending his perfect run.
In the end, the number one BRC cowboy, Brodi Beasley, took the event win with a perfect 4-for-4, and total score of 340. Right behind him by only one single point, was Kaden Piper's perfect run culminating in 339 points on his four bulls. This placing would award Kaden $3,672 and 1,060 BRC points, moving him past Hayden Mulvey into second place in the standings. Brodi's win awarded him 1,120 BRC points, $4,216, and another Crossfire Bullriding trophy to add to his collection.
It was a very tight margin to decide the winners in both the bull riding and the barrel racing, adding to the overall excitement of the entire event. With a full house on both days, and nine of the ten qualified barrel racers coming from Ontario, the province really showed up to Crossfire Bullriding's first trip East. The Crossfire season concludes in Eriksdale for the Boneyard General Repair Boyz & Bullz presented by Westrans, October 2, 2026.
Photos by Carey Lee
