SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway and CN Productions Rising Stars events, announced on Thursday that both competitions have been rescheduled “in response to the current Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak impacting horse communities.”
The event, originally scheduled for November 27–29 at WestWorld of Scottsdale, has been rescheduled to December 15–21. Organizers tell ABC15 they are monitoring the situation and may postpone it until spring, if necessary.
“We understand the anticipation surrounding these events and share in the disappointment of our competitors and fans,” event organizers announced. “However, protecting the well-being of our equine partners comes first. We remain committed to delivering exceptional events once it is responsible to do so.”
Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway
This major Valley event promises fun and excitement as top female ropers compete for a million dollars.
“So, this is only a breakaway roping event,” said Amanda Kimes, Vice President of Kimes Ranch. “These women rope their calf in two seconds flat or less. It's so fast they are, and they're on their beautiful horse, they're in a box, that calf comes through the chute and they throw- they swing maybe two times- they catch the calf around the neck. It's called breakaway roping. That horse then stops. The rope breaks free, and that's when the timer stops. So, the calf keeps running, the horse stops. It's literally, how fast can you rope that calf and get it out of there. It's like 1.7 to two seconds. It's incredibly fast. It's very high-paced. It's super adrenaline-filled. It's amazing."
In total, 25 women are competing for a prize pool of $1 million. This is the second annual Kimes Ranch Million Dollar Breakaway held at WestWorld of Scottsdale.
“This is the largest payout for female breakaway ropers in the world. It's the only one of its kind,” said Kimes. “These women qualify in two ways. One, there's a qualifier that happened in October, and then there's a qualifier that takes place here […] we take the top 25 girls- 26 there's a second kind of qualifier deal in there- [and] the top 10 in the whole world from the PRCA, which is the main rodeo standings, are invited to come participate, which, of course, for this payout, they all come. And then we take the top 15 from our qualifiers.”
The Million Dollar Breakaway features 10 go-rounds held over three nights, culminating in a final performance in which the top 15 finalists are determined by their earnings and rankings from earlier rounds.
