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Election Ballots Have Been Emailed

Eligible voting members for 2025 should have received a digital election ballot via email Thursday morning 2/13/2025 (Reminder there will be no physical ballots).Sent from: WPRA Election Coordinator - noreply@directvote.net

Please refer to the key dates for the remainder of the election process below. Be sure to reference chapter 3 in the 2025 WPRA Rulebook for more information.

If you have additional questions, please contact Hannah Miller in the WPRA office or your Circuit Director.

WPRA 2025 Election Key Dates:

On or before Thursday, February 13, 2025 - Election ballots will be sent to eligible WPRA members electronically - Please reference rule 3.3.1. in the 2025 WPRA Rule Book.

• The 2025 WPRA election will be digital ONLY. There will be no physical ballots sent.

Thursday, March 6, 2025, by 5pm MT- Election ballots are due back to the election vendor - Please reference rule 3.3.2. in the 2025 WPRA Rule Book.

Monday, March 10, 2025, by end of day - Election ballots will be certified by the election vendor. Candidates are notified the following business day - Please reference rule 3.4.1. in the 2025 WPRA Rule Book.

Tuesday, March 11 – Thursday, March 20, 2025 - Election recount period - Please reference rule 3.4.9. in the 2025 WPRA Rule Book for a recount by candidate.

First Board Meeting to be held around March 30, 2025 (physical attendance is required in Colorado Springs, CO) - Please reference rule 3.4.2. in the 2025 WPRA Rule Book.

Circuit Resident/Non-Resident Count for 2025

The WPRA Board of Directors recently approved the resident/non-resident circuit counts for all the circuits for barrel racing and breakaway roping. Those details can be found on the WPRA website. If your goal is to compete at your circuit finals be sure you know the number of rodeos you must compete in to be qualified if you finish in the top 12 of your respective circuit standings.

Qualifying Rodeos Set for 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

With the start of the 2025 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo we wanted to make our members aware of the qualifying rodeos for the 2026 edition of this legendary rodeo in both the barrel racing and breakaway roping.

The champion contestant (winner of the barrel race and breakaway roping) from these 7 Texas Circuit PRCA Rodeos in 2025 that enter will be accepted (drop down until filled):

Mark your calendars now to take advantage of this opportunity.

Waxahachie, TX - March 28-29

Mineral Wells, TX - May 1-3

Gladewater, TX - June 5-7

Weatherford, TX - June 11-14

Cleburne, TX - June 11-14

Wichita Falls, TX - August

Denton, TX - August

*Breakaway Ropers please note: The WPRA World Finals Breakaway Roping in Waco, TX will still remain a qualifier for 4 positions into FWSSR and 2 positions into Houston, TX.

ATTENTION MEMBERS

It is important if you are flashing ineligible for any reason when you enter a rodeo to go ahead and enter the rodeo and then take care of what is making you ineligible with the WPRA Office before the books close to avoid being drawn out. However, if you never enter the rodeo you can not be added after the fact. So step 1 is enter the rodeo. Step 2 clear up ineligibility prior to books closing.

For example you might be flashing ineligible if entry fees are not paid in time. As a reminder, entry fees must be paid by 3:00 pm MT on the Tuesday following the end of the rodeo. You will be made ineligible if your entry fees are not paid by this time. You may still enter rodeos while flashing ineligible, but need to pay your entry fees by the time the books close to avoid getting drawn out of the rodeo. All fines and other amounts due on your account that are not entry fees must be paid by the 20th of the following month. 

Walk-Up Guideline Reminders

To be eligible for a walk-up:

• Must have been eligible to enter the rodeo, which includes meeting the membership dues date for the rodeo.
• Members can walk-up and replace an open position (notified turnout or release) if they simply did not enter the rodeo or were drawn out due to preferences or a parameter.
• Walk-up replacements are only available in performances not in slack, and only if it states in the WPRA’s ground rules that the walk-up replacement policy is in effect on the WPRA website.
• Please note: Walk-up replacements are not available at WPRA approved limited entry rodeos.
• To be a walk-up replacement, you are to physically check in with the rodeo secretary in the rodeo office no later than 2 hours prior to the performance by presenting your current active WPRA membership card to the rodeo secretary.
• If more people walk-up than positions are available, it will be a random draw for the open position(s) in the performance.
• Walk-up contestants must pay entry fees.
• Barrel replacements will be placed at the end of the draw and random drawn if more than one. Breakaway replacements will be placed in the open position and run in the position of the contestant that they are replacing and random drawn if more than one. 
• Members are NOT eligible to be a walk-up replacement at a rodeo if they are turning out of another rodeo on the same day. Keep in mind, a contestant can compete at a rodeo as a replacement and at another rodeo with a “same day” conflict as long as she does NOT turnout of either rodeo. If they do compete as a walk-up replacement AND are a turnout at another rodeo on the same day, they will be disqualified and fined. 

If a contestant is a walk-up replacement and is ineligible and competes at the rodeo, she will be drawn out of the rodeo, but will still be required to pay entry fees plus the major rule violation fine. 

• If she won money, she will be removed from the results and all winnings, points, and prizes will be redistributed. In addition to this redistribution, the contestant will be subject to a major rule violation per WPRA rule 9.3.21. and will receive a minimum of a $1,000 fine. 

Rule Spotlight

Members can utilize 2 releases per event per WPRA season.

Use of additional releases will result in a rule violation and member will be fined accordingly.

Refer to 10.7.1.3. in the 2025 WPRA Rulebook.

2025 WPRA Tour Schedule

The WPRA Circuit Directors have chosen the rodeos in each of their circuits that will count toward WPRA Tour Standings for 2025.

The WPRA Tour Standings are used at many approved limited entry rodeos. The WPRA strongly encourages all limited entry rodeos to include the WPRA Tour Standings as one of their qualifications. By including the WPRA Tour, it provides an opportunity for a wider range of our members to participate and possibly gain entry to a limited entry rodeo.

However, it is important to note using the WPRA Tour Standings for limited entry rodeos is encouraged but is not a requirement for any committee. Importantly use of the WPRA Tour Standings may vary from year to year. It is not guaranteed from year to year.

Rodeos selected to be part of the WPRA Tour are: Rodeos with $5,000 or less added money, 1 round or multiple rounds. Limited entry rodeos are not part of the 60 identified rodeos in the program. In the case of a rodeo with multiple rounds, points will be allocated based on the average only.

WPRA Tour Standings: The WPRA Tour standings will be point based and will count from your best 7 results (out of the 60 possible qualifying rodeos) where one competed and won money. There is not a minimum or maximum number of rodeos/events required.

Rodeo Payout Schedule

Payout Schedule

Provided the WPRA office has received all necessary results and information on time, rodeo payouts are typically processed via RodeoPay by 12:00 PM MT on Tuesday for rodeos that ended on or before the previous Sunday.

Examples:

• A rodeo held from Friday, August 15th - Sunday, August 17th, 2025, will be paid out on Tuesday, August 19th, 2025.
• A rodeo ending on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th, 2025, will be paid out Tuesday of the following week, June 3rd, 2025.

Holiday and Information Delays

• If a holiday falls on Monday or Tuesday, payouts may be delayed by one day due to bank closures.
• Payouts may also be delayed if required results or information are missing. In such cases, payouts will be processed as soon as all necessary information is received and processed.

We strive to communicate any delays via wpra.com or through email to keep members informed.

Using RodeoPay

The WPRA utilizes RodeoPay for payouts. If you do not have a RodeoPay account, a check will be issued by RodeoPay, with a $10 check fee applied. We encourage all members to set up a RodeoPay account at RodeoPay.com to avoid additional fees and expedite your payments. Members can set up their RodeoPay accounts to be automatically transferred to their bank accounts or they may use a debit card connected to their RodeoPay account. There is a Member Guide that is available at: https://wpra.com/pdfs/RodeoPay-WPRA_Members_Guide.pdf

Exceptions

Please note that exceptions to the payout schedule may apply in rare cases.

Filling Your WPRA Permit

FRIENDLY REMINDER: Members currently on your WPRA permit - once you have won $1,000 at WPRA sanctioned events you are required to call the WPRA office to either extend your WPRA permit for the rest of the rodeo season or upgrade to your rookie card for the rest of the rodeo season.

Please note that if you DO NOT extend or upgrade at the $1,000 earnings mark you will become ineligible. If you enter rodeos during this time you will be fined $100 per rodeo entered and could be subject to a draw out fee as well. To extend your permit or upgrade to a rookie card the cost is a one-time fee of $225 for that rodeo season.

You are only able to extend through the end of that particular rodeo season and will be required to purchase your rookie card at the start of the new rodeo season.

So as we get into the heart of the rodeo season pay close attention to your permit earnings so that you don't incur additional costs and fines and that you are able to compete at the rodeos you wish to enter.

Refer to rules: 1.3.5.2.4 through 1.3.5.2.9 for more information.