GALLUP – The 104th Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Rodeo ended Sunday with a championship short go that blended standard rodeo competition with events that have helped give the Ceremonial its unique character for generations.
Eight traditional rodeo events shared the arena with Ceremonial favorites such as ranch bronc riding, the Pony Express Race and frybread pan throwing before the weekend concluded with the famed buffalo riding competition.
In bareback riding, siblings Cauy and Wyatt Betony of Tonalea, Arizona, battled for the championship with only a few points separating them. Cauy Betony captured the overall title with a two-head score of 159 points, earning $849 and edging his brother by 3 points. Wyatt Betony got the better of his brother in Sunday’s short go, winning the round by a single point and earning $430.
The saddle bronc competition produced another close finish. Shane Phillips edged two-time Indian National Final Rodeo champion Creighton Curley by a point in the overall standings, 154-153, to earn $669. Curley defeated Phillips by a point in Sunday’s short go, but it was not enough to overcome the two-point advantage Phillips carried into the final round.
The steer wrestling competition, listed traditionally at Ceremonial as bulldogging, featured another family battle. Crownpoint brothers Tylon and Tydon finished 1-2 overall. Tylon claimed the championship with a 13.81-second average to earn $765, while Tydon finished at 14.06 seconds and collected $574. INFR champion Matt Jodie turned in the fastest run of Sunday’s short go at 3.59 seconds to earn $382.
Zane Munoz secured the tie-down roping championship with a 39.99-second average, earning $1,110. Ty Pablo finished second at 45.11 seconds and collected $833.
In breakaway roping, Kadin Jodie continued her strong showing by taking the overall championship with a 6.60-second average to earn $1,194. Kylie Dobson finished second at 8.83 seconds to earn $989.
Lany Mirabal captured the overall barrel racing title with a two-run time of 34.74 seconds and earned $1,110. Tara Seaton took Sunday’s short go with a 17.28-second run, narrowly edging Mirabal’s 17.36.
Kelsey Phillips and Keacy Phillips swept the team roping competition, winning both the short go and overall championship with a 12.94-second average. Each rider earned $1,557.
In open bull riding, Jaiden Harrison completed a dominant weekend by covering both of his bulls for an overall score of 168 points to claim the championship and earn $928. Harrison also won Sunday’s short go with a 91-point ride. Xman Antez of Cuba, New Mexico, finished second in the round with an 88-point ride to earn $366, while Vinell Mariano of Mariano Lake, New Mexico, placed third with 87 points to earn $244.
The Ceremonial saved one of its signature competitions for last. The weekend concluded with the famed buffalo riding event, where Shaylene Ben returned to defend her title. Ben made history in 2025 as the first woman to win the Ceremonial buffalo riding competition. On Sunday, she reclaimed the title with a ride of 73 points to earn $876 and become a back-to-back champion.
From siblings battling for championships and INFR veterans competing for fractions of a second to the return of events unique to the Ceremonial, Sunday’s short go brought another chapter of rodeo competition to a close.