Knight brings home pro rodeo championship

Charlo’s Abigail Knight left very little doubt in the rodeo arena in Great Falls, winning two rounds of barrel racing and winning herself both the overall and average championship at the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals, held Jan. 12-14.

“I have been rodeoing since I was four and did it in high school and college,” Knight said. “I’ve been competitive in every sport I’ve done, like basketball, but rodeo is different. You’re by yourself, but you also have an athlete you’re responsible for and is counting on you.”

Knight said she has always been a horse person and spent years raising them in the Mission Valley. Her 10-year-old Pistol was an excellent partner all year as Knight came into the finals with a significant cushion.

“I was lucky enough in the rodeos to create that padding and being in front of the girl in second,” Knight. “I knew I needed to be competitive and win some money just to continue the lead.”

However, Knight attacked the event instead of finishing the season by doing the rodeo equivalent of running out the clock. Knight won the first racing round with a run of 13.02 seconds, winning $2,440. She then won the second round with a quicker run of 12.91 seconds and another $2,440. The third round saw her place fourth with a time of 13.02 for $610, but she had dropped her season average times enough to win the money list and the average time.

“Going into the third round, I knew I had already clinched the year-round title. I knew if I had just a clean run, I could get the average title,” Knight said. “I ended up winning it by half a second.”

Knight won first in the barrel-racing money list by earning $9,149 this year, over $4,000 more than the second-place person.

The fairgrounds are held at The Four Seasons Arena, in ExpoPark, which Knight said is much smaller than a typical rodeo setup.

“It’s a tough pen, the pattern is crooked, and it’s very small,” she said. “But I raced it in college, and I knew how to navigate the thing.”

Typically, a standard barrel racing pattern takes 17-18 seconds, while this arena has barrel runs of 12-13 seconds.

This was Knight’s second trip to the Finals, where she placed second last year.

Pistol was born on the Knight’s ranch, and Abigail has been training and running him since he was five. The athlete has just been getting stronger and stronger.

The win now qualifies Knight for the NFR Open in Colorado Springs where the winners of the rodeo circuits come together for a national competition. Knight said she gave her horse last week off, and on Feb. 2, they are headed to Rapid City and then Bismark.

Knight wanted to thank Yvette Vega and Julia Nichols for their continued support and advice and for always being there throughout the year when she needed a co-pilot.

Ronan’s Trevar McAllister placed second in the money list for bareback riding, winning $5,184 this season in Montana. He also won the first round of the event in the Finals, scoring 86.5 points and $2,440 and finished second in the overall average with 243.5 points, which netted him $2,745.

McAllister is currently the 43rd-ranked bareback rider in the world at age 25.

A total payoff of $219,571 was expended at the Finals.