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Nebraska horse wins Horse of the Year Award in rodeo

Ruth Nicolaus
for The Fence Post
Cooper White, right, heads for his brother, Tucker, at the 2020 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, N.D. The horse Cooper rides is the 2020 Badlands Circuit team roping head horse of the year; the horse is owned by Andy Miller of Wellfleet, Neb.
Photo by Cowboy Images/Peggy Gander

MINOT, N.D. — A Nebraska horse has been recognized for its exceptional ability in the rodeo arena.

Razor, a 9-year-old bay roan owned by Andy Miller of Wellfleet, Neb., and ridden by Cooper White, Hershey, Neb., is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Badlands Team Roping Heel Horse of the Year.

White team-roped with his brother Tucker at the 2020 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, N.D., Oct. 9-11, where the horse was given the award.



Razor is a threat in the scoring, White said. The scoring is how fast a cowboy can ride, after he gives the steer a head start. No matter the size of the arena, Razor delivers the goods. “Any set up, scoring isn’t a problem. You can go from a little building like Minot (where the Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo was held), to the long score in Cheyenne,” for Frontier Days.

Razor is also speedy. “His next biggest threat is how fast he is,” White said. “He’s crazy fast. It makes it easier for me to not reach so much. Sometimes I can use my horsepower instead of me trying to do it all with my rope.”



White roped on him nearly all year, and Razor responded well to the travel. “He took a lot of runs,” he said. “He travels good. He’s an easy keeper.” White and his brother, Tucker, make sure Razor gets the care he needs. “We take pretty good care of him,” Cooper said. “Tucker does, too. He knows he’s the way he makes money, too.”

Miller roped on the horse for several years, but as his rodeo career slowed, he offered the horse to White to ride. White never made a practice run on Razor, never even got on him, till a rodeo in Nelson, Neb. “He felt like nothing I’d ever been on before,” he said. “He’s a lot of fun, that’s for sure.”

The brothers finished the 2020 rodeo season as the Badlands Circuit team roping year-end champions.

Other winners for the Badlands Circuit Finals horse awards include the steer wrestling and hazing horses of the year, both won by Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D.; the tie-down horse of the year, won by Trey Young, Dupree, S.D.; the team roping heel horse of the year, given to Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D., and the barrel racing horse of the year, won by Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D.

The 2020 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo was held in Minot, N.D. Oct. 9-11. The 2021 pro rodeo season started Oct. 1. ❖

— Nicolaus is a freelance writer from Blue Hill, Neb., and a Great Plains girl at heart. She can be reached at Nicolaus@gtmc.net.


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