Posted by ARLINGTON , TEXAS — Brothers-in-law Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins were crowned the 2022 The American Rodeo team roping champions with their final 3.69-second run in AT&T Stadium. This accomplishment comes just a few months after the duo broke a 27-year-old record at the 2021 WNFR with their aggregate time of 54.7 seconds on 10 head.
With many of their friends and family watching from the stands in Arlington, Texas—including Hawkins’ newborn daughter, Anne—the team earned a $100,000 paycheck. They were the only pair to stop the clock in the final round, competing alongside the other teams of Clay Smith and Jake Corkill, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Noguiera, and Cody Snow and Wesley Thorpe.
Also integral to the keen eye, accuracy, and speed of the winning team was the horsepower. Ward rides a tall gelding Cole E Man “Biscuit”, a former racehorse, who stands several hands higher than Hawkins’ compact gelding named X. But both horses are a matched set when it comes to doing their job and were finished by their riders in the team roping. The Ward/Hawkins team is currently sitting seventh in the PRCA world standings with $20,090.
About the Author
Lillian Landreth is a freelance writer and editor. She particularly enjoys writing about rodeo and the extraordinary people and animals who make the lifestyle fascinating. The author of more than 1,000 stories, her writing has appeared in the Rodeo News; The Ketchpen, published by the Rodeo Historical Society and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum; and local newspapers. She is also working on her first novel. When she’s not writing, Lily enjoys riding with the Snake River Stampeders night light drill team, coaching the EhCapa Bareback Riders, a PRCA specialty act, and teaching horseback riding lessons. She makes her home in Southwest Idaho with her entrepreneurial husband, their dog, horse, and cows.
Congratulations to you both. Wishing y’all well next year to. May God bless y’all and your horses with great health. Keep turnin and burnin ! PGC