Tyler Scales of Severance, Colo., rides Stardust for 82 points in August 2014 at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston.

Professional rodeo cowboys think Hermiston’s Farm-City Pro Rodeo has the best selection of bucking horses in the country, if the rodeo’s shiny new trophy is any indication.

Hermiston took home the Remuda Award at this year’s Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association awards night, held in Las Vegas on Dec. 3 before the National Finals Rodeo.

The award, according to the PRCA, recognizes the rodeo committee and stock contractor who provide the “best, most consistent pen of bucking horses” as voted on by the cowboys. The 2014 winners were the Farm-City Pro Rodeo committee and J Bar J.

Hermiston also won the Remuda Award in 2009, two years after the PRCA began giving the award to a rodeo in addition to a stock contractor.

Farm-City Pro Rodeo board member David Bothum brought the trophy along to be admired on Friday by the board of the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, which will give those feisty bucking horses a new arena in 2016.

“To me it’s just as good or better than winning rodeo of the year,” Bothum said.

He explained that the award was a mark of respect from all the cowboys in the association, who appreciate an equal chance to rack up points based on the performance of their bronc. He said Hermiston is one of the few small rodeos that gets stock from multiple contractors, meaning cowboys don’t have to worry about drawing a bad horse.

“When you have 60 to 80 bronc riders, for instance, a contractor doesn’t have that many good horses,” he said.

The 2014 Farm-City Pro Rodeo featured animals from Calgary Stampede, Korkow Rodeo, Kesler Rodeo and Mike Corey and Tom Lange.

Bothum said using multiple contractors with award-winning animals turns the rodeo into a genuine talent competition instead of one influenced by the luck of the draw.

“If you’re doing things right you’re doing what you can to make it good for the cowboy,” he said.

EOTEC board member Dan Dorran said the Farm-City Pro-Rodeo is a “world class” rodeo that has always taken great care of the cowboys.

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Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.