Xtreme Bronc Rodeo brings New Years Eve excitement to Winnemucca

For the first time in over a decade a professional rodeo is making its way to Winnemucca, just in time to help everyone ring in the New Year. 

King Pro Rodeo Company (KPRC) is bringing the Winnemucca Xtreme Bronc Rodeo to town on Dec. 31, starting at 8 p.m. at the Winnemucca Events Complex/Humboldt County Fairgrounds. 

According to Mitch Pollock, spokesperson for the event and a professional saddle Bronc rider himself, 30 of the top bronc riders in the world will be attending the rodeo and competing for a $20,000 cash prize.

“There’s going to be some really talented bronc riders here and we’re excited to have them and really show the northern part of the state that Winnemucca is a cowboy town,” said Pollock. 

Tickets are available for pre-sale online through links on both the KPRC social media pages and Pollock’s social media pages for $30 each (kids ages 12 and under are free). A limited number of tickets will also be available at the gates on the night of the rodeo, which open at 6 p.m. and close at midnight.

There will also be live music and a bar, with many opportunities to interact with the ridders and get a few autographs. 

“If you love agriculture, if you love the western lifestyle and you love buckin’ horses and music, this is the place to be on New Years,” said Pollock.  

Pollock, who was a saddle bronc competitor at the 2019 National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and is a Winnemucca native, currently resides in Twin Falls, ID, with his wife, Jordan Pollock, where they host their own event, the Backyard Bronc Bash, with collaboration with Gene King of the KPRC, who also supplies horses for Winnemucca’s Ranch Hand Rodeo in March. The idea to host a professional rodeo in Winnemucca was born from the partnership. 

 “I’m really excited to finally ride in front of my family—my support system—and it’s always good to come back home,” said Pollock. 

Pollock started riding bucking horses at the age of 21 after a career as a student athlete throughout his years at Lowry High School and playing baseball on a college scholarship in Oregon and Idaho.

“I always wanted to try riding bucking horses and once I did it just came natural to me. At that point I realized this is what I’m supposed to do for my career,” explained Pollock.

Pollock credits his family, the friends he grew up with, and their parents as a major factor in his accomplishments and capacity for hard work. 

“We had such a great group of kids and parents teaching us life lessons and I think that’s why I was so successful and am still successful in rodeo…Winnemucca is just genuinely a fantastic place to raise a family,” he explained. 

Pollock has not made it back to the NFR since 2019, but still has aspirations of making it back to the Las Vegas arena soon. He explained that he has been finishing within the top 30 saddle bronc riders in the world and sees himself making a lot of progress in the next year. 

“I still have a lot to learn but I feel like I’m just getting into my prime… I plan on making big jumps in 2023,” said Pollock. 

Pollock’s busy career in rodeo keeps him away from his home in Idaho for the majority of the year, but having the support of his wife and family and his hard-working mentality has played a big part in his fortitude for success. 

“However hard you work, that’s what you’re going to get out of it…There’s no other lifestyle that could match up to this one,” said Pollock.