Purchase Of Barrel Racing Association Intends to Open The Door To Larger Events, Broader Audiences And Greater Exposure For Popular Sport
Barrel racers across the western sports industry scored a major victory today with the announcement that Better Barrel Races has been acquired by Teton Ridge, the new and rapidly growing Western culture brand founded and led by visionary business leader and Western culture enthusiast Thomas Tull.
The acquisition comes on the heels of Teton Ridge’s recent moves to bring The American under the growing brand’s umbrella. Teton Ridge aims to bring Western sports to the national stage and to share the unique experiences and values of the iconic Western culture with audiences across the country and around the world.
As an official sanctioning organization for The American, Better Barrel Races provides Teton Ridge and The American with a critical component that will help grow the annual March event, and provide ongoing continuity for the sport. Additionally, Better Barrel Races will benefit from improved capitalization, access to a broader and more deeply experienced financial and business management team, and an unprecedented opportunity for long-term growth.
The exceptional team currently managing Better Barrel Races, that to date boasts more than 150 years combined experience in the barrel racing world, will continue to work alongside the team at Teton Ridge to advise, consult and assist with the historic partnership in order to become an unrivaled powerhouse.
A sampling of the many ways competitors will see the benefits of this include expansion of the Better Barrel Races X-Tra program supporting local events across the country, expansion of the existing Better Barrel Races World Finals with significantly increased prize money, the addition of a handful of large-scale “regional finals” with divisional and futurity competitions and much more on the horizon.
“We are very excited about this opportunity, not only for Better Barrel Races, but specifically for our membership and the entire barrel racing community,” commented, Corky Barder, co-founder of Better Barrel Races. “As a part of the Teton Ridge family, we can grow our events and sport like never before, increasing barrel racing’s reach to new audiences and taking it to the next level with additional large-scale races, elevated prize money and so much more.”
In recent months, Teton Ridge has actively acquired multiple Western sports properties, as well as invested in high pedigree bloodstock for its planned equine breeding and training facility, located near Weatherford, Texas.
Integration of Better Barrel Races into Teton Ridge is expected to be immediate, so that qualifying events for The American will not be impacted- in order to give riders a chance to make the final field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 6th of 2022.
About Teton Ridge
Teton Ridge is a multi-platform brand devoted to the iconic American Western way of life and western equine sports. Teton Ridge was created with the singular focus of elevating Classic Western Sports and America’s Western Culture on the world stage, while broadening audiences around the globe as well as at home. Additionally, Teton Ridge operates a philanthropic foundation which provides invaluable funding for land stewardship; fosters community by preserving the cultural heritage of America’s western culture; and, ensures the future of ranching and riding sports. For more information about Teton Ridge, please visit tetonridge.com or @tetonridge on Instagram @tetonridgeusa on Facebook.
About Better Barrel Races
Since its inception in 2003, Better Barrel Races has paid out more than $112 million to competitors at its sanctioned events, with $10.4 million of that within the past year alone. With a membership list that embraces more than 19,000 members and 1,000 independent event producers hosting more than 1,800 races in 2020, they are a leader in the industry. In addition to the monumental number of events held throughout the year, Better Barrel Races hosts the largest and highest paying divisional world finals exclusive to barrel racing. With more than $725,000 in prize money and $75,000 in awards, the event spans four days and three competition arenas to feature more than 2,200 horses and 6,400 competitive runs. The exceptional team managing Better Barrel Races, that to date boasts more than 150 years combined experience in the barrel racing world, will continue to work alongside the team at Teton Ridge to advise, consult and assist with the historic partnership in order to become an unrivaled powerhouse.
Media Contact: MMG / tetonridgepr@mmgnv.com / 702-277-7107