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West Valley City • Bareback rider Kaycee Feild has been competing despite a painful pelvic injury for the past three weeks.
You'd never know it.
Feild, of Payson, scored an 82 during the fourth round of the Days of '47 Rodeo on Thursday night at Maverik Center.
Tilden Hooper, of Carthage, Texas, finished first with an 85, but Feild positioned himself for a paycheck with a determined second-place effort aboard a horse named Standing Tall.
Asked about his performance, Feild smiled and said, "Pretty good. That horse was really good — a nice horse to ride."
Feild limped out of the arena, obviously feeling the effects of his injury, which he suffered July 2 at a rodeo in Canada.
"It's painful to ride," Feild said. "But I have to work through it."
That's especially true at this point of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association season.
"It's a crucial time of year," Feild said. "This is when you can make a lot of money in a short amount of time. It beats on you, but you have to get tough and get through it."
Smiling, he added, "I just have to tough it out a couple of more weeks, and then I'll give it some rest."
Feild is currently in third place in the world bareback standings with earnings of $71,342 after wins this season in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Texas, and at the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove.
He trails Will Lowe, of Canyon, Texas, by less than $6,000 and Hooper by $4,000 in an evolving three-man battle for the No. 1 ranking.
"It's too early to worry about that," Feild said. "I don't really look at the standings until it's crunch time. Then I forget about it, go home and get ready for the Finals."
Feild has almost clinched his fourth straight trip to Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in December.
"In October and November, I do a lot of physical therapy and I ride the bucking machine," he said. "I just try to get ready for the Finals because that's when you can win big bucks — and a world title."
In bull riding, Tyler Gorham, of Lebanon, Ore., won the round with an 82.
It was a big night for Gorham, who returned this week from a broken hand and wrist surgery that had sidelined him since January.
"I really needed to ride one," Gorham said. "It was good to get one ridden."
In a re-ride, Clayton Savage, of Cheyenne, Wyo., finished second in the round with an 81. But Travis Atkinson, of Lehi, Chance Smart, of Philadelphia, Miss., and Jake Wade, of Alamo, Nev., remained in a tie for the overall lead in bull riding with scores of 86.
Highlights
R Saddle-bronc rider Kurtis Koeppen, of Challis, Idaho, takes the fourth round with a score of 81 and moves into fifth place overall.
• Sammi Bessert, of Loma, Colo., wins Round 4 with a time of 14.22 seconds and grabs third place in the overall barrel-racing standings. —
Schedule
Where • Maverik Center, West Valley City
When • Nightly (except Sunday) through Monday
Time • 7 p.m. Tickets • 801-988-8800
Prices • $5 to $47 Website • Daysof47.com