The youngest of the Peebles clan has been showing some hints of what's to come in 2018, C5 has a rockstar in their herd who just won't let up, records fell like flies in Logandale, Nevada, and talk of J.B. Mauney retiring after a tough injury has only added fuel to his fire. 

Is This David Peebles' Big Year?

I’ve been keeping an eye on David Peebles ever since we interviewed both him and his big brother Steven before The American this winter. The youngest Peebles of the family has been having a strong year in 2018, qualifying for the finals of The American back in February and wracking up $13,246.91 in the PRCA standings after his win at the Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo in California this past weekend. 

Peebles was 88 points on C5 Rodeo’s "Virgil," adding $1,974 to the standings and breaking the arena record at Oakdale for the bareback riding. 

And who held the previous record? According to the PRCA’s “For The Record” report, it was none other than big brother Steven with 87.5 points just last year. 

David (left) and Steven (right) Peebles at the Pendleton Round-Up. Photo courtesy of Steven Peebles. 

The younger Peebles currently sits at No. 24 in the PRCA standings; the highest he has finished was 20th in 2016, but if his name keeps popping up on the leaderboard, the cowboy from Redmond, Oregon, who just turned 24 last week has the chance to finish inside the coveted top 15 this year. 

If he does qualify, we know he’ll receive a wealth of knowledge from the elder Peebles, who has seven WNFR qualifications and a 2015 world title under his belt. 

J.B. Mauney: ‘I Will Decide When I’m Done'

You hear those first few notes of George Thorogood’s “Bad To The Bone” and you know exactly who is in the chute. He’s arguably the world’s most famous bull rider, and as J.B. Mauney continues to add to his legend each year, it's getting harder to argue. 

But after Mauney fractured his T1 and T2 vertebrae at the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, some fans are starting to whisper the word “retirement” in connection with their favorite bull rider. After all, the scene was pretty violent—PBR’s Justin Felisko wrote that Pearl Harbor bucked Mauney off and “folded him like a launch chair".

Maybe fans are worried, perhaps wondering what's left of Mauney’s legendary career that includes two world titles and being named the richest athlete in western sport’s history at over $7.2 million.

Either way, Mauney isn’t hearing any talk of retiring.

“People that never have ridden bulls for a living trying to tell you when to hang it up is what gets me,” Mauney told Felisko. “People that don’t have a clue and don’t understand. They say, ‘You are hurt and beat-up,’ and they want to bring my daughter into it. People don’t realize this is how I make my living.”

The injury should take six weeks to recover on its own, then the competition better watch out for a fired-up Mauney.

“I will decide when I am done. I still feel like in my head I can ride them. As long as I think that, I will still show up.”

Could C5 Rodeo’s ‘Virgil’ Win Bareback Horse Of The Year Two Years In a Row?

Bareback riders looking down the stock list celebrate when they see the F13 brand next to their name. After placing second in 2016, C5 Rodeo’s "F13 Virgil" won the PRCA’s bareback horse of the year award in 2017 and is continuing his winning ways right into 2018. 

If the stellar performances continue, Virgil may just win back-to-back horse of the year titles. The horse had his first PRCA outing last weekend; David Peebles was 88 points on the 10-year-old to win the Oakdale Saddle Club Rodeo by 4.5 points. 

Virgil’s most notable accomplishment this season, though, came in February at The American when he helped Kaycee Feild win a check for $433,333. During the press conference after his big win, Feild said he knew he had the horse to win it on as soon as he saw the draw. 

One Breaks It, And Two More Steer Wrestlers Tie The Record At Logandale

The three-head average wrestling record at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada, has held at 14.3 seconds for over 10 years. According to the PRCA, Bray Armes raised the bar back in 2003, but now 2018 has seen a new record with the event’s steer wrestling champion Aaron Vosler clocking in at 12.5 seconds on three runs.

The single-run steer wrestling record for Logandale sits at 3.4 seconds—first set by Brad Larue and Jason Frost in 1998 and then matched by Kyle Callaway in 2012. This year, two more steer wrestlers are adding their name to that list: Chase Black was 3.4 seconds in the second round and Bridger Chambers won the final round with the same time. 

Records seemed to be falling like flies this year at Logandale, with other new record holders including Tilden Hooper, 177 points on two head in the bareback riding and Andrew Ward and Reagan Ward, 15.1 seconds on three head in the team roping.

New records were handed out along with $251,100 in payout. Here’s a look at the winners of each round and the average:

Results courtesy of the PRCA.