12/16/2024
🏆🏆🏆🙌LOGAN BIRD’S ‘PESO’ SHINES AT HIS FOURTH NFR WITH THE HARRIS BROTHERS
Logan Bird’s steady buckskin gelding, Peso, continues to impress as he helps Ty and Joel Harris tackle the 2024 NFR, proving why he’s a mainstay in Las Vegas.
December 8, 2024
⎯ Hannah Wheeler
Ty and Joel Harris on Peso. 🏆🏆🏆
Logan Bird’s gelding Peso is no stranger to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, making his fourth appearance in 2024 with Ty and Joel Harris in the iconic yellow arena of the Thomas & Mack, collecting $80,415 this year alone.
With an unmatched track record of consistency, Peso has now carried five different cowboys at the NFR, solidifying his reputation as one of the most reliable tie-down roping horses in the game.
“He’s really steady in the box,” Bird said. “You can back him in there, sit forever, and no matter how he’s standing, he will leave off my hand. He’s the best-leaving horse I’ve ever had, which is why a lot of people like him for the Thomas & Mack.”
PESO’S JOURNEY TO THE NFR
Peso’s first NFR appearance in 2021 came under unusual circumstances. Another one of Bird’s horses, TJ, tragically died from an aortic aneurysm just weeks before the Finals. Shane Hanchey had ridden TJ all year and took his death hard. Despite Peso’s lack of experience at the NFR, Bird had confidence in him. That trust was rewarded when Peso helped Hanchey win Round 1 with a 7.4-second run.
Since then, Peso has been a reliable force at the NFR:
2021: Shane Hanchey and Westyn Hughes
2022: Tuf Cooper and Ty Harris
2023: Brushton Minton
2024: Ty Harris and Joel Harris
Peso has also made his mark in Canada, shining at prestigious rodeos like the Calgary Stampede and Ponoka Stampede. His consistent performance earned him Canadian Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year honors in both 2021 and 2022.
THE START OF PESO
Peso wasn’t always destined for stardom. Bird found him in 2017 in a neighboring town in Alberta, where a rancher was struggling to handle the gelding’s energy. Bird purchased him for around $8,000 USD, and it didn’t take long to see his potential.
“I couldn’t have imagined he’d become what he is today,” Bird said. “From the beginning, he was really good in the corner and eager to get after it when you dropped your hand. That was just five days into roping him.”
While Peso had plenty of run, Bird focused on refining his stop to create the well-rounded horse seen today.
Peso is sired by a Shining Spark stallion Shiners Black Cat, and on the bottom side he traces back to Doc O’Lena twice.
“I didn’t have any experience with that bloodline before I got him,” Bird said. “But now I have his 3-year-old, half-brother that looks exactly like him and a c**t out of his full sister. I’ve started collecting them now.”
THE 2024 NFR: PESO’S LATEST CHAPTER
For Ty and Joel Harris, Peso was the perfect partner for the high-pressure runs at the Thomas & Mack. Joel rode Peso to a second-place finish worth $26,624 in Round 1. After watching Peso perform, Ty decided to make the switch for Round 2 and adjusted his reins during practice before Round 3. That tweak paid off in Round 3, where Ty posted a 6.9-second run, his fastest ever at the Thomas & Mack, earning $33,687.
“This is my third-year riding Peso, and it’s my first check on him,” Ty said. “I told my brother when he decided to ride him in the first round, I said, the horse has never made a mistake. He’s never done anything wrong to mess me up. I just haven’t won on him, so I’m going to start on something else. I rode Sally the first night and then I saw how good Peso was and I was like, I’m going to give it a try. It was me in the past. He never made a mistake. He gave me a chance to win and I’m glad it finally came together.”
Both brothers agree on what makes Peso special. “He’s steady, consistent, and never gets in your way,” Ty said. “That’s exactly what you need at the Thomas & Mack.”
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