Rodeo & Western Lifestyle Come Together At The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale

The World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale (MCBHS) is where rodeo history, cowboy culture, and thrilling equine action come together. Held annually in Miles City, Montana, this four-day event is a one-of-a-kind Western experience featuring PRCA-sanctioned bronc riding, high-energy wild horse races, and the exhilarating Derby Horse Races. Whether you’re a lifelong rodeo fan or a first-time visitor, this is the must-attend cowboy event of the year!

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale 2026: Full Event Schedule

Celebrating 75 years of Rodeo, Cowboys and the Western Way of Life!

Thursday, May 14 – Kick-Off Concert

Live music kicks off the action with a party in the dirt!

Concert Line Up!

6:00 PM – Kenny Feidler – Opening Entertainer
7:00 PM – Corb Lund – Special Guest
8:30 PM – Trace Adkins – Headliner

Buy Concert Tickets here!

Friday, May 15 – Permit Challenge Rodeo, Horse Racing, Western Shopping, Live Music

PRCA Permit Challenge Rodeo showcasing up-and-coming cowboys.
Wild Horse Races, Derby Horse Racing with pari-mutuel betting is a fan-favorite adrenaline rush! Plus the Western Trade Show! Your night ends downtown with live country music at the street dance!

Saturday, May 16 – The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale, Parade, Horse Races, Shopping, Live Music

World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale celebrates 75 years– featuring the VERY best bucking stock in the country.
Derby Horse Races – Place your bets on top-tier racehorses in an electrifying competition.
Trade Show & Western Shopping – Explore a massive trade show packed with authentic Western clothing, home décor, and cowboy gear.
Dance the night away at the downtown street dance featuring live country music!

Sunday, May 17 – PRCA Xtreme Bronc Match Rodeo, Horse Racing, Trade Show Shopping

PRCA Xtreme Bronc Match Rodeo – The world’s best bronc riders face off against elite roughstock horses in a high-stakes battle!
Expect more Derby Horse Races and Wild Horse Racing, and enjoy western – cowboy shopping at the huge trade show!

Find the FULL SCHEDULE with times of events HERE.

Why You Can’t Miss the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale

Thrilling Rodeo Action & Wild Horse Races

This event isn’t just a rodeo – it’s an all-out cowboy celebration! Experience the thrill of top-level PRCA-sanctioned saddle bronc and bareback riding, wild horse races, and a true Western showdown.

Massive Trade Show Featuring Western Lifestyle & Shopping

The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale hosts one of the largest Western trade shows in the region, featuring authentic cowboy gear, Western clothing, home décor, and specialty items. Whether you’re looking for handcrafted leather goods, custom cowboy hats, or unique Western art, this trade show is a shopper’s paradise.

Non-Stop Live Music & Entertainment

From the Kick-Off Concert featuring country music stars to nightly live performances downtown, the party never stops! The event attracts some of the best country artists, keeping the Western spirit alive with live performances throughout the weekend.

Cowboy Culture & The “Cowboy Mardi Gras”

The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale is known as the “Cowboy Mardi Gras” for a reason! Between the parade, shopping, and endless Western festivities, you’ll be fully immersed in cowboy tradition and camaraderie. AND don’t forget the live country music at the street dance in downtown Miles City, Montana!

Derby Horse Races & Pari-Mutuel Wagering

Place your bets on elite race horses competing in the Derby Horse Races – a thrilling addition to the Bucking Horse Sale weekend! With pari-mutuel wagering, fans can experience the excitement of big-time horse racing right in Montana.

Plan Your Trip: Montana Bound in May!

Whether you’re a rodeo enthusiast, horse racing fan, or just love the Western way of life, the 74th Annual Miles City Bucking Horse Sale is an event you don’t want to miss.

How to Get There:

• By Air: Fly into Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) and drive 2 hours east to Miles City.
• By Car: Located along Interstate 94, Miles City is easily accessible from anywhere in the Midwest.

Where to Stay:

Book early! Hotels, Airbnbs, and campgrounds fill up fast. Check local listings for accommodations and visit Miles City Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Join the Legacy – Get Your Tickets Today!

Tickets are selling fast – secure yours now and be part of Montana’s greatest rodeo and horse racing tradition. Visit BuckingHorseSale.com for details.

Mark your calendar for May 14-17, 2026, and we’ll see you in Miles City, Montana!

Cattle Industry News

Cattle Herd Rebuilding & Drought

These are the best of times for cow-calf producers, at least on paper. The CME feeder cattle index, which tracks the price of feeder cattle at various auctions, is currently 28% higher than a year ago. Even when adjusting for inflation, current feeder cattle prices are almost 20% higher than the previous cyclical peak in 2014. 

However, the dramatic increase in cow-calf returns has not caused producers to retain more heifers for cow herd replacement. The sharp jump in returns in 2014 resulted in a 7% increase in beef cow replacement heifers to start the new year.  Last year may have been the best on record for producer returns, but replacement heifers increased just 0.4%, with the beef cow replacements up less than 1%.

The Livestock Market Information Center or LMIC expects cow-calf producer returns to be even better in 2026 and 2027. The surge in futures has caused LMIC to raise calculated returns for 2026 by 32% vs. October, while returns for 2027 are now 54% higher than estimated six months ago, at nearly $1,100/cow. There is certainly interest on the part of producers to invest in their operations, but there are several critical hurdles. The main one is drought. We do not yet have a full reading of pasture conditions, but expectations are that conditions are far worse than last year. 

According to USDA, about 45% of US cattle are now in areas experiencing severe or more intense drought. Producers with hay stocks are working through them as they wait for spring weather to green up pastures, but that is not guaranteed. Producers may have the best intentions to breed more heifers, but if feed is not there, they may opt to replace older cows rather than expand the herd.

The other challenge is uncertainty about beef demand, not today or tomorrow, but in 2027, 2028, and beyond. The economy is on solid footing, and combined with a growing consumer appetite for protein, this has helped push beef demand to the highest point in 30+ years. Consumers are fickle and tastes change. After many years of battling drought, packers, and changing consumer diets, for some producers this is a golden opportunity to cash out. 

REFERENCE: https://meatingplace.com/dlr-monthly-exclusive-herd-rebuilding-collides-with-drought-uncertainty/

Canada’s Beef Traceability Rules On Hold

Changes to Canada’s beef traceability regulations were set to take effect in spring 2026 under Part 15 of the Health of Animals Regulations, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has paused publication of the proposed amendments after significant pushback from cattle producers.

The complexity of the regulatory package has fuelled misunderstanding across the industry, and opposition has been vocal — including a petition launched Jan. 8 that has drawn nearly 30,000 signatures.

Traceability efforts began before the 2003 BSE crisis, as the disease spread across Europe and Canada prepared for its arrival. The system was built to identify where infected animals came from and where they went, so the Canadian market could reopen as quickly as possible. 

Rick Wright of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada said   without  industry being at the table from day one, we may have been slapped with something that’s closer to what Europe is than what we’ve got today.

Producers have raised concerns about several elements of the proposed changes: the requirement to use premises identification numbers to purchase identification tags, the seven-day movement reporting window and the expanded role of the Canadian Livestock Tracking system. —  particularly for those without reliable internet access.

Other concerns include government overreach, the administrative burden on producers who move and sell cattle frequently, and what many see as insufficient communication from both the CFIA and producer organizations. Some producers have said publicly they do not intend to comply.

REFERENCE: https://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/news/beef-traceability-rules-paused-producer-backlash/

Vet Shortage Challenges Livestock Producers

Access to large animal veterinary care continues to be a growing concern, as livestock producers in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado face ongoing shortages in rural veterinary services.

Much of the region has been identified as underserved through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, which designates areas lacking sufficient veterinary coverage and offers incentives to attract practitioners. These designations underscore a widespread challenge in maintaining adequate care for livestock-heavy states.

In these states, livestock operations are often spread across large geographic areas, meaning  veterinarians cover extensive territories. Even a small decline in available practitioners can have significant impacts, leading to longer response times, increased travel distances and limited availability during critical periods.

For producers, access to timely veterinary care is essential for herd health, productivity and regulatory compliance, especially during high-demand seasons such as calving.

Federal and state programs across the Northern Plains show a growing recognition of the issue, but also highlight the scale of the challenge.

Incentive-based programs in states like Nebraska aim to recruit veterinarians into rural practice, while proposed federal legislation seeks to strengthen those efforts. Wyoming’s investments, meanwhile, support the broader animal health systems that depend on veterinary capacity.

Even with these efforts, the shortage of large animal veterinarians remains a long-term concern. Sustained focus on education, recruitment and retention will be critical to ensuring livestock producers across Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado have access to the veterinary care they depend on.

REFERENCE:  https://www.thefencepost.com/news/veterinary-shortage-challenges-livestock-producers-across-the-northern-plains/

McDonald’s Big Arch

McDonald’s efforts to balance prices and value in the face of more expensive inputs and inflation-stressed consumers is leading the chain to upgrade burgers even as chicken takes up more menu space, according to CEO Chris Kempczinski.

He went viral recently in a video promoting McDonald’s newly introduced Big Arch, drawing social media ridicule for taking a dainty bite. Bosses from competing chains made videos chowing down on their own sandwiches, but the hoopla ultimately dramatically raised awareness of the new burger.

Kempczinski said in a recent video interview with the Wall Street Journal that there’s a group of consumers out there who want a really big burger that’s a half pound of beef in the Big Arch.

He went on to say as you look at what consumers were buying, and perhaps other places; fast casual restaurants or or even fine dining or full dining, there’s a desire to have sort of an elevated burger experience. And I think what we’ve done with the Big Arch, the bun, sauces that we have with it, the crispy onions, all those things. That was for us, a way to offer that more elevated burger experience.”

Kempczinski said there’s been quite a bit of cost inflation, both on the input side, so food and packaging, those costs are up pretty significantly,” Burgers and beef … has probably been one of the most hard-hit areas, and then you also had quite a bit of labor inflation that’s happened.”

McDonald’s has been steadily adding chicken items to its menu for years, in part to manage input costs. Its expansion this year of value menu items has also been chicken-centric.

REFERENCE: https://meatingplace.com/ceo-pricy-beef-moving-mcdonalds-toward-more-chicken-elevated-burgers/?utm_source=omeda&utm_medium=email&utm_cid=1103020073&utm_campaign=MTGMCD260424014&utm_date=20260424-1300

Featured Experts in the Cattle Industry

Steve Kenyon – The World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale

https://buckinghorsesale.com/

Follow On Facebook: @BuckingHorseSale

Shaye Wanner – Host of Casual Cattle Conversation
https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/
Follow on Facebook: @cattleconvos

Contact Us with Questions or Concerns

Have questions or feedback? Feel free to reach out via:

Call/Text: 707-RANCH20 or 707-726-2420

Email: RanchItUpShow@gmail.com

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YouTube: Subscribe to Ranch It Up Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RanchItUp

Catch all episodes of the Ranch It Up Podcast available on all major podcasting platforms.

Discover the Heart of Rural America with Tigger & BEC

Ranching, farming, and the Western lifestyle are at the heart of everything we do. Tigger & BEC bring you exclusive insights from the world of working ranches, cattle farming, and sustainable beef production.

Learn more about Jeff ‘Tigger’ Erhardt & Rebecca Wanner (BEC) and their mission to promote the Western way of life at Tigger and BEC.

https://tiggerandbec.com/

Industry References, Partners and Resources

For additional information on industry trends, products, and services, check out these trusted resources:

Allied Genetic Resources: https://alliedgeneticresources.com/

American Gelbvieh Association: https://gelbvieh.org/

Axiota Animal Health: https://axiota.com/multimin-campaign-landing-page/

Imogene Ingredients: https://www.imogeneingredients.com/

Jorgensen Land & Cattle: https://jorgensenfarms.com/#/?ranchchannel=view

Medora Boot: https://medoraboot.com/

RFD-TV: https://www.rfdtv.com/

Rural Radio Network: https://www.ruralradio147.com/

Superior Livestock Auctions: https://superiorlivestock.com/

Transova Genetics: https://transova.com/

Westway Feed Products: https://westwayfeed.com/

Wrangler: https://www.wrangler.com/

Wulf Cattle: https://www.wulfcattle.com/