Cervi Championship Rodeo – The Circle I

Branded V60, Vitalix Womanizer holds a special place in the hearts of many cowboys and certainly the entire Cervi family. The 12-year-old paint saddle bronc gelding will be making his fifth trip to the NFR. 

“Womanizer is one that the cowboys just seem to win on. He is loved so much by our family that we even have air fresheners made in his likeness,” Binion Cervi shared about his favorite horse.

The Cervi brothers’ (Binion and Chase) experience in the field and continuing the lifestyle of their family has led to success over the years. 

Binion was quick to give all the credit to others though.

“There is no way one person, or even a few people, could do this. This production is successful because of all the people doing all the work. From flankmen, ranch managers, rodeo secretaries, timers, livestock superintendents, saddle horse bosses, office staff, arena crew, and more there are about 45 people who work full-time for our company. They are really what make the whole thing work. My job is to make sure that each one of them has everything they need to do their job effectively,” Cervi said.

The stock contracting market has become a lot more competitive since the brothers took over the family business in 2004. 

“When we took over there were about 850 rodeos being produced by about 50 contractors. Now there are on average between 650-700 rodeos being produced by 82 stock contractors. In order to be the best and compete, you have to have a solid team of people and you have to take care of them. It is easy to get burned out on the rodeo trail, so it is important to us to give the people who work for us time off and be smart about the rodeos they go to.”

Cervi takes the same approach to where they send their stock. Producing over 32 rodeos and a combined 178 rodeo performances takes planning and strategy. Horses and bulls need care and rest to perform at the top of their game. To this end, Cervi likes to keep things simple. They get time in the pasture, whole oats, alfalfa hay and Vitalix lick tubs. Letting them be animals is important in the grand scheme of success.

Nothing changes even when it comes to the NFR. Horses are fed and cared for the same while trying as much as possible to just let be. Don’t let that take on strategy fool you though; there is a lot of thought that goes into these animals. Bucking horses and bulls take time to develop and there is a very specific way to go about that to give them the best chance to succeed. Horses aren’t even bucked in the Cervi string until they are 4 years old. Their first rodeo performance doesn’t happen until they are 5 years old. When they are 6 years old, they are only allowed to go to rodeos within 500 miles of home. Year seven marks the year that they are considered veteran athletes at the top of their game. This is the year they can go to the Finals for the first time.

With all this planning, there are also up-and-comers to worry about. The ranch produces between 100-120 new horses a year, thus tasking the crew to sell about the same amount each year. The Cervi family is proud of the fact that their horses go to other contractors. Many amateur, open, and even high school rodeo contractors look to the Cervi family for stock. You will even see stock at the WNFR that Cervi raised that is now owned by other contractors. This is true of a bareback horse by the name of Gander Goose branded P49 owned by Championship Rodeo

One thing was evident while talking with Binion Cervi – gratitude. He was quick to remind that the success of this rodeo company comes because of the team of people who are behind the scenes. Each contractor who takes stock to the finals receives two vests, one coat, spurs, and tickets to the rodeo. These things are very willingly passed on from the Cervi family to committees and team members who play a part in the company’s success. Cervi knows that teamwork divides the tasks and multiplies the success. He was very clear about one thing, “Nobody does this alone. The stock is at the Finals because of incredible people behind the scenes.”