DENVER — Months of training and preparation culminated in the National Western Stock Show’s stadium arena on Sunday morning as Hudson resident Cappy Pruett and his teammate, 6-year-old border collie Nell, took the floor for the stock dog competition.
“It's exciting. It's a lot of fun. I've been competing here since 1994. So it's a blast,” said Pruett.
This year’s National Western Stock Show was one of the top ten most attended, according to NWSS president Paul Andrews.
“I think it's the history and the tradition of the National Western Stock Show that keeps people coming back for generations,” said Andrews.
NWSS organizers expected a lull in attendance during Colorado’s cold snap in mid-January, but the numbers proved that wrong.
“Every rodeo during that cold snap of zero degrees to -10 was completely sold out. I would venture to say that nowhere else in America when the cold hits that hard, there is going to be a sold-out rodeo across six in a row,” said Andrews.
Growth is on the heels of this year’s success, with the ongoing construction of a new livestock center and the Legacy Building.
“Just one more show in these kind of old areas of the buildings and then most of our buildings will be renovated by [2026],” said Andrews.
The changes are expected to make this longtime Colorado tradition even more cherished by newcomers and long-timers alike.
“Hopefully it'll just keep growing and getting bigger,” said Pruett.
