35-year-old Tom Chee shares bareback crown with Cauy Betony
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Cauy Betony (left) and Tom Chee (right) take a victory lap after both cowboys recorded identical 82-point rides on Saturday during the 113th Annual Northern Navajo Fair in Shiprock.
Naa’ahóóhai | 113th Annual Northern Navajo Fair
SHIPROCK
Newcomb, New Mexico cowboy Tom Chee didn’t mind sharing the bareback championship with youngster Cauy Betony during the 113th Annual Northern Navajo Fair & Rodeo on Saturday night.
The two cowboys produced identical scores of 82 points before a capacity crowd at the Shiprock Fairgrounds.
“It’s cool to win this with Cauy,” Chee said while adding that they both worked hard to get the scores they received.
The duo rode a pair of Running B5 Bucking Horses with Betony getting on Prudhoe Bay. Chee, meanwhile, saddled up Homewrecker, a horse he’s familiar with.
“It’s a little black horse and I’ve been on it three times,” the 35-year-old cowboy. “He bucked me off last year at this same rodeo, so seeing his name next to my name made me think of it being a rematch.
“He’s a small horse, but he’s electric and quick,” he added. “He bucks really good and he’s a fun horse to get on.”
To read the full article, please see the Oct. 8, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
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