Evan Betony repeats as bareback NNF champion, bull rider Vinell Mariano wins first title
Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
Evan Betony rides Cervi Championship Rodeo horse Pecan Pie for 87 points in the championship round of the bareback event during the final day of the 78th Annual Navajo Nation Fair Open Indian Rodeo. That ride secured Betony the average title.
Naa’ahóóhai | 78th Annual Navajo Nation Fair
WINDOW ROCK
For the second year in a row, Tonalea, Arizona, cowboy Evan Betony has left his mark at the annual Navajo Nation Fair.
Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
Vinell Mariano rides a bull named William James George from the Cervi Championship Rodeo in the short round for the 78th Annual Navajo Nation Fair Open Indian Rodeo. Mariano secured his first fair title with an 81-point ride.
On Sunday afternoon, Betony successfully defended his bareback aggregate crown as well as the final four bonus round.
“I just wanted to get my mark out,” Betony said. “You can make a great ride, but you still can get a no score because of your mark out. That’s the No. 1 thing on my list when I ride.”
In the bull riding, Church Rock, New Mexico cowboy Vinell Mariano broke through with his first fair title as he came up short in 2022 to Tuba City bull rider Justin Granger.
“It’s one of the rez rodeos that everyone wants to win,” Mariano said of coming out on top. “It feels good to win.”
To read the full article, please see the Sept. 17, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow