The Vigen Boys team won the Ranch Rodeo at the N.D. Winter Show on March 5. From left to right: Cole Hatzenbuehler, Bryce Vigen, Wroper Kosel, and Brent Vigen.

By Ruth Nicolaus

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A set of North Dakota ranch cowboys won the gold at the North Dakota Winter Show’s Ranch Rodeo in Valley City on March 5.

The Vigen Boys team: Brent Vigen, Bryce Vigen, Cole Hatzenbuehler and Wroper Kosel won first place in three events and finished in fifth and sixth places in two other events to have a total score of 41 points.

Teams of four were timed in each of five events: steer mugging, branding, the hide race, wild cow milking, and the trailer relay. The Vigen Boyz won first in the steer mugging, branding, and wild cow milking and finished fifth in the hide race and sixth in the trailer relay.

Horses and ranch work is what the four men, all good friends, do. Bryce and Brent buy and sell horses near Mandan. Kosel ranches near Glenham, S.D., and Hatzenbuehler ranches, too.

They had a strategy coming into the night’s competition, Brent said. “The biggest thing is to take it easy,” he said. “Don’t go at (the cattle) full bore. Settle down the situation and don’t let it get so wild.” All four men have been competing in ranch rodeos for at least a dozen years.

All four men also compete in rodeos: the Vigens, who are twins, and Kosel, as team ropers, and Hatzenbuehler as a tie-down roper. Hatzenbuehler will rope in the PRCA rodeo at the Winter Show on Saturday night.

The ranch rodeo is a good place to prepare a horse for the pro rodeo trail, Brent said. At a ranch rodeo “you can get them used to crowds and the lights and get the jitters out.”

Second place at the Ranch Rodeo went to the Okke Ranch team from Minnesota (Max Okke, Danny Anderson, Jason Langerud, and Dwight Schaff.) Third place went to the Organized Chaos team, also from Minnesota (Katie Grefsrud, Caprice Christianson, Cole Christianson and Katie Prantie.)

Unofficial results from the Ranch Rodeo follow.

The weekend features two more days of the North Dakota Winter Show. Friday, March 6 includes a presentation by ag advocate Amanda Radke (10 am), a fashion show and luncheon for the Miss North Dakota Winter Show royalty (2-4 pm) and the first performance of the PRCA rodeo (7 pm).

Saturday, March 7 activities are highlighted by the Battle of the Border High School Rodeo (9 am); the 4-H Critter Corral (held both March 6 and 7), and two performances of the PRCA rodeo (2 pm and 7 pm).

Tickets are available at the Winter Show offices. For more information, visit www.NorthDakotaWinterShow.com or call 701.845.1401.

Unofficial Results, Ranch Rodeo – March 5, 2020 –N.D. Winter Show
1. Viegn Boys: Brent Vigen, Bryce Vigen, Cole Hatzenbuehler, Wroper Kosel – Mandan, N.D.
2. Okke Ranch: Max Okke, Danny Anderson, Jason Langerud, Dwight Schaff – Minnesota
3. Organized Chaos: Katie Grefsrud, Caprice Christianson, Cole Christianson, Katie Prantie – Minnesota.
4. Fargo Livestock: Kelly Klein, Tate Prante, Klay Oland, Garrett Oland – Lamoure, N.D.
5. Cows & Coal: Derrick Kessler, KC Unrue, Josh West, Chris Palmer – Hazen, Beulah, N.D.
6. 6T Whiskey Bound: Billy Buckman, Tanner Long, Jason Bird, Bobbi Jo Manikowski – Sentinel Butte, Lisbon, Sheyenne, N.D.
7. Ransom County Cowboys: Troy Bunn, Dustin Bishop, Frank Wall, Doug Utke – Lisbon, N.D.