Leanna Lehman
Current and former home to a number of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifiers and world champions, our small Northern Nevada town has seen more than its fair share of professional and retired rodeo athletes.
It should be no surprise that Fallon is bringing up a new generation of cowboys and cowgirls. These incredibly talented cowboy kids have been taking lessons from those who came before but are also carving their own path forward in rodeo, despite the pressures of the digital age and a world less familiar with the traditions of the West.
One such young cowboy is Rostin Snow. At 13, Rostin has already competed in the Yeti Junior National Finals Rodeo bull riding in Las Vegas three times, twice ranking in the top three, second place in 2024, and third place in Dec. 2025. Not bad for an up-and-coming youth bull rider from rural Nevada.
Son of Justin and Adrienne Snow, and grandson of Gary and Billie Jo Snow, Rostin does not just rodeo. He has helped on the Snow family cattle and sheep ranch since he was old enough to pull on his own boots. Even though he will continue helping on the ranch, he has set his long-range sights on the grown-up NFR, which is the world finals event for the top rodeo athletes in their events.
In Rostin’s current age bracket, competitors ride mini bulls, which are bred to be much smaller and less aggressive than bulls used in high school, college, amateur, and pro circuits. In the 2025 Nevada High School Rodeo Finals, Junior Division, Rostin ended the 2024-2025 season with second place in the bull riding. At the 2025 Great Basin Bull Sale ranch rough stock junior performance, Rostin gave the audience a winning ride, taking first place. At the last three New Year’s Eve Top Gun Invitational Xtreme Bull Riding, Rostin was part of the junior bull riding performance, hitting the arena alongside top-notch professional bull riders like T.J. Gray, Scott Wells, Wade Tuni, and Colten Fritzen.
Dad, Justin Snow, says Rostin has been riding since he was six, beginning with mutton busting, the gateway event for would-be rough stock riders where little cowboys and cowgirls try their hand at riding a wild and woolly sheep. Rostin then went on to ride calves, steers, and now mini bulls.
On Saturday, Dec. 27, Snows held a regular practice session for Rostin and a few of his bull riding buddies, Beau Drake, a sophomore, Zachary Greenberg, 14, and Keston Moore, the youngest of the posse at age 10.
Justin, who believes practice is paramount, took a trip to purchase a few practice bulls. However, he ended up with 20 head, five of which Rostin now owns, with money earned from buying and selling his own cows. “If we don't start doing this... we aren’t going to have any bull riders left,” said Justin. “Kids have nowhere to practice,” speaking of Nevada youth rough stock riders. Weather permitting, they practice 2-3 times a week.
Fortunately for Fallon, at least three practice pens are available so that young bull riders are not trying to compete without instruction and safety knowledge.
Danger is part of the sport, as every rough stock rider knows. Being unprepared or unpracticed can have devastating consequences. With dads and friends in the small arena to help bullfight, help is only a few steps away if a rider is in trouble. The more these young athletes practice, the safer and more confident they are when competing.
For the third year, Rostin attended the bull riding clinic hosted by Chad Denton of Busted Up Productions, producer of the Roughy New Year’s Top Gun Invitational Bull Riding at Rafter 3C. Justin and Rostin brought their mini bulls for practice on Monday, Dec. 29, after the fundamentals class on Sunday. Rostin, along with several others, learned valuable skills and tactics under the direction of professional bull riders and coaches, taking them beyond what they can learn in the practice pen at the ranch.
According to Justin, the 2024 Top Gun clinic was a huge success. “It was good. We have a ton of kids. We bucked them for like five and a half hours one day.” In addition to this year’s clinic, Rostin and Beau had an opportunity to showcase their skills during Top Gun Bull Riding, a crowd-pleasing junior performance held before the final go-round.
Rostin is also trying his hand at bareback and saddle bronc riding. As well as ranking second place in bulls for the Nevada Junior High School Rodeo Association 2024-2025 season, he ranked second in the bareback riding. For now, however, his favorite is bulls.
When asked why he loved bull riding, he said, “I just like going to all the rodeos and having fun with all my friends. I just have fun getting to get on them. It's fun covering them. That's the best part.”
Fun aside, Rostin still takes his sport seriously. After all, going to the Yeti Jr. NFR is no small feat, not to mention earning spots in the top three world standings two years running.
“The Jr. NFR bulls were a little harder this year,” said Rostin. “This year I got my first bull road. I bucked off my second and rode my third, and still ended up third.” While he plans to go be a professional bull rider, he said he does intend to ride in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) association. “I just want to go to the NFR.” And, if the last few years are any indication, Rostin is well on his way to making that a reality.
Qualifying for the Jr. NFR means traveling – usually over seven hours, explained Justin. Nevada is part of the Rocky Mountain Region, which also includes Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. However, some events are direct qualifiers, which means that placing at the event means a slot at the NFR. According to Justin, Rostin may switch divisions next year to Arizona and the southwestern states and gain more opportunities to compete.
As any bull or rough stock rider can tell you, there have been a few wrecks along the way. “This year I broke my collarbone at the rodeo at Winnemucca,” Rostin said, “And my toe two years ago at the Jr. NFR.” Despite these, Rostin feels like he is improving. “I've been able to ride better bulls and cover them more,” he says.
When he is not riding bulls or helping at the ranch, Rostin is learning to team rope and playing basketball at Oasis Academy.
Up next for Rostin, Beau, and Zach is a training clinic in Utah. Not only will they get more bull riding practice and instruction, but they will also earn a slot at the PBR Event in Reno, on Feb. 20-21, when these junior bull riders will hit the arena next to another roster of top professional bull riders in the world's largest bull riding organization. Photos below: Junior World Finals Qualifier, Rostin Snow, courtesy of Josh Cado, 52 Photography Inc. and Rostin after a quick dismount in the practice pen. Photo by Leanna Lehman.
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