Patriot

The Patriot Fort Worth is a multi-discipline rodeo event held annually at the Will Rogers Memorial Complex, pairing open-division competition with the Hooey Junior Patriot, one of the highest-paying youth rodeo events in the country. The 2026 running spanned March 5–15 across four venues on the complex: the John Justin Arena hosted tie-down and breakaway roping, the Will Rogers Coliseum handled roughstock and barrel racing along with the Patriot finals, the Watt Arena carried pole bending and goat tying, and the Pavilion Arena covered team roping, steer wrestling, and bonus timed-event jackpots. Entry requires a current Patriot membership and Global ID, and team ropers additionally need an active USTRC or WSTR membership; online entries typically close in late February each year, with onsite late entries still accepted for a $50 late fee plus a $30 office fee. Payouts run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars across disciplines, with prior years seeing standout paydays like a $40,000 breakaway roping win and nearly $250,000 paid out in the Hooey Jr. Patriot barrel racing alone.

The event has grown into more than just a competition — it's become the second-largest high school rodeo event in the country, drawing top talent from across the U.S. and giving athletes of all ages a national stage through a qualification system that feeds into the Fort Worth finals. In 2026, the Patriot hosted its second annual College Recruitment Event presented by Boot Barn, giving college programs a chance to preview and connect with standout youth rodeo athletes, complete with 100 gift bags for participating contestants. Every run streams live and on-demand, with Roping.com carrying the roping and steer wrestling events and Ride TV covering barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, and the roughstock disciplines — giving fans a full view of what organizers describe as one of the premier western events in the country.