I am going to hit the road hard this year to teamropings and am looking for a sponsor. I am 20 yr old female, #4 Header. I rope in the #9, 10, 11, 12, and higher ropings with my high numbered heelers. I am looking to go down the road to as many USTRC's as possible and other ropings as well. I will be trying to send letters and pictures to help find sponsors.
Thank you for your time

What is in it for the sponser. I get approached all the time to "sponser" rodeo athletes, they have never really been able to explain what is in it for the sponser. Is it the advertising? What are the demographics of the people who will see the advertisment? How will it increase the sponser's business. These are questions I have asked with no firm answer, perhaps you could explain it. Thank you.

What kind of business are you in.Most don't have an answer for the one they approach as a sponsor.Fact is it is a business we are in for a profit hopefully.email me and I will tell you what we do and where we go how many we go to and what we have won on the horses we raise train and show also what they have done on a national level.We live in S.Ok.And hopefully what we can do for you.Thanks for your time.Ronny

We are all looking for sponsors. If you are interested in being a sponsor, I believe you need to find a person that is clean cut and is a good spokesman for your product. I have only asked one person to be my sponsor but in the end I didn't really get along with the tack. We stayed friends but I could not put my reputation on his product. I take pride in my horses and my roping. To me the best advertising is word of mouth. The last roping I went to there was 1700+ teams and I came back and won 9th it wasn't the win but I got more comments I believe because of the way my horses work and look. So I guess to make a long story short I think as a sponsor you get a lot of advertising because the ropers respect the people who are on top of their game and consistantly get in the short round.

As a sponsor the business get advertizing to all types of people in many different locations. People see an athlete using their products or wearing their name and they look hard to see it work under performance. Other people will also walk up to a sponsored athlete and ask how they like the product that sponsors them. For advertizing you get a person walking, driving and riding around all over the state and other states as well with your brand name, the person also talks about your products to futur customers, and when the athlete makes it to semi-finals and finals the sponsors name is seen on tv. Also there are magazines such as the Sooper Looper than features the winning teams in photos, which ads to the advertizing for the sponsor.
For the sponsorship of a business the athlete provides many different ways of advertisment, and somone out in the real world using their products to tell future customers the quality of the products.
All different types of people will see the product advertising. At fairs whole communities watch the rodeo performances, at large and small roping there are a large amount of on-lookers who vary from people who ride horses to people who dont even own a horse but enjoy watching. You get advertising in the real world for your customers to see the product working.
If you would like anything get back with me.
Thank You
Sam Hartung

Why are you bragging about winning 9th?

even better quistion, with all the bad asses going down the road without a sponser, why would a #4 header expect to get one. sponsers are for the elite

I don't understand why people have to be so negative. If not interested why even post?
This guy is was simply seeking a sponser - more power to him. Why would you feel it your place to say he is not worthy?

I wasn't bragging about 9th I was saying people respect me more because of my horses and the kind of person I am. That was just the last roping I went to so I used it as an example. If I was going to brag I would tell you what I ride, but I am a big enough person that I don't need to waste any more time talking to someone that spends their time so negetively. I'm sorry you wasted your time responding to my comment.

she is a girl dumbass, get your facts strait b4 you jump in. i was just leting them know the truth

I am a girl and I have a sponsor and I dont consider myself a "bad$$" a matter of fact I am a low number roper too, sponsors are out there, they are tuff to find but hang in there.

I work for a Corporation where the owner is a big rodeo fan. The owner has been approached and has been interested in sponsering someone. I understand if you have a horse or rodeo based product, such as tack or ropes, to "sponser" the supplies to a contestant. However, our business has nothing to do with Rodeo or Equine. The contestants are looking for is what they refer to is "down the road" money for gas and entry fees, they have told the owner this can be a "write off". I have run this by the company's CPA. His take on it is that if we supply signs for trucks or trailers, or specific clothing or horse products with our logo on it, it could be considered as advertising and tax deductable that way. As far as just giving them money for entry fees or fuel, he said it cannot be considered a contribution or advertising and therefore would not be considered a "write off". The owner keeps bugging me to figure out a way to sponser someone throught the corporation and have it be a write off. Has anyone had this experience and have any facts I could suggest to our CPA?

We all need some investment and tax help in our business.So do many of the people I know.It might be advantagious to have his name out there and since livestock and rodeo are not like main stream business and advise on where to go and what to take off and how to run the business,which investments would work well for contestants.Can make him money from fee's charged for tax,accounting and investment information.Our's is growing and we need some help.I have friends that go hard and do not have the time to do the research and where to go to find the information.I have a horse in the national standings now and may have another in a short while and we have people come through our place that need help in this area.I can tell them let me show you where to go for investment,tax and accounting information.We both win.Think about what I said.Thanks for your time Ronny

The problem isn't investment or tax help, they contestants who approach for a "sponsership" are really not interested in just advertising the business without the benefit of funds to pay for fuel and entry fees. Which I understand they want some sort of compensation for doing that. Our CPA, who is very knowledgable, says there is no way to "write off" the entry fees and money for fuel. The only suggestion he had and he said it was a strecth was to treat the contestant as a subcontractor to promote advertising which would mean sending them a 1099 at the end of the fiscal year for any money sent to them for entry fees and fuel. The contestants did not want to have to claim that money on their income tax and keep insisting there is a way to "write it off" for the corporation. I am just wondering if there are other corporate businesses that have found a way around this. As I said, it is the owner interested in sponsering, but only if there is a tax benefit for him. Otherwise he would be able to "gift" $11,000.00 to a contestant, but there would be no write off for the company and he is not interested in that.

You can take fees off and on the fuel we take milage it is better than fuel it is easier to keep track of and to prove.Entry fees are part of the business as an expense.I'm not trying to say I am right about everything but we have done that and then you take your winnings milage and feed,vet,cattle,all that as an expense and subtract from there.I don't know about if some one is sponsoring you how they would be able to work it but I bet I can find out.Like I said us sending you business could make far more in fees for him than he spends.What you can do is put them on the payroll as an employee then every thing they are payed is an expense that way might work.What would be wrong with a 1099 we get them and just work it in what most people want is a free ride and there are no free rides.Our job is to make money for all parties involved.Thanks Ronny

To "j"
I am sorry your life is so miserable and that you must be such an unhappy person that you feel the need to treat others so poorly. God Bless You.

Ronny - you are correct that the entry fees and fuel costs are dedcutable for the rodeo or roper contestant. What I think May is trying to figure out is the same thing I did when trying to sponser a PRCA contestant. This was several years ago, my accountant as well could not figure out how to make any funds given for fuel and entry fees as a tax deductable expense for MY business. It could not be considered a donation, as it was not given to a charity or non-profit organization. The accountant was also concerned about giving that amount of money and calling it advertising with no legitimate paper trail. To put someone on my payroll would mean withholding state and federal taxes and matching certain taxes (social security etc.) and assuming a certain amount of liablity for that person, I was not willing to do that I am also required to issue a w-2 at the end of the year for earnings for anyone on my payroll. To bring on a Contestant as a sub-contractor meant they would have to be performing some sort of a service for the business. My accountant, like May's could not come up with a way he could do that. It would be helpful for businesses interested to be able to have a tax deductable expense in sponsering, but I have to agree with May on this one, so far in working with my accountant I have not found it. Good luck though, perhaps if you have a tax accountant that specializes in roping and rodeos they would know a way for companies to have a legitimate tax deduction when sponsering a contestant. Remember for the sponser, the problem is if we are audited by the IRS and those expenses are found to not be a tax deductable expense, we are penalized.

to guest, thank you so much for your blessing. it really brightens my day to know that there are people out there like you that understand how dark and terrible my life is. i can only hope i will oneday overcome this darkness and be able to treat others how i know they should be treated. but as you know, that is diffucult to do in my depressed, sad, apathethic, and bitter state of mind. thank you again for your blessing

I would gladly take a 1099 at the end of the year. Sign me up. The sponsorship door swings both ways. You can't ask for it, and not have anything to offer. I for one have not been competitive for many years, but have been at home, training for myself and others. Now, I am ready to go again and would jump at the chance to have just 1 month to go "down the road" and try my luck. It is financially impossible without someone backing you with fees and fuel money. Each year for the last 5 years, I have used my barrel racing and training as a business. I am able to write off most all major and minor expenses. We depreciated our truck and horse trailer, and my "business" owns them. My memberships are considered "union dues", etc. I believe the government wants us to be more involved with our agricultural roots. I for one enjoy the fact that there are tax laws to to help eliviate the monetary strains and encourage individuals such as myself to participate in equestrian competition. Good Luck with the sponsorship quest.

It is unfortunate that so many competetors have burned their sponsers. I sponsered a PRCA contestant, he did not keep his end of the agreement. My advise is to keep in touch with the sponser, let them know where you are and how you are doing. Promote their product, if that is the agreement.

Sponsership is not about talent or how hard you want to go, it is about who you know.

I personally would like to see it be eliminated from the sport of Rodeo and everyone is on a same playing field.

Rodeo Cowboys and Ropers now say it is a "business", most of us who open a business don't get a sponser, we beg, borrow and work hard to make it work.

Sam I am sure you where just trying to find someone to help, but it looks like you opened up a can of worms. I wish you the best out there, but do it on your own show that you are good enought to get out and make it work.

Thanks for being truthful. Ya looks like I opened my mouth when I shouldnt have! Ha ha. I just wanted a little advice on talking to like rope companies and clothing companies and other products companies. I dont care really if no one wants to sponsor me with money to go down the road or pay fees. I believe that if you cant afford to go you shouldnt. And I really dont think you have to be a high number team roper to get any sponsorship. I know plenty of high numbered guys out there that cannot be consistant, thats is the key to winning more money back. ya fast is good, but not if you cant rope more than 2 or 3 in a row.
But ya....I should have just asked Grant to help me insted of asking on here....everyone has to argue about something.

Here is something I haven't ever figured why they are not in the rodeo sponsorship business. Espically with the women and girls.That is makeup and jewelery co's.There are some really good looking women and girls that go to the rodeo and run barrels as well as some rope.That is something I have thought for years would be a good place for a national sponsor.Business clothiong also a lot of them do not like and I can't say I blame them the fashion designs that are on the market.Many of the women that run barrels and rope run business as well and need a good quality designed business suit And if it was western and done right I think it would do quite well.Thats a thought for you girls work on that and see what migh get done.

if you are talkin about Mr dub Grant, he wont sponser anyway. and that just b/c he is so nice and feels bad about sayin yes to some ppl and then turning others away so he just wont and never has. as to takin sponsership away from rodeo, the guys that have the sponsers have proved thereselves to be the best in the world consistently and are veterans

I think that there is a difference between a sponser who provides money to enter and for traveling expenses and one who provides products to promote.

Companies with products to promote, such as tack, clothing and jewelry have a little more room to work by giving products to someone to promote.

Personally I think that someone who promotes a product by exclusively using it is a fine way to advertise. Cowboys and ropers looking just for money is a totally different ball game. It seems like some of them are just buying there way to the finals, while the little guy with a lot of talent, but who doesn't know anyone gets left behind because he cannot compete on the same level.

Go get them Sam -you seem to have heart, just put that talent to work !!

The way I see it is, if you make it to finals you damn sure deserve to be there. Even if you get money/help, a person HAS to have talent to make it...If anyone thinks otherwise they are sorely mistaken!!

Most sponsorships are product only. I haven't known many people with cash sponsors, it's pretty rare.

I am at a curcuit level thus far and don't even plan on getting a sponsor or even trying to get a sponsor until I at least make it to a Finale or to the Finals. To get a sponsorship before that is most likely not going to happen.

i know guys that have made the finals several times and still dont have much of a cash sponser. guys like cade swore,doug pharr and other younger guys. its the guys like trevour who basically has an all expense paid deal, almost. which he greatly deserves. he cost alot of money to keep that many rigs and horses going down the road.

There are more cash deals then you think that low numbered ropers have. Different companies have try outs. They get in contact with the people they are interested in and pay for the trip to a designated place. Not many of these companies advertise this due to the high number of people wanting them. Just rope your heart out and win, companies will contact you.

I sell one of the top brand of horse trailers that the pros buy, and I am approached almost weekly to sponsor a big living quarter trailer for someone wanting to make the NFR. Here is what I offer: I will sell you a trailer for cost and put the advertising graphics on it with our name and yours. You have to make the purchase (or trade). No freebies. Every time you send me a customer who buys a trailer, I will make a one month trailer payment for you. I know a girl who went to the NFR who is a real worker, and paid for a really nice trailer this way. I don't think she ever made a payment. This way, both sides win. If the cowboy sits on his ass or can't talk about the product enough to get someone else to want to buy one, then he doesn't deserve the sponsorship. One person a month ain't that much to ask for. It can be done, but you have to do your part too. P.S....You can't believe all the guys who have turned down this offer! They all want it for nothing.

i am thinking about buying a new trailer and would be interested in this deal. let me know more infomation. thanks