We would like to offer facts, clarification, and important information regarding the cancellation of Saturday and Sunday’s rodeo.

Why Saturday PRCA rodeo was cancelled: It is no question that the rain on Saturday was unfortunate. TMRA announced we will have a rodeo rain or shine, and our fans showed up for us. Near the start time of the rodeo, a measure was taken to remove excess water from the arena. A ravine was dug near the entry gate in the arena to let the water drain out. The Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) is the governing body that sanctions our Mountain Festival Rodeo. PRCA judges were on site and deemed this measure taken to be unsafe for the livestock and contestants. Ultimately, safety is first. TMRA was not given the option to delay the rodeo to repair or fix the issue. So, the rodeo was cancelled by PRCA.

Why the Sunday Rodeo was cancelled: The City of Tehachapi made the decision to cancel all events on Sunday 8/20 due to safety concerns with the weather. Although we planned to have this rodeo rain or shine, the decision was not ours. 

Tickets/Refunds: TMRA will be holding a Rain-Check rodeo on Saturday, October 14th 2023. This will give the option to attend the Apple Festival rides (held at the rodeo grounds this year!) and walk over to watch the rodeo. We plan to put our hearts into this rodeo and make it the best time for everyone as a thank you to our wonderful fans. If you had purchased tickets for our Saturday PRCA Rodeo, your ticket stub or online ticket purchase receipt will get you into this rodeo free of charge. 

Parking: The parking fees paid on Saturday ultimately do not go to TMRA, they are a donation to a local organization. To make up for this, we will not be charging for parking on our October 14 Rain-Check Rodeo, and covering the donation to that organization on that day. 

Important Information to Understand

1. All of our acts, cowboys, and contestants were all still paid just as they would have been if the rodeo wasn’t cancelled. 

2. TMRA is a 501c3 non-profit association and donates as much money as possible back to the community every year (over $30,000 last year) Long story short, we’re running on limited funds, and cancelling a rodeo that was already funded by TMRA certainly did not help.

We could never express our gratitude to our fans, supporters, and sponsors. Most of the community outreach we have received has been incredibly supportive and kind. We would not, and could not have this rodeo without you all. 

Very Sincerely,

Tehachapi Mountain Rodeo Association