Protecting those who protect us
in and out of the arena.
Bull Fighting and Cowboy Protection
What is Bullfighting and Cowboy Protection
American Freestyle Bullfighting – “A bullfighter goes one and one with a Mexican fighting bull. This is to show the skills and abilities of the bullfighter to get around the bull without getting hit or only barely touched.”
Cowboy Protection Bullfighting- “A team event where there are two to three bullfighters protecting a bull rider once he comes off the bull.”
Barrel Man – The person in the arena who mans a barrel. The barrel is used to distract the bull that in turn enables the bull rider to get to safety.
Definition of Warriors and Rodeo Protection Team:
“In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Psalm 91
As a military veteran – why do you fight bulls? “Fighting bulls helps me deal with PTSD, depression, and anxiety without having to go through medication.”
“Bullfighting and being in the military go hand in hand. You are putting your life on the line for someone you don’t know. But, you most likely will become family when it’s said and done.” – R. Valenzuela
A Warriors and Rodeo Bullfighter and Barrelman – men or women who enter the arena with the intent to protect all others who enter. No matter who they are, their attitude, their religious beliefs, their political beliefs, their skill level – our team protects them in and out of the arena. Military, Law Enforcement, EMS, and Firefighters all protect our nation, its citizens, and people around the world. They choose to protect, they voluntarily put their life on the line so we can have one and have a life knowing the joys of freedom. This selfless and sacrificial doesn’t end on the battlefield but bleeds into every aspect of life, including the arena.
W.A.R. 2022 Protection Team
2022 Projects
W.A.R. Protection Team at the 2022 PAFRA Championship Event
W.A.R. is honored to provide the bullfighters for the 2022 PAFRA Championship event held in October in Kansas. This all Army cowboy protection team has the crucial mission of protecting active duty and veteran military members who compete in the bull riding competition. Protecting brothers and sisters in arms is an incredible and important mission that our protection team takes seriously. W.A.R. will also have a booth to provide information on suicide prevention. This event has a projected cost of $6500. This is our way to provide incredible protection to our military bull riders and also thank our bullfighters for their service to this great country.
Team Members Attending PAFRA: Reynaldo Valenzuela, Colt Steggel, and Ross Miller with their W.A.R. Support Team of Khris & Stephany Harrington. Click on each name for a full bio (under construction)
Partner with us by donating today! Paypal (click here) – or a check mailed to Warriors and Rodeo 327 CR 114A, Noble, MO 65715.
If you would like to designate your donation for travel, room, booth, gear, clinic, etc, please add a note with your donation and 100% will be used for that portion of this great endeavor.
“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Click here for 2021 W.A.R. PAFRA event page.
Bullfighting Clinic Sept 2022 NE Texas
Bullfighting Clinic June NE Oklahoma
W.A.R. is partnering with Veteran Owned Arena and Event Production Facilities in NE Texas. More info on the Oklahoma clinic coming soon also.
Operation Armor – protecting those who protect us
Our men and women in the military, law enforcement, EMS, and firefighters wear protective gear in their jobs. While performing these jobs, they put their life on the line for our safety and freedom. W.A.R. raises money to purchase rodeo protective gear and gives it to our members as a thank you for their sacrifices and service. W.A.R. also partners with numerous companies to provide discounts for products and gear. We call these companies our Patriotic Partners. Donate today to provide a bullfighting vest to someone in the military or first responder. Use the link above to donate!
Meet our Team
Reynaldo Valenzuela – click here for profile
Reynaldo Valenzuela was born in Roswell, NM, and raised by his grandparents. He graduated in 2001 and joined the military in November of that year. He was sent to basic training at Ft. Benning, GA. After graduating from infantry school, he was stationed at Ft. Hood, TX in the BCO 1/9 CAV. His unit was deployed in Nov. of 2003 to Kaldia, Iraq where he was attached to the Big Red One. During his time in Iraq, he was also attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Marines. In 2005, he was honorably discharged from the military. He began to rodeo and ride bulls. In 2008 he was recalled into the 28th ID. He deployed with the HHC 2/12th Recon Unit. He was then discharged in 2009 as a Sergeant. Valenzuela continued to rodeo and ride bulls and in 2014 transitioned to bullfighting which, “fell in love with it”. In 2015, the VA diagnosed him with multiple conditions including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and emphysema. Valenzuela states that bullfighting is a huge help in dealing with all the after-effects of combat. He states it is “a huge release for me. I wish I would have started a long time ago!” Valenzia has been a part of our organization for many years and we are proud to have him a part of our team.
Thank you JB Pipe LLC for your donation! We appreciate your generosity to those who serve our great country. https://www.facebook.com/JBPipeLLC https://jbpipe.net/
Ross Miller
Ross Miller was born in O’Neill Nebraska. He Graduated in 2011 from Chambers NE and joined the military in 2013. He was sent to basic training at Fort Benning GA. After he attended AOC in Fort Jackson, Airborne School In Fort Benning, then AIT in Fort Lee VA. He was an aerial delivery specialist for four years. In 2016, he reclassed to a Medic and went to school in Camp Shelby MS. He was honorably discharged in 2019. He rode saddle broncs from 2012-2016. He attended the 2014 PAFRA Finals in Midland Texas where he was the rookie of the year. He was the Rocky Mountain Circuit Champion bronc rider in 2015. He started fighting bulls in 2017 and immediately knew that is what he should be doing.
Thank you Full Bore for donating jerseys for our military bullfighting team! We appreciate you partnering with Warriors and Rodeo to honor those who serve. http://livefullbore.com/ https://www.facebook.com/livefullbore
Colt Steggell
Colt Steggell was born in Bountiful, Utah. He lived on a cattle ranch in Duchesne, Utah for a long part of his childhood. He was raised riding sheep, steers and bulls. Also grew up hunting, fishing, and pushing cattle across the Wasatch and Uintah mountain ranges. Colt started bullfighting in 2017, “when my buddy and I went traveling for a rodeo and he got killed because the bullfighters didn’t do their job. So I started to do what I could to make sure that never happened again.” Colt played division one football for the University of Utah for a year before he joined the Army in 2017. He went through SWC for over a year at Fort Bragg, before being sent to JBER in Alaska. Colt is Airborne Infantry and has jumped in the Arctic Circle at -90 degrees Fahrenheit, survived, and trained up there for two weeks with temperatures around -60 during the day. He’s done that jump and training twice every year since 2019. Colt is currently serving in JBER Alaska with D-CO, 3-509 IN (AIRBORNE).
Note from the President concerning the October PAFRA Championship Bullfighting Team. 2021.
I am so excited about this great project for our organization. WAR has partnered with PAFRA numerous times in the past and with great success. Their event is a unique opportunity for military, active and veteran, and their families, to come together to not only compete at the rodeo but also to be there for their brothers and sister in arms. In WAR’s extensive experience and 100% success rate with suicide prevention, we have found events, where our members can get together, is critical for mental and physical well-being. It’s the bonds made at events that then translate into the late-night calls when someone may be in a very dark place and only wants to talk to someone they know, that isn’t in their regular circles, and who can understand because they have served also. Not only do events like this help with suicide prevention, but by attending we are looking PTSD, loneliness, depression square in the crosshairs and finding ourselves overcomers if only for a weekend but sometimes the battle is won while in the protective environment of those who understand and will always have their six. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. It works.
This event is exciting for us, not only for the reasons above but also for the fact that one of our mottos is “we protect those who protect us”. Our team of military bullfighters and barrel man brings their hearts to have each other six on the battlefield straight into the arena where they will be doing cowboy protection for those who have put their life on the line for this great country. We’ve chosen these men specifically for this event and we have no doubt they will represent their military branch, this organization, and their country with integrity, grit, and selfless protection for the cowboys on those bulls.
With great excitement, humbleness, and appreciation,
Sheri Smith, President of Warriors and Rodeo, Navy Veteran