MILES CITY — Every May, this eastern Montana town of roughly 8,400 transforms into what locals call “Cowboy Mardi Gras.”
The Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, a four-day rodeo and horse auction, draws between $18 million and $20 million in economic activity for the surrounding communities.
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“It’s just like the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, except it’s cowboy style,” said John Morford, the event's president of the Board of Governors. “Last year, we scanned 19,000 people through this gate.”
The event is rowdy, but behind the beer gardens and bronc rides lies tradition.
“I got my son here. I got all these other kids,” said Emmitt Jackson Sr. “They grew up watching us do it, and now they wanna be a part of it.”
This is not just a show. It is a proving ground.
“You know, a lot of guys have started their bronc riding, bareback riding careers right here at the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale,” said Justin McPherson with the Board of Governors. “We’ve got a lot of horses that we sell tomorrow, on Saturday, and we need a lot of cowboys to get on ‘em.”
For many, the event is one of the few chances to break through economic barriers. The top young riders from Friday earn a spot in the big-money match on Sunday.
“The top two out of this event actually qualify for our big match bronc ride on Sunday, where there’s $50,000 added,” said McPherson. “It’s tough for ‘em to do, just because they don’t have the money. So, the opportunity that those two kids will have on Sunday is one that they don’t see every day.”
That opportunity exists, in part, because of Orin Muri—a young local rider who died in a car crash five years ago. His absence still echoes in the arena where he once hoped to make his name.
“It’s a memorial deal,” said McPherson. “He was a young bronc rider, really aspired to be one of the best and was really starting to click.”
His memory lives on—not in silence, but in the thunder of hooves and the grit of those still chasing the dream. In every bucking horse, with every rookie who straps in with something to prove—Orin Muri rides.
He is remembered not in mourning, but in celebration of what he loved most: the chance to ride, wild and free.
“If you’re gonna be a bronc rider, you gotta be tough,” said McPherson.
