CFD Performer Remembers Lighting Himself On Fire

Thousands of people will be getting lit up at Cheyenne Frontier Days this year. Hopefully, Rider Kiesner won't be one of them. The World Champion trick roper and gun spinner accidentally set himself on fire during a performance at CFD several years ago.

"I was crackin' my fire whips," Kiesner said in an interview. "They tangled up above me and wrapped around me. My whole shirt and my hat caught on fire. That was pretty bad. That one hurt."

Although he was engulfed in flames, Kiesner kept going, ripping his shirt off and finishing the show. Luckily, he only suffered minor burns.

Taking risks is a part of the job for the fifth-generation rodeo roper. Rider has been performing with the PRCA since the age of 11 and has toured since 2003. 2018 marks Kiesner's seventh year at Cheyenne Frontier Days.