Monthly Archives: December 2012

Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Wade Sundell on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Lori Darlin and Taos Muncy on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Flaming Desire, 84 points, $116,343; 3. Cody Wright, 82, $10,895; 4. Jesse Wright, 81.5, $7,656; 5. Sterling Crawley, 81, $4,712; 6. Isaac Diaz, 80.5, $2,945.

Team roping: 1. Colby Lovell/Russel Cardoza, 3.5 seconds, $18,257; 2. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 4.1, $14,429; 3. (tie) Keven Daniel/Chase Tryan and Spencer Mitchell/Dakota Kirchenschlage, 4.2, $9,276; 5. (tie) Travis Tryan/Jake Long and Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.3, $3,828.

Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Gabe Ledoux and Les Shepperson, 4.0 seconds, $16,343; 3. Bray Armes, 4.1, $10,895; 4. Ethen Thouvenell, 4.2, $7,656; 5. Luke Branquinho, 4.3, $4,712; 6. Todd Suhh, 4.4, $2,945.

Bareback riding: 1. Winn Ratliff on Kesler Rodeo’s Star Burst, 83.5 points, $18,257; 2. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Steven Peebles, Bobby Mote and Kaycee Field, 82.5, $9,423; 6. Jessy Davis, 82, $2,945.

LAS VEGAS – The time was amazing. The barrel on the ground was not. Carlee Pierce maneuvered her great horse, Rare Dillion, around the cloverleaf pattern in 13.73 seconds, their fastest run through five go-rounds at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. But they tipped the final obstacle in the horserace and suffered a five-second penalty. It took them out of the money and placed them toward the bottom of the standings for the fourth night. “I’m extremely proud of my little buckskin,” Pierce said of the 12-year-old gelding, which helped her qualify to the NFR for the second straight year. “He really worked his booty off, and we hit an honest third barrel. “It’s all good, and I’m so blessed to be here.” It’s been a powerfully tough barrel race. Mary Walker leads the way so far with three round wins; she also placed fourth on Monday night. She has earned more than $62,000 in just five days. Pierce, on the other hand, has scored $14,429, that coming off her second-place finish in the fourth round. Had she not suffered the penalty on Monday, her time would’ve been good enough for third place in the round, which pays nearly $11,000. “Even when your horse works great, you can tip a barrel,” Pierce said. “That’s what happened in the fifth round. When you look at the times, you know you’ve got to be fast if you want to make money. We’re going to continue to go at these runs just like we have, and we’ll hope for the best. “There are five more nights for us to really do well. I’m really looking forward to it.”

LAS VEGAS – Seth Glause’s face has been bloodied, his ligaments stretched, his joints moved. Still, he smiles. It’s a testament to his personality, but more, it’s a sign he’s having his best Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in four tries, even though he’s suffered a broken nose and a dislocated riding shoulder. Yeah, cowboys are tough. “I knew I had a really good bull, and I just wanted to make sure I beared down and got him rode,” said Glause, 24, of Rock Springs, Wyo., who rode Growney Bros. Rodeo’s Canadian Tuxedo for 87.5 points to win Monday’s fifth go-round. “I’ve seen that bull take different kinds of trips; I’ve seen him go to the left or around to the right or both ways in the same ride. After bucking off at the whistle last night, I wanted to keep on riding right through it tonight.” Glause earned $18,257 for the ride. That pushed his NFR earnings to $33,570 and his annual salary to $127,740. It also moved him from fifth to third in the bull riding standings. But the cowboy who attended Central Wyoming College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University also dislocated his shoulder – a nice match to the broken nose he suffered in the second go-round. “I guess getting popped in the face must’ve woken me up a little bit,” he said. What about his shoulder? “It feels OK, I guess,” Glause said. “It popped out, and then it went back in. I think it was the result of a few different things. I’m not real sure what happened, but I hit then bull and then the ground pretty hard, and it came out. But I’ll still be getting on the next five rounds no matter what.” Winning money surely helps. Glause has placed in three rounds by riding three of five bulls so far. He is second in the average with a three-ride cumulative score of 256 points, trailing world standings leader and three-time world champion J.W. Harris. Now he’s got five more nights to continue his magical run.

Trevor Brazile has clinched his 10th all-around world championship. He and partner Patrick Smith scored a 4.3-second run to finish third in team roping’s fifth go-round. That check worth $10,895 scooted his annual earnings to $284,197. Bobby Mote is second in the all-around standings with $146,017. If Mote were to win out, he’d still fall $73 short of Brazile’s current total. That marks Brazile’s seventh straight all-around gold buckle, a record. It is also his 17th overall buckle, another record for multi-event cowboys. He trails steer roping legend Guy Allen in the most world titles – Allen owns 18.

Bull riding: 1. Seth Glause on Growney Bros. Rodeo’s Canadian Tuxedo, 87.5 points, $18,257; 2. Trevor Kastner, 86.5, $14,429; 3. Brett Stall, 83, $10,895; 4. JW Harris, 82.5, $7,656; no other qualified rides.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Cole Elshere on Bruch Rodeo’s Lunatic Fringe, 83 points, $18,257; 2. Cody Demoss, 78, $14,429; 3. Jacob’s Crawley, 75.5, $10,895; no other qualified rides. Barrel racing: 1. Kaley Bass, 13.68 seconds, $18,257; 2. Trula Churchill, 13.69, $14,429; 3. Sherry Cervi, 13.76, $10,895; 4. Mary Walker, 13.89, $7,656; 5. Birttany Pozzi, 14.01, $4,712; 6. Lisa Lockhart, 14.05, $2,945.

LAS VEGAS – If Casey Colletti had a one-horse trailer, he’d haul Scarlett’s Web with him to every rodeo. He proved why on Monday night by winning bareback riding’s fifth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with an 88.5-point ride on the Classic Pro Rodeo bucking horse. It helped Colletti to an $18.257 payday and gave him a much needed boost of confidence heading into the second half of the 10-round championship. “I knew a lot about her, actually; I had her at the short round at Cheyenne (Wyo.) this year, and I was an 89 on her there,” Colletti said. “Every time I’ve seen her, she circles around to the right and stays close to the bucking chutes.” Classic owner Scotty Lovelace told Colletti just before the ride that the horse has been known to circle left. That’s just what the mare did. “I’m glad she went left,” Colletti said with a laugh. “I’ve been wanting to get on Scarlett’s Web at the NFR. This is a dream come true for me.” Colletti was the first cowboy to go, meaning he had to watch with great anticipation as the remaining 14 cowboys rode. “I just hoped nobody beat me,” he said. “I wanted them all to win, but I wanted them to be 88 and below. “I was a little bit bummed out earlier this week, missing one out and getting bucked off. To win the TV pen, it’s pretty cool to win this (go-round) buckle.” Midway through the rugged 10-round finale, most of the bareback riders are feeling the pressure of tying themselves to the rankest bucking beasts in the business. There are sore arms, shoulders and hands. It just comes with the territory. “Right now, the adrenaline’s pumping, so I don’t feel anything,” he said. “I’m a little bit sore today. We’re five rounds in. I’ll probably wake up a little sore tomorrow.” This is the second go-round victory for Colletti, who won the ninth round last December with an 87.5-point ride. “Any time you can top your highest score is great,” said Colletti, who has pushed his NFR earnings to nearly $33,000 – his season total is $99,614.

We have a reride in bronc riding. Tie-down roping: 1. Matt Shiozawa, 7.2 seconds, $18,257; 2. (tie) Clint Robinson and Bradley Bynum, 7.5, $12,662; 4. Justin Mass, 7.9, $7,656; 5. (tie) Cody Ohl and Clif Cooper, 8.0, $3,828.

Team roping: 1. (tie) Ryan Motes/Brock Hansen and Spencer Mitchell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 3.7 seconds, $16,343; 3. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 4.3, $10,895; 4. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 4.9, $7,656; 5. (tie) Chad Masters/Clay O’Brien Cooper and Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.9, $4,712.

Bareback riding: 1. Casey Colletti on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Scarlett’s Web, 88 points, $18,257; 2. Bobby Mote, 86.5, $14,429; 3. Brian Bain, 85, $10,895; 4. (tie) JR Vezain and Winn Ratliff, 84.5, $6,184; 6. (tie) Will Lowe and Steven Peebles, 83, $1,472. Steer wrestling: 1. Trevor Knowles, 3.3 seconds, $18,257; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.9, $14,429; 3. (tie) Tom Lewis and Billy Bugenig andLes Shepperson, 4.1, $; 4. $7,754; 6. (tie) Gabe Ledoux and Ethen Thouvenell, 4.4, $1,472.

LAS VEGAS – It took a few nights for the lights to flicker in Carlee Pierce’s eyes. For three go-rounds to open the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the Stephenville, Texas, cowgirl watched overturned barrels diminish her expectations at the sport’s grand championship. She finished last the first three nights, and after some soul-searching and time with her horses on Sunday, Pierce found the way top of the heap. Pierce and her great horse, Rare Dillion, blistered the cloverleaf pattern inside the Thomas and Mack Center in 13.75 seconds to finish second in the fourth go-round. That was worth $14,429. “I hated to admit that the problem I was having was me, but once I did, and once I got back on Dillion, I knew we were headed in the right direction,” Pierce said. “He was so ready to go. When it was our turn and they opened the gate into the alley, he just burst through there and was on his way.” Pierce ran the 12-year-old buckskin gelding during Thursday’s opening performance, and the pair knocked down all three barrels. She opted for her backup horse, a 5-year-old sorrel gelding she calls Hammer, for Rounds 2-3. But it wasn’t much better. Three more barrels over two nights. The Alberta-born, Oklahoma-raised cowgirl spent Saturday night and part of Sunday working through the runs and watching video of them. She realized that her experienced mount didn’t need quite as much help as she was providing. “Dillion knows what to do, and if I leave him alone, we’re a lot better off,” she said. “On Thursday night, I was trying to ride him like I do the colts, and I just can’t do that. “Tonight I let him do his thing, and it worked pretty good. I’m just super excited to run him again. I think he’s going to continue to be ready to go, and I will be, too.” A year ago on in the fifth round, Pierce and Dillion set an NFR record with a 13.46-second run. Times at the 2012 championship have been blazing fast, so there’s plenty of reason for excitement heading into Monday’s round. “I’m not concerned at all about records,” Pierce said. “I just want to focus on each barrel and not worry about anything else. As long as I do that, the times will take care of themselves. There’s a lot of money to be won in the go-rounds, and we’re going to go after it.”

LAS VEGAS – There is a grin as broad as Texas on Matt Bright’s face, and it’s adding to the City of Lights. Bright, a 29-year-old bareback rider from Azle, Texas, has placed in back-to-back go-rounds at the Wrangler National finals Rodeo. Now in his third qualification to ProRodeo’s grand finale, the Tennessee-born cowboy has doubled the number of rounds in which he has placed – he earned checks in just one round in each previous season, 2010 and 2011. “I’m just ready to keep things rolling,” said Bright, who attended the University of Tennessee-Martin on a rodeo scholarship. “I’m having a ball out here this year. I’m finally having a good time at the NFR.” It helps to be riding as well, which Bright is. It also helps to have drawn a solid horse, since half the score on the 100-point scale depends on the animal. On Sunday night, Bright matched moves with Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Hell’s Fire Hostage for 84.5 points to finish in a tie for fifth place in the fourth go-round. That earned the Texas cowboy a check worth $3,828 and pushed his NFR earnings to $11,583; he has earned $76,062 so far this season. “I wasn’t familiar with that horse,” he said. “Heath Ford, our bareback riding director, told me it was just an electric, fun horse. Heath just said, ‘Let ’em fly, show off and have some fun,’ so that was the game plan. “I was tickled to have a good horse and have some fun. This was our fun pen of horses, so I was stoked about it.” And he’s showing the world. With family in Las Vegas for the NFR, he has that support, as well as that of others who haven’t made the trek to the Nevada desert. “My family’s really been supporting me, and I’ve got a lot of people from back home, from college, from in Texas that are reaching out to me,” Bright said. “Everybody’s been calling, texting, sending me Facebook messages. “It’s just awesome to have that kind of support. It makes you want to ride that much better when you’ve got those people behind you and rooting for you.” Now he just needs to keep giving them something to cheer about.

LAS VEGAS – In his first two qualifications to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Casey Colletti has earned nearly $100,000 in the City of Lights. Nearly $22,000 has come off the back of Smith Harper & Morgan Rodeo’s Jesse’s Girl – he won the ninth go-round in 2011, then matched moves with the mare for 84.5 points to share a fifth-place finish during the fourth round on Sunday night. “I think they need to rename her,” Colletti said jokingly, indicating Casey’s Girl would be quite fitting. “It felt the same as last year, maybe even a little bit better than last year. I think I spurred her for 12 seconds because it was that easy. “I actually felt my chaps whipping me in the face. I’ve never felt that before.” He’d like to feel it again, and he still has plenty of opportunities to do so with six rounds remaining in this year’s grand championship. So far, Colletti has placed in two of four go-rounds and has collected $14,724. “I was just excited, because I knew I had a horse I’d been on before, that I’d won a round on at the NFR before,” said Colletti, who attended Garden City (Kan.) Community College on a rodeo scholarship. Now the 26-year-old cowboy hopes to continue to find his way to the pay window. He knows every opportunity he gets will be on the backs of the greatest bucking horses in professional rodeo. The fifth round, though, will feature the best of the best, including two of the top three bareback horses of the year. “You can be 90 points on any horse in that pen,” Colletti said. “That’s what makes it fun, because we’re all going to try to be 90.”

LAS VEGAS – Steer wrestler Bray Armes is comfortable in his surroundings at the Wrangler National Finals rodeo. After failing to place among the top six in the first two go-rounds, Armes has gone back-to-back in Rounds 3-4. His most recent stroke of success came Sunday with a 3.6-second run on the fourth night of the rugged 10 rounds of competition, which will decide the 2012 world championship. “It’s been great so far,” said Armes, a first-time NFR qualifier from Gruver, Texas. “We just need to keep it rolling.” Yes, he does. Sunday’s run was worth $14,429 and marked the second straight night he finished among the top two – his 3.8 on Saturday night helped Armes share second place with Les Shepperson, a two-time NFR qualifier. In all, Armes has earned $27,091. Only four other cowboys have earned more: Casey Martin, $32,097; Billy Bugenig, $30,919; Dean Gorsuch, $28,858; and Luke Branquinho, $28,269. Each of those men has been to the NFR before, with Gorsuch and Branquinho owning multiple gold buckles. “My confidence is good,” Armes said. “I just want to keep staying relaxed and keep letting things happen instead of trying to make them happen. If I can do that, God will continue to bless me.” That’s been the case much of this season. The Texan utilized first-place finishes the final two weeks of the campaign to secure his first bid to ProRodeo’s championship event, which provides a purse of $6.125 million. This is the richest event in the sport, which is why it’s so important to have a solid performance inside the Thomas and Mack Center each night. Armes utilizes his partner, Skip, a solid palomino owned by Gorsuch. “Skip was great,” Armes said. “He knew we had a steer we needed to take a good start in if we were going to catch him in time, and he blew in there and worked perfectly.”

Barrel racing: 1. Sherry Cervi, 13.67 seconds, $18,257; 2. Carlee Pierce, 13.75, $14,429; 3. Lindsay Sears, 13.81. $10,895; 4. Lisa Lockhart, 13.82, $7,656; 5. Kaley Bass, 13.90, $4,712; 6. Kelli Tolbert, 13.97, $2,945. Bull riding: 1. Clayton Savage, 78.5 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s El Capitan, $18,257; 2. Ardie Maier, 76, $14,429; no other qualified rides.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jesse Wright on Frontier Rodeo’s Wild Bill, 90 points, $18,257; 2. Cody Wright, 86.5, $14,429; 3. Cody DeMoss, 86, $10,895; 4. Wade Sundell, 84, $7,656; 5. Isaac Diaz, 81, $4,712; 6. Cole Elshere, 80.5, $2,945. Tie-down roping: 1. Tuf Cooper, 7.8 seconds, $18,257; 2. Fred Whitfield, 8.1, $14,429; 3. Clint Robinson, 8.2, $10,895; 4. Monty Lewis, 8.6, $7,656; 5. Justin Maass, 8.7, $4,712; 6. Cody Ohl, 8.8, $2,945.

Bareback riding: 1. Kaycee Feild, 87 points on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Kattle Katie, $18,257; 2. Caleb Bennett, 86, $14,429; 3. J.R. Vezain, 85.5, $10,895; 4. Bobby Mote, 85, $7,656; 5. (tie) Casey Colletti and Matt Bright, 84.5, $3,828.   Steer wrestling: 1. Luke Branquinho, 3.3 seconds, $18.257; 2. Bray Armes, 3.6, $14,429; 3. Beau Clark, 3.7, $10,895; 4. (tie) Gabe Ledoux and Todd Suhn, 4.1, $6,184 each; 6. (tie) Less Shepperson and Ethen Thouvenell, 4.2, $1,472 each. Team roping: 1. Dustin Bird/Paul Eaves, 3.9 seconds, $18,257; 2. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.0, $14,429; 3. Chad Masters/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 4.9, $10,895; 4. Travis Tryan/Jake Long, 6.1, $7,656; 5. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 8.1, $4,712; 6. Colby Lovell/Russell Cardoza, 9.4, $4,945.

LAS VEGAS – Carlee Pierce knew something was wrong. She just didn’t want to admit that something was her. Through three go-rounds of the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Pierce has faltered. This is the richest rodeo in the world with a purse of $6.125 million, and nightly winners will earn paychecks worth $18,257. Not only has Pierce failed to earn money, she’s finished last each of the first three nights of the 10-round competition. She’s used both horses she brought to Las Vegas – Dillion, a 12-year-old buckskin gelding, and Hammer, a 5-year-old sorrel gelding. Nothing has worked yet. “We started out the first round on Thursday, and Dillion just didn’t respond to what I was trying to do,” said Pierce of Stephenville, Texas. “What I now have realized was that I just wasn’t riding him right. I sent him home after Cheyenne (Wyo.) in July, and I haven’t ridden him much. I let him rest, and I rode my colts. “Then I just expected to jump on Dillion and go right back to the team we were. I think a lot of it was me. He was working, and I was just working him too much. I was riding him like I was riding my colts; they need more work from me, but Dillion works better when I just leave him alone.” Instead, she went to Hammer for two nights. The results haven’t been what she wanted. She and Dillion knocked down all three barrels Thursday, then she and Hammer overturned three over the past two nights. She returned to Dillion for the fourth round, “I was pointing fingers at him when I should’ve been pointing fingers at me,” she said. So Pierce changed her schedule. She rescheduled appearances and spent time with her horses. “Starting off like this tears your confidence down a little bit,” she said. “That’s why I went out and rode. It cleared my mind a little bit. I’m feeling a lot better now.” It helps, too, that she’s received plenty of support from family, friends and even people she doesn’t know. “It really helps to have my family and my fans,” Pierce said. “They all want to see their favorite athlete win and do good. They still love my horses, and they still love me and support me. It means a lot that they’re faithful like that.” Probably the greatest showing of support came from Pierce’s 13-year-old daughter, Makala, who sent this text this morning: “I love u! Ur doing good put some head phones in and listen to music. Get everything off ur mind and LOOK at the WALL. U got it u know how I ride stay to handed up in there.” “I had shut my phone off last night, because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind,” Pierce said. “When I turned my phone on this morning, that was the first thing I saw, and I realized just how blessed I am. I have the most fantastic, supportive husband and awesome kids. “That’s really what it’s about.”

LAS VEGAS – The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo features the most pressure-packed competition in the sport every year. Sometimes the best way to handle all that is to just relax and enjoy. Bray Armes did that Saturday night in the third go-round of ProRodeo’s grand championship, and it paid off with a 3.8-second run, which put him in a tie for second place in the round worth $12,662. “It was great to finally get that money off the back and get rolling,” said Armes, a first-time NFR qualifier from Gruver, Texas. “I think the first two nights, I’d been trying too hard. I just needed to let it happen.” It did. Five-time NFR qualifier Wade Sumpter won the round with a 3.6, and Armes shared second place with Les Shepperson, who is competing in Las Vegas for the second time in his career. “I had just a good, solid, honest steer that didn’t have any tricks to him,” Armes said. “We just set a game plan to relax and just bulldog. It felt a lot more natural.” That’s easier said than done, especially in a setting like this. Among the bright lights and excitement of Las Vegas is ProRodeo’s largest purse of the season, with first-place checks worth $18,257 being paid each night. “I’m a little in awe, I guess,” said Armes, who enlists the help of Skip, a steer wrestling horse owned by two-time world champion Dean Gorsuch. “I’ve bulldogged with these guys for a long time. I think anyone of us can win it any given night. It’s great to have Dean in my corner, because he’s been through it all. He knows the ropes, and he can keep me calm and relaxed.” It’s been a wonderful blessing and a gift from God.” What advice does Gorsuch provide? “We went back to the trailer and talked,” Armes said. “He said, ‘You bulldog as good as anybody. Don’t back off, but quit trying to make it happen.’ We’ll just try to keep doing that.”

LAS VEGAS – There’s a different kind of toughness in the sport of rodeo. Seth Glause is showing that during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. On Friday night during the second round of the 2012 championship, Glause rode Classic Pro Rodeo’s Medicine Show for 86.5 points to finish fourth. Then as he got off, Glause stumbled and went down; Medicine Show’s horn smacked the Rock Springs, Wyo., cowboy square in the nose. It was insult and injury to an otherwise outstanding showing. “I had a wreck happen, but that’s just part of the sport,” said Glause, who attended Central Wyoming College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “My nose is pretty much just shattered. The Justin Sportsmedicine people got it all put back together in the right spot. Luckily it didn’t break anything else in my face.” That’s good, because 24 hours later, Glause arrived at the Thomas and Mack Center ready to ride again. He had drawn one of the top bulls in the sport, Lancaster & Pickett’s Cowboy Coffee, and he was going to take the best shot he could to make significant money while in Las Vegas. He also was sporting a new piece of equipment: A helmet. “The first bull was runner-up bull of the hear, and he just slipped in the back in,” said Glause, who was awarded a re-ride on Flying U Rodeo’s Curveball, which he rode for 82 points for his second straight fourth-place finish and a check worth $7,656. “He was just really good, kind of making me work a little bit. He went back right, and I got around there and just got by him.” It worked. He has ridden two of three bulls and has earned $15,313. Will he continue to ride with a helmet the remainder of the NFR? “That was the first time I’d ever put a helmet on, much less rode with one,” he said. “I’ll do it again tonight, but I don’t know. I don’t really want to take another shot in the face this week.”

LAS VEGAS – Matt Bright had a couple of great things happen to him on Saturday. The first was the arrival to Las Vegas of his fiancé, Devra Harvey, with whom he became engaged just two weeks ago. A few hours later, she was inside the Thomas and Mack Center as Bright collected his first paycheck of the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, posting an 83-point ride to finish in a three-way tie for third place in the third go-round. “She got here today, so she got to witness my first check this week,” said Bright, a three-time NFR qualifier from Azle, Texas. “This is a throwback to my first finals (in 2010). I won my first check ever in the eliminator pen. It’s always pretty good to win money here, especially on the rankest horses in the world.” Bright matched moves with Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s American Trip to share the third-place honors with J.R. Vezain and reigning world champion Kaycee Feild; three-time champ Will Lowe won the round with an 88. “I had that horse in Calgary this year, and I messed him up a bit there,” Bright said. “I thought that was a pretty nice draw for the eliminator pen. There are some horses in this pen that are a little scarier than him. He was up in the air and dropping away from me. It was a great draw for me.” That’s a big part of the equation in bareback riding. Another major ingredient is for cowboys to ride well. “Coming into the finals, this is the best I’ve ever ridden,” he said. “Any time you can place in the top three or four in the round against the 15 best guys on planet Earth, it’s awesome. There were a lot of guys having trouble. It feels good that I could step up my game a little bit and make a good ride.” He also leaned on a longtime friend prior to the round: Bareback riding director Heath Ford, a three-time NFR qualifier. “He gave me a little pet talk and told me what he thought I could improve on,” Bright said. “I look up to Heath, so I definitely took what he said to heart. “He was telling me to make sure I explode with me feet and keep driving them to the front end. I was concentrating on that, and I think it worked out pretty good.”