By Ted Harbin | TwisTed Rodeo

MIAMI, Texas – There is more than one reason a ProRodeo cowboy is consistent in their performance from rodeo to rodeo.

Riding well and doing it on a daily basis not only helps build self-confidence, but also keeps the cowboy spirit in the right place. Take saddle bronc Wyatt Casper, now a two-time national rodeo finalist who ended the 2021 season with $ 84,948. He sits ninth in the world rankings ahead of the ProRodeo championship event, scheduled for December 2-11 in Las Vegas.

“Being consistent helps your mind, and it’s also good for the judges who see you,” said Casper, 25, of Miami, Texas. “If they see you riding consistently over and over again, maybe they’ll mark you for it. Consistency is the key to driving bronc. You have to do as well as possible on each horse you ride. “

Casper entered the 2020 NFR with a load of confidence. He was the No. 1 man in the world and the pitch was chasing him. At the NFR’s home in Arlington, Texas, he put on a show, placing in seven of 10 rounds; who understood to round off the victories. He earned nearly $ 176,000 in a week and a half in North Texas, ending the campaign with $ 321,000, but he finished second behind champion Utahan Ryder Wright.

“I learned last year that it doesn’t matter if you fall from three horses the week before the NFR in a training pen you can still have a good week,” he said in laughing.

Life is pretty good for Casper. He turned out to be one of ProRodeo’s elite bronc runners. He’s had key victories this season, from the rodeo of the Texas Circuit Finals to the crown in Montgomery, Alabama, to the title in Burwell, Nebraska.

But you don’t pocket nearly $ 85,000 in a year without having success elsewhere. Cowboys make their living on the road, traveling from town to town like a circus. When he wasn’t winning rodeos, he picked up nice paychecks along the way. He didn’t win the title in Ellensburg, Wash., But he won the short round and placed second, raising $ 5,000 in the process.

These are the types of finishes that keep rodeo devices rolling on the road.

“Earning checks is the big part,” said Casper, who thanks his sponsors – Priefert, Superior Livestock, Resistol, Cinch, TD Angus, MVP Exceed 6 Way, The KingStar Co. and Western Hauler – for helping him get started. succeed in the rodeo. “If you go a week without a check these days, it looks like you are going down the leaderboard.

“If you keep cashing checks every week, you’ll win. It’s like chopping wood; You must keep trying.

Other than big checks in Calgary, Alta., And Salinas, Calif., Casper hasn’t seen a salary of more than $ 8,000 the rest of the season. He pocketed $ 11,000 north of the border and $ 8,916 at the California Rodeo Salinas, which also served as the ProRodeo Tour final during the final weekend of the regular season.

“I didn’t feel like I was drawing horses as well as I did last year, but I also didn’t feel like I lost a lot of opportunities,” he said. “A lot of things haven’t gone so well this year, but we just kept our heads down and kept going. “

Sometimes a professional approach is best, especially for a man struggling on the rugged terrain of the Texas Panhandle while not on the rodeo track. He is a breeder and lives at his home near Miami with his wife, Lesley, and their two children, Cooper, 3, and Cheyenne, who will be 2 at the NFR.

Some are related to age and others to the constant training that comes every day, but maturity as a man and bronc rider has been a calling card for Casper.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot in the past year, some good and some not so good,” he said. “As long as you keep improving, you will eventually come out on top.”

The hardest part of being a rodeo cowboy is the days, weeks, and sometimes months on the road away from the ones he loves the most. It is difficult, especially for a young man with a young family, but he puts clothes in the closet and food in the pantry while riding horses.

“I didn’t feel like I got home as much as I wanted to,” Casper said. “I had the chance to go home three to four times from the end of June to October. It was a little hard, and it was a little hard on family life. Lesley rode with me for a little while in the summer so it was fun.

Casper may have already qualified for the NFR a year ago, but it will be a new experience for him. This will be his first time riding bucking horses inside the Thomas & Mack Center, the championship’s home since 1985. He’s famously known for having the yellow Priefert fences and bucking scraps crammed into the space of an ice rink. hockey. He knows he will have chills when he arrives.

“I’m really looking forward to walking in the Thomas & Mack for the first time,” he said. “I’ve always told myself that I wouldn’t go to the Thomas & Mack until I did, and I’m glad that day is finally here.”