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Saddle Bronc Riding

Style and grace aren’t words you usually associate with rodeo cowboys, but that’s part of what distinguishes saddle bronc riders. The other is the sheer strength to stay on a bucking horse. Some claim saddle bronc riding to be rodeo’s most difficult event because of the technical skills needed to make the ride look fluid and in control. It’s a little like two-stepping with a very unwilling partner.

Here’s how the dance goes:

  • The cowboy must “mark out” as the horse comes out of the chute, keeping both spurs touching the bronc’s shoulders, or be disqualified.
  • As the bronc bucks, the cowboy holds on to a thick rein with one hand, keeping the other one free and away from the horse or his own body.
  • The rider is also judged on spurring action. In the ideal ride, the cowboy repeatedly pulls his heels from the points of the horse’s shoulders, toes turned outward, to the back of the saddle.
  • In addition to staying on for eight seconds, the cowboy must have a smooth, controlled ride to score big points.

2011 Saddle Bronc Contestants


1. Cody Wright

2. Heath DeMoss

3. Bradley Harter

4. Cody DeMoss

5. Jesse Wright

6. Wade Sundell

7. Jesse Bail

8. Tyler Corrington


2010 Saddle Bronc Contestants


1. Jesse Kruse

2. Cody DeMoss

3. Bradley Harter

4. Cody Wright

5. Heath DeMoss – 2010 Event Champion

6. Taos Muncy

7. Cort Scheer

8. Jeffrey Willert