PRORODEO Sports News - March 27, 2026 Digital Edition

PRCA PASSINGS

DAKOTA RODEO’S STAR BUCKING HORSE CASH DEAL PASSES AWAY AT 14 Cash Deal, a prized saddle bronc horse that made eight trips to the National Finals Rodeo, passed away March 20. He was 14 years old. The news of the bucking horse’s passing was shared by Dakota Rodeo Company on Facebook. Tyson Fowler, the general manager of Dakota Rodeo, confirmed Cash Deal’s sudden and unexpected passing to the PRORODEO Sports News March 25. “He was just lying there (under a tree) like he was taking a nap,”

fifth in the round. In Round 9, Statler Wright, the youngest of Cody Wright’s sons, matched Cash Deal for 88 points. The ride played a pivotal role in Statler Wright’s ability to jump his older brother, Ryder Wright, in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings to capture his first PRCA World Champi onship. “He was always fun to watch,” Fowler said. “He was one of a kind, really. When he wanted to buck, he was going to buck. He had a lot of character.” Fowler said Cash Deal was buried overlooking a pond in front of his home in Oklahoma. He said it was a fitting resting place for a horse that helped shape the careers of some of the PRCA’s best cow boys. “He was legendary,” Fowler said of Cash Deal. “Some thing just feels missing now. He was part of our family.”

Fowler said. “His head was down, legs crossed, as peace ful as can be. There were no struggle marks or anything. I couldn’t really tell you what happened.” Fowler said they were doing a head count on their ranch in Perkins, Okla., for the trip to Rodeo Austin (Texas) when they found Cash Deal. He was set to match with Shorty Garrett in the long round. He was scheduled to make an other appearance in the semifinals. Fowler described Cash Deal as “wild” in the early stages of his career. But he was a bucker. The 14-year-old Appaloosa became a favorite among some of the best cowboys in the PRCA, one of the key reasons why he was selected to the NFR eight times in his career (2017-22, 2023 and 2025) and an alternate in 2024. The Wright family became familiar with the horse. In 2018, Jake Wright, the brother of two-time PRCA World Champion Cody Wright, rode Cash Deal for 87.5 points in Round 2 at the National Finals Rodeo. That was Cash Deal’s first trip to Las Vegas. The next year, Rusty Wright, Jake Wright’s nephew, had an 85.5-point trip on Cash Deal. Jake Watson had an 87.5-point ride on him the same year. In 2020, when the NFR was held in Arlington, Texas, due to the pandemic, Rusty Wright again drew Cash Deal for an 86.5-point trip. Cash Deal was a part of the long list of talented animal athletes at the NFR this past December in Las Vegas. The Dakota Rodeo star took two trips out of the bucking chutes. Brody Cress rode him for 86.25 points in Round 4, placing

MARCH 27, 2026 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE 47