ProRodeo Sports News - November 17, 2023

SADDLE BRONC RIDING

History Lesson PRCA ProRodeo file photo Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston had an 87.5-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Cinch Jeans Hit Man during Round 1 of the 2022 Wrangler NFR at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Thurston went on to win his third PRCA World Championship.

headline-making bronc riders. You could go all the way back to the early 1900s, with Calgary Stampede world titlist Tom Three Persons, and four-time world champion Pete Knight. There have been various waves of Canadian saddle bronc success, but the current crop has captured a lot of attention, led by three-time world champion Thurston (2016, 2019 and 2022). In 2022, the field of six Canadian bronc riders qualified at the NFR tied a record set back in 1968. This season, there were eight Canadians who finished in the top 30 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings. “It’s amazing,” said Mel Hyland, a two-time PRCA Saddle Bronc World Champion (1972 and 1976), and ProRodeo Hall of Famer, as he muses about the depth of the bronc riders in Canada currently. Hyland can look back from the perspective of his own decorated career, which included 11 CFR and NFR qualifications between 1967 and 1984. Understanding the prowess of Canadian saddle bronc riders

BY DIANNE FINSTAD Special to ProRodeo Sports News W hen he nods his head at the 2023 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Zeke Thurston will be gunning to be the first Canadian to repeat as a PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion since ProRodeo Hall of Famer Pete Knight did it in 1935-36. Joining Thurston in Las Vegas will be another strong contingent of Canadian bronc riders with Dawson Hay, Ben Andersen, and Layton Green. So, what is it about Canada that consistently produces such talent in rodeo’s classic event? Tim Horton’s coffee, ketchup chips, or maple syrup? Just what is the ‘secret sauce’? “Well, I don’t think we really want them to know, put all our cards on the table, do we?” quips Rod Hay, an eight-time Canadian Champion, who qualified for 20 National Finals Rodeos. “When we get 10 guys there, then maybe we’ll spill it,” chuckles the father of current contenders Dawson and Logan Hay. Joking aside, the land north of the 49th parallel has a long history of

ProRodeo Sports News 11/17/2023

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