BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Josh Frost is in a unique position in rodeo history, he has earned staggering amounts of prize money over the last three seasons, sums that would have been unimaginable in ProRodeo a few decades ago, yet a Gold Buckle has always eluded him.
In 2021, he won $363,000, followed by $409,000 in 2022, and another $400,000 in 2023. All told, Frost has finished as the Reserve World Champion three consecutive years, each time falling short to a different World Champion.
Now in 2024, Frost has another chance to shake that monkey off his back as he heads into the NFR ranked No. 4 in the world with $211,064.
Wilderness Circuit Finals, $7,702
The 2023 Reserve World Champion set himself up for success in 2024 before the National Finals even started by winning the Wilderness Circuit Finals by going 2-for-3 and riding for 87 and 89 points.
Frost outdueled a field that included Hayes Weight, Tristen Hutchings and a healthy Stetson Wright in November of 2023.
Wharton County Youth Fair, $6,289
Frost made three rides of 91 or more points this season and the first was on March 21 aboard Universal Pro Rodeos’ Comamnder in Wharton, Texas. It was the first time the bull had been covered at a ProRodeo and he had previously bucked off Frost with a 45.5-point stock score in Ogden in 2023.
That same weekend, Frost also took third at the Cave Creek Rodeo Days (Arizona).
George Paul Memorial, $15,592
After winning more than $8,000 at the San Angelo Xtreme Bulls on April 14 and $6,400 for a win at the Williston Xtreme Bulls (North Dakota) on April 20, Frost rode his hot hand all the way to victory in Del Rio on April 27.
He was 88 in Round 1 and 91 Schott in the Dark in the Finals to win the Average with a whopping 179 points on two.
Every cowboy in the Top 6 in the Average at that event has made the NFR before and he was five points clear of the rest of the field.
Overall, Frost won about $36,000 in April.
Cody Stampede Xtreme Bulls, $12,902
Frost kicked off his Cowboy Christmas with a big win in Wyoming, claiming the Xtreme Bulls title with an 89-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Stranger Danger. In 12 outs, Frost was the only cowboy to ride that bull in 2024. He followed that up with a second-place finish in the rodeo, scoring 85.5 points on Gladiator’s Hammer and adding $7,800 to his earnings.
Frost also secured second place at two other Fourth of July rodeos: the Livingston Roundup in Montana and the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo in Utah, each paying out over $4,700.
Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Xtreme Bulls, $11,699
Frost took home a big check for an 85-point ride to take second at the Xtreme Bulls, and then similar to Cody, also got a big payday from the rodeo, where he was third for 88.5 points. That got him another $7,000 in his rip to Spanish Fork.
Cowtown Rodeo, $8,742
New Jersey is not a rodeo hotbed, but it’s where Frost won his biggest check in August or September.
He rode Black Mamba for 87 points to win the rodeo on Aug. 10. A few days later, he’d add another $7,000+ from the X Bulls. It may come as no surprise that Frost was the top earner on the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour this season with $94,860.
Frost kept a light schedule down the home stretch, etnering just six rodeos in August and September combined and only getting on eight bulls.
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