Round 10 of the NFR in the saddle bronc riding was essentially a one-header between Ryder Wright and Wyatt Casper. Casper was 85.5 in the final round to win the NFR Average, but Ryder Wright knew he had the matchup to put an exclamation point on the season and that’s just what he did.
Riding the Horse of the Year All or Nothing of Andrews Rodeo, Wright was 89.5 points to split the Round 10 win and ultimately finish with $479,957.
“That horse left out of there, he had my head flinging around a little bit, I couldn’t see what was going on, I was just throwing my feet,” he said. “I knew that horse was going to give me a chance to win the round, I was tickled pink to have him.”
Wright entered the NFR No. 2, but put himself in an early hole after missing his horse out in Round 2. He responded like a champion by ripping off eight straight rides of 85 points or better, including wins in Rounds 4, 5, 8, and 10. He won $228,695 at the NFR and only $14,670 of it came from the Average.
Wright’s 2024 World Title is the third of his career. He also won in 2017 and 2020.
“I had a good idea this morning that if I went out and did my job, I’d have a pretty good chance at a Gold Buckle,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about this all year, this is what I’ve expected of myself. It’s super special, not a lot of people have three Gold Buckles.
Due to moving up to No. 2 in the NFR Average on Saturday night, Damian Brennan finished No. 2 with $442,442. Casper was third with $439,332.
