Growing up a farm boy in Iowa, steer wrestler Jacob Edler says he’d never even swung his leg over a horse until he was 14 years old.
But during the 2020 winter rodeo season, Edler seemed to pop up in just about every championship round. Now, he’s going to his first Wrangler NFR.
Crucial to Edler’s rodeo rise has been the guidance, and friendship, of several well-known names in the bulldogging business — Matt Reeves, Riley Duvall, and 2X World Champion Hunter Cure, whom he met after moving to Oklahoma in college.
“Well, this Iowa farm kid thing was in full effect at that point,” Reeves says. “I think he still had corn in his truck or something by the time they got done with that one.”
He may not have been at it long, but Edler proved he has what it takes. The veteran steer wrestlers credit his continued success to his competitive nature, which they all, including Edler, describe to be a bit intense. (Duvall jokes that he has a positive attitude 60 percent of the time and a serial killer attitude 40 percent of the time.)
“Edler’s never liked losing,” Duvall says. “He likes to win — whether it’s at a $20 jackpot or a $20,000 added rodeo. That’s a good attitude.”
Reeves adds, “You just can’t beat the Iowa hat wave and fist pump that occurs after [Jacob] slams one.”
