Rusty Wright said after his ride that his score of 89.5 to win Round 4 of saddle bronc riding at NFR almost didn’t happen.
“She almost bucked me off. That horse jumped out there and has big, long jumps. It was feeling really good and I felt tapped-off confident, so I went to go try to flash her up, as soon as I did that, she had a big, empty jump and threw her head back at me. It kind off got me loose a little bit, but she took her head back again and continued bucking. I was able to sit back down and finish it off pretty good.”
Wright’s score of 89.5 was well clear of the rest of the field. Spencer Wright took second with an 84.5 and Round 1 winner Zeke Thurston took third with an 83.5.
Rusty said he felt really good about his ride right after he made the whistle.
“I felt like it was pretty good, and I was really excited,” he said. “I didn’t know how many (points) I was going to be, I just knew I was dang sure going to place and it felt awesome.”
With the Round 4 win, Rusty moved into third in the world standings behind Thurston and his brother Ryder.
Saddle Bronc World Standings (NFR money in parentheses)
1. Zeke Thurston - $249,606 ($72,615)
2. Ryder Wright - $234,488 ($10,000)
3. Rusty Wright - $175,153 ($56,961)
4. Spencer Wright - $163,668 ($43,564)
5. Chase Brooks - $175,153 ($56,961)