After just missing out on competing at the National Finals Rodeo last December, saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper has been a man on a mission. The 2024 NFR average champion, Casper will return to Las Vegas in contention for a world championship.
(PRCA PHOTO BY ALEXA CADY)
MIAMI, Texas – Wyatt Casper began his redemption tour just days after the 2025 regular season concluded.
Casper, the saddle bronc riding average champion at the 2024 National Finals Rodeo, finished last year 16th in the world standings, missing the championship event by $1,734. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and it’s why he set out with renewed determination when the 2026 campaign began that October.
On the month’s opening weekend, he won the Brad Gjermundson Xtreme Broncs championship in New Town, N.D. That was worth $35,043, and he was well on his way to returning to the NFR for the sixth time in seven years.
“That was a pretty cool one to win,” said Casper, 30, of Miami, Texas. “I got a jump start on the year and got way out in the lead. That damned sure helped, because the buildings weren’t worth a dang this year.”
He was talking about a series of lucrative indoor rodeos that spread from January to April. Most are historical, and the highest paying take place in his home state of Texas. It’s a great opportunity to gather up some serious cash. With limited success at rodeos in Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, San Angelo and Houston, that first event’s money was imperative.
“My season was just a couple of key wins, some big wins throughout the year and just plucking along,” said Casper, who credits a portion of his success to his sponsors, Cinch, Priefert, Justin Boots, Resistol, Western Sons Vodka, Superior Livestock, TD Angus, MVP Exceed 6 Way, Western Hauler and Sawyer Hay & Cube.
The win in North Dakota was the second-richest event of his season. Casper captured the coveted bronze at the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede, pocketing $63,629, of which about $51,000 counted toward the world standings (only 80 percent of Calgary earnings are utilized on the money list).
“I sure needed Calgary and New Town to give me a boost,” he said. “Calgary dang sure helped, especially getting a bunch of confidence knowing I could go up there and beat the best in the world at that deal. It’s not an easy feat.”
It’s a major accomplishment at one of the best-known rodeos in the world, which has been performed before British royalty. Casper performed well enough in the opening rounds of the tournament-style event to advance, then won both the semifinals and finals.
It was more than a cash cow. He came out on top of a field that included other elite bronc busters, but that’s nothing new. A cowboy doesn’t have a career like Casper’s without slaying some dragons along the way.
“To get that one checked off the bucket list is dang sure awesome,” said Casper, who grew up in the Oklahoma Panhandle community of Balko. “It’s one I’ve been trying to win for a long time, and I’m glad we finally got it done. Hopefully we can go back up there and repeat it next year.”
The benefits of a win like that served as a relief valve for the cowboy who lives near Miami with his wife, Lesley, and their two children, Cooper, who just turned 8, and Cheyenne, who will be 7 in December – the family will celebrate her big day during the NFR. The victory improved his status in the world standings and gave him more opportunities to spend with his family, which is sometimes difficult when he’s gone from home for weeks at a time making a living on bucking horses.
“I thought that probably solidified me making the NFR,” he said. “I had to coast the rest of the year and just have fun. It’s always a good feeling knowing at the end of July that you’ve probably got the finals made.”
That freedom allowed Casper to continue to chase his rodeo dreams and the money that comes with riding well. He finished the regular season with $200,587 and will head to Las Vegas eighth in the world standings. The NFR is where he can really pad his pocketbook, with go-round winners earning nearly $34,000 per day for 10 December nights.
To ensure his place in the NFR field, he added another $50,000 after winning in Calgary to help close out his campaign.
“You just ride every horse for what they are and try to place on everything you get on, and the rest will fall into place,” said Casper, the 2016 intercollegiate saddle bronc riding champion at Clarendon (Texas) College. “Every time we nod our heads, we’re trying to win. If you can win about a $1,600 check on every single horse, you’re going to make the NFR.”
While the injury bug had crept up on Casper in previous years, he stayed away from them this year. When he was on injured reserve the last few years, he spent time with family as he recuperated. That wasn’t the case in 2026.
“I don’t feel like I was home as much as I usually am,” he said. “It was dang sure tougher on us this year with us having to stay out as long as we did, but it’s all worth it in the end.
“There are a lot of sacrifices that goes into rodeo and what we do. I’m going to miss some football games and some of the kids’ rodeos, but they’ve got a pretty good momma back here taking care of them.”
The forfeiture of time at home comes with rewards. Since he first started riding broncs, Casper has earned more than $2 million. Two seasons ago, he pocketed $439,332, with $220,000 coming over those magical 10 days in Las Vegas. The NFR just escaped him last year, so he’s ready to test his talent and his skills in Sin City.
“I’m looking forward to everything … everything I missed out on last year,” Casper said. “I’m ready to go in there fresh and feeling very good. I missed out on the money, so hopefully we’ll come out of there with a bunch.”
What about the most cherished prize at the end of the NFR rainbow, the gold buckle?
“I hope that happens,” he said. “I dang sure want to be known as one of the best that’s ever done it. I think a gold buckle solidifies that you’re the best that year, and I’m ready to get me one.”