Garrett Shadbolt rides Smith Pro Rodeos’ Mr. Harry for 85.5 points to place during Saturday’s third round of the National Finals Rodeo. After being offered a reride on his first attempt, the Nebraska cowboy had to tussle with two horses in the “eliminator pen.”
(PHOTO BY GREG WESTFALL)

 

LAS VEGAS – The “eliminator pen” of bareback horses at the National Finals Rodeo have an intimidating factor about them.

They’re the scariest broncs in rodeo, and the men who ride them virtually lock themselves onto muscular flesh of equine dynamite. They have riggings that are strapped tightly to the bronc, then the gloves have binds on the outside of the pointer finger and pinky to secure their hands into the leather-and-rawhide handle.

The power from the animal athlete is incredible. Just thinking about it can give a cowboy trepidation, but riding bucking horses is what they do. It may be silent in the locker room before the two nights of mayhem, because all focus is on the battle that is about to ensue.

Over his four qualifications to the NFR, Garrett Shadbolt has had his share of tussles with the most-difficult-to-ride, so he knew what to expect. He gritted his teeth, climbed aboard Powder River Rodeo’s Juice Box and nodded his head. His back banged into the buckskin’s rump as the animal bucked, and Shadbolt’s right harm lunged forward.

Torque pressed on his hand, elbow, shoulder and spine. It can be brutal; it looks brutal. Alas, Juice Box didn’t have the day needed. The judges noticed that and offered Shadbolt a reride, a chance to get on another horse for an opportunity to cash in during Saturday’s third round.

It was a two-for-one special for Shadbolt, a 29-year-old bronc buster from Merriman, Nebraska. Maybe it was a two-for-one beating, but he made it work, spurring Smith Pro Rodeos’ Mr. Harry for 85.5 points to finish sixth in the round, worth $5,914.

The big, powerful sorrel gelding provided the stuff Shadbolt needed to reach the pay window for the second straight night. He has increased his NFR earnings to $35,544 and sits eighth in the world standings with $202,805.

Riding bareback horses can be difficult on the easiest of horses. The pressure provided by the circumstances – the rigging, the glove and the muscle-bound athlete underneath – sends jolts through a man’s body. Getting on two broncs a day will leave a cowboy spent. It’s just magnified greatly when that animal is of the stature reflected by Juice Box and Mr. Harry.

Shadbolt was spent by the time Saturday’s performance came to a close. He’d earned every dollar he collected, and then some. He earned a few hours of rest and recovery, but it doesn’t last long in Las Vegas. He’s got seven more broncs to ride before his 2025 season comes to a close.