Idaho cowboy cashes in with a big-money ride in Dodge City

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Growing up in the tiny town of Monteview, Idaho, Tristen Hutchings didn’t have a lot.

He was raised around rodeo and found a passion for riding bulls. That love affair carried him to a magical 2022 season, one in which he finished third in the final world standings after and explosive run at the National Finals Rodeo. Over that 10 days in Las Vegas, he won four go-rounds pocketed more than $250,000 and pushed his season earnings to just shy of $380,000.

He gained experience. He gained confidence. He gained a boatload of Nevada money.

“I didn’t grow up with much money, so it’s nice having it,” said Hutchings, who added $4,653 to his bank account after winning the Dodge City Xtreme Bulls on Tuesday night. “I’ve been holding on to it. You don’t have a chance to get on NFR-caliber bulls all the time, and we had five, six, maybe seven of them out tonight.”

He matched moves with Frontier Rodeo’s Jackpot, a fitting name for the gambling bull rider Hutchings is turning out to be. With his early-week payday, he moved up one spot to sixth in the 2023 world standings with $124,761. It is the second Xtreme Bulls title he’s won this year; he also claimed the crown in late June at Clear Lake, South Dakota.

“You never know if you’re going to win one of these when everybody else is riding so well,” he said. “We had the top 40 in the world here tonight, but that bull and I matched up well together and it ended up working really good.”

He did a bit of homework on Jackpot before he had the chance to wrap his hand in the bull rope. By watching videos shown to him by fellow bull rider Josh Frost, Hutchings gained some insight. It’s just like a professional team scouting its upcoming opponent.

“Josh showed me two videos on him, and he was really good both times,” Hutchings said. “Just was even more excited for me to get on him than I was. I could see why; he was a blast.”

With so much money won by early August, he hopes to have secured a second straight bid to the NFR, ProRodeo’s grand finale that features only the top 15 contestants in each event at the conclusion of the regular season. With that, he’s going to rodeo closer to his Idaho home over the next few weeks to secure something else that is special to him.

“Winning our circuit is a pretty big goal of mine,” Hutchings said of the Wilderness Circuit, a series of rodeos and contestants primarily in Utah and southern Idaho. “We have Stetson (Wright), Ky (Hamilton), Josh Frost and Hayes Weight, and four of the five of us finished in the top four in the world standings last year.

“It took almost $50,000 just in our circuit to win it last year, so if I could come out on top there, it would be tremendous.”

It’s just one of many big-time goals for the 23-year-old bull rider, but he’s proven capable of much more.

Dodge City Roundup Xtreme Bulls
Dodge City, Kan.
Aug. 1, 2023
1. Tristen Hutchings, 88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Jackpot, $4,653; 2. Trey Kimzey, 88, $3,567; 3. Chance Schott, 85, $2,637; 4. Stetson Wright, 84.5, $1,706; 5. Creek Young, 81, $1,086; 6. Luke Mast, 80, $776; 7. Mason Moody, 79, $620; 8. Canyon Bass, 78, $465.