LAS VEGAS – Taylor Broussard is a cowboy.
He’s also a politician of sorts. He’s not running for Congress or any public office, but when he felt the need to voice his opinion prior to the National Finals Rodeo, he made sure he was heard.
Case in point: Burch Rodeo’s Bunk House Mouse, a powerful bay bucking machine. When the top 15 bareback riders were trying to find the top 100 horses to be matched with during the 10 days in Las Vegas, Broussard let the group know his thoughts on the horse. He’d seen the horse perform well in western Idaho.
“I found a video and sent it to the guys,” said Broussard, 31, of Estherwood, Louisiana. “We were waiting to watch (the horse) in Sioux Falls (South Dakota on the final weekend of the season) and see how it goes, because this is a young horse. He was outstanding there.”
All that work paid off during Friday’s second go-round when he matched moves with Bunk House Mouse for 84 points to earn a share of fourth place for the second straight night. That was worth another $9,418, and, combined with the $10,000 all qualifiers earn when they arrive in Sin City, pushed his NFR earnings to $28,836.
Broussard has collected nearly $160,000 this season and has moved up four spots to 10th in the world standings.
The horses were placed in five pens depending on their bucking style. Friday’s grouping was called the “buckers” or “semi-eliminators.” That provides just a precursor of what the bareback riders will feel Saturday night when they face the “eliminators,” the hardest-to-ride horses in rodeo. Broussard is matched with Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Mr. Harry, a big, powerful sorrel gelding that Jess Pope rode to win Round 3 in 2022, the same year Pope won the world championship.
“I feel healthy and super strong right now,” said Broussard, now competing in his third NFR. “I feel like I’m riding at my best, and my equipment feels good; that’s one of the most important things. I’m just going to keep doing my job and slay the dragon (Saturday).”
The match-ups selected by a random draw are released the night before. The “eliminators” can be intimidating, and bareback riders testify that they don’t get a good night’s sleep prior to getting on such rank bucking horses. Broussard’s mind isn’t circuited that way.
“It’s just another day to me,” he said. “If you start changing anything, that’s when you get to your head. In the past, I was just excited to make the NFR and wanted t have fun. This year, I’m all about business.
“I do this for a living. I’m just doing my job ever night, and that’s how I stay focused. I almost get more nervous on nights like (Thursday) on the easier horses. I’m actually going to be less nervous (Saturday). When you have an “eliminator,” there’s only two way it can go: You either bear down and it goes good or you get your ass kicked. Either way, it’s not going to feel great, but it’s bucking-horse riding. This is what I live for.”