Canadian Standout Grabs Redemption with Ranch Bronc World Title in Cheyenne

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Blayne Bedard was waiting for this moment, but not for the reason many would assume.

The Women’s Ranch Bronc Championship (WRBC) was on the verge of crowning a World Champion as part of Sunday’s performance at Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days. Bedard, a representative from Team Canada, was in contention after finishing runner-up in Saturday’s semifinal round.

Everyone in the field was chasing the championship buckle. Bedard was pursuing something more.

Last year in Cheyenne, Bedard covered her first horse in the semifinals. Once she learned about her second matchup, she began gathering intel.

The horse, Quiet Prairie, had bucked off a fellow rider in the opening round. Bedard studied some online footage overnight in preparation. The Linden, Alberta native had a plan – an early big jump, a turn to the left and hold tight. In an instant, it all came apart.

“I thought, ‘Make it past that first jump and the hard lift, and then you’ll be OK.’ He wasn’t as strong as he normally is, he didn’t have the same trip that day. I made a couple jumps and I thought, ‘Holy crap. I’m still on.’ I loosened up for a second and then I went over my horn,” Bedard said of the 2025 ride. “That’s why I’ve been focusing on my mental game lately because I know that I should've been able to cover, but I got in my head. I really worked on that this year and came into finals with a stronger mindset.”

On Sunday, that redemption arc came to a gold buckle conclusion.

Matched up against a horse named Bugatti, Bedard followed her runner-up showing of 70 points on Saturday with a round-winning 75-point effort on Sunday to clinch the WRBC World Title, finishing with 145 points on two head.

Blayne Bedard shows off her WRBC World Championship buckle — Blayne Bedard proudly shows off her WRBC World Championship buckle after a strong finish during Sunday's World Finals. | Alex Riley/@ByAlexRiley

The result in Cheyenne was the last piece Bedard had been trying to secure in a yearlong journey. In 2025, she captured the WRBC Canadian Season Championship, but came up short of winning the Canadian Finals. Shortly after came the stumble in Cheyenne.

Since that point, she’s been working on her mental approach. The daughter of a former bull rider, Bedard has been around bucking stock for years. Her journey in the sport started with steer riding before transitioning to broncs about four years ago. Form and skill have never been an issue – the mental side has been a different story.

“I worked a lot on my mental game because that’s a big problem for me,” Bedard said. “Just take a horse for a horse, no matter where you are. It’s just you and that horse – make that ride, ride what they give you. That’s how I came into the finals here.”

Earlier this summer, she earned the first leg of that redemption by securing the sweep in Canada, winning both the season-long championship and finals. That set the stage for the WRBC World Finals in Cheyenne.

Surrounded by friends, family, well-wishers and organizers, Bedard clutched the box carrying the buckle while being interviewed and asked for photos. She often questioned if the moment was really happening, admitting reality had not set in yet.

“At the (Canadian) finals, I almost cried because I’ve been working so hard all year,” Bedard said. “Here (in Cheyenne) I was really hoping to do well, but you’re riding against so many good girls. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself. I was hoping that I was gonna ride the best I can. Now, I’m just flabbergasted.”

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