Petrucci Embracing Rapid Rise Through Women’s Ranch Bronc Riding Ranks

Daniella Petrucci’s last two years have been a dichotomy of learning to let go while also holding on.

On one hand, she’s still the southern Florida native who grew up show jumping in the equestrian industry. Her riding journey started when she was just 4 years old, turning into a lifelong obsession.

On the other hand, she has become a championship-level roughstock competitor, eager to ease into the bucking chutes, chasing the eight-second whistle at rodeos across the country.

It’s a juxtaposition of two paths that shouldn't converge. But for Petrucci, that's exactly where she wants to be.

“Show jumping was very much more of a controlled environment. Mentally, everything was just kind of controlled, perfect, nothing was out of order. Coming into the roughstock scene, I had to learn how to really put my trust in faith in God because he’s the only one that’s in control at the end of the day, “ Petrucci said. “It was a big thing for me to transition from having this feeling in the show jumping world of everything had to be perfect and everything had to be in control, to get here and let go of control. That was definitely a hard thing to learn. But it’s been really good for my faith and it’s brought me a long way as a person.”

Following a New Dream

Two years ago, a then 16-year-old Petrucci begged her parents for a specific birthday gift – to let her travel more than halfway across the country for a Women’s Ranch Bronc Championship (WRBC) school event in Parshall, N.D.

Jump seat riding was always something she enjoyed, but, if Petrucci was being honest with herself, she looked forward to the horses that gave others trouble. If it crowhopped, bucked or reared, she was excited for the challenge.

While her rodeo experience was almost nonexistent, she had seen roughstock competition before. Then she discovered there was a women-only league. She knew she had to see it for herself.

Petrucci and her mother made the trip out west. At that point, she’d never truly ridden a bucking horse in the traditional sense. At the school, students learn fundamentals on the ground before doing the real thing. She soaked it all up, waiting for the moment. Once that gate finally opened, there was no closing it.

“Ever since I felt that adrenaline rush, I was just set. I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. I’ve kind of been traveling the circuit with them ever since,” Petrucci said.

Daniella Petrucci rides a bucking horse — Daniella Petrucci has quickly become one of the best female bronc riders in the world. | Michael Magill/@michael_magill_photography

As a rookie in 2025, she made an instant impact on the WRBC, finishing runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race while falling one spot shy of reaching at the league’s world finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Those near misses last season became fuel for 2026. Over the course of the regular season, Petrucci was a force, racking up wins and points, holding the top spot on American leaderboard for a majority of the year. Before the WRBC’s United States Finals in Steamboat Springs, Colo., over the Fourth of July weekend, Petrucci had essentially locked up the season championship.

But after coming up short last season, she wasn’t about to leave anything to chance.

The Journey To Cheyenne

Petrucci’s first go ended with a hard fall over the front end of the horse. She hit her face and the animal stepped on her arm. Following a visit to the local emergency room, she was cleared to ride if she felt up to it.

Her second go went much better, but during the dismount she dislocated her shoulder. Paramedics told her she’d have to go back to the ER for a reset. Moments later, a spectator emerged, asking Petrucci if she wanted his wife, an orthopedic surgeon, to look at the injury.

“Everyone’s looking, all the contestants are watching, the crowds are watching and she looks at my shoulder and all of a sudden, she pops it back in and then it was perfectly fine. And then (WRBC co-founder) Michelle (McElroy) tells me I won the rodeo. So I didn’t have to go to the hospital and I ended up winning the second go round,” Petrucci said with a laugh. The win secured the United States title, allowing her to opt out of the third go and rest ahead of the WRBC World Finals.

Which brings Petrucci here, to Cheyenne for the first time at the Daddy of ’Em All. The WRBC field features 12 competitors from five different countries – America, Canada, Belgium, Australia and Mexico. The semifinals will be on Saturday, July 18 with championship rides during Sunday’s performance.

To finish on top, she’ll have to overcome a rank pen of horses and a stout field of competition. In just two years time, she’s gone from a first-time bronc rider to the cusp of a world championship.

Letting go and holding on. Petrucci continues to navigate both aspects of this journey with poise and determination. Where it ends is to be determined, but she’s certainly enjoying the ride.

“Getting to Cheyenne has definitely been the dream from day one. Ever since I found out about the bronc riding, I just knew that was what I wanted to do and become a world champion,” Petrucci said. “To become a world champion would just mean the world to me. To have that platform, it’s been the goal that I’ve been working towards since day one.”

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