Q Taylor Rides Hot Streak Right to the Wire to Qualify for First NFR

With the National Finals Rodeo looming, rodeo athletes on the bubble had to fight and scratch to break into the top 15.

After narrowly missing the NFR in 2023, Q Taylor is set to make his first appearance at the Thomas and Mack this December. Though he came into the last months of the season on the outside looking in to the qualifying spots, Taylor dominated the late-season rodeos, averaging 85 points every time he nodded his head.

Taylor took the win at several major rodeos early in the season, including Rodeo Austin. Heading into the end of his season, though, he was still short of qualifying for the NFR.

A first-place finish at the Pendleton Round-Up in Pendleton, Ore. was a big step toward Taylor’s Vegas dreams. He was 91 points in the final round to secure one of the biggest victories of his young career on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cat Walk.

“I was excited to see Q draw [Cat Walk]” said Ty Hamaker, flankman for Summit Pro Rodeo. “He’s been riding really good lately.”

Hamaker wasn’t alone in his excitement. “I was dang sure excited,” Taylor said about drawing Cat Walk. “I knew I had a real good chance.”

Momentum kept building as Taylor picked up crucial checks in Omaha, Neb., Mandan, N.D. and Sonoma, Calif., inching closer to the cutoff line with each ride.

His traveling partners, Logan Hay and Ben Anderson have been an important part of his success, Taylor said, adding, “We just like to have fun and ride bucking horses.”

Before The Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., Taylor sat 19th in the world. The Governor’s Cup is one of the last opportunities for rodeo athletes to strike and move up in the standings.

In the first round, Taylor climbed aboard Calico Color of Burch Rodeo. While he didn’t place in Round No. 1, he wasn’t worried.

“We both kind of had an off day,” Taylor said. “But I never let it panic me.”

Taylor went on to win the second and third round, which qualified him for the lucrative four-man round. Right before he got on his final horse, though, he learned there had been a mix-up.

“They said I had Raging Lunatic, and Dawson [Hay] had Moose, but then they switched it,” Taylor said.

There was a lot of confusion and last-minute resaddling of horses, but it didn’t shake either of the bronc riders. “We still won first and second!” he added with a laugh.

Taylor left Sioux Falls with more than $35,000 – more than enough to punch his ticket to his first NFR.

His final push of the season landed Taylor No. 13 in the PRCA saddle bronc standings, joining fellow NFR rookie Weston Patterson, who finished at No. 10.

For Taylor, the dream is no longer on the bubble — it’s happening under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack.

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