Rusty Wright Widens World Standings Lead With Back-to-Back Wins

With five NFR trips under his belt, Rusty Wright has not qualified since 2020, but he has made an outstanding comeback this season.

Rusty Wright | Fernando Sam-Sin

The race is on between three brothers battling it out for the No. 1 spot in the saddle bronc world standings. As Rusty, Ryder, and Stetson hold the top three spots, fans are on the edge of their seats to see which one will come out on top. 

Big Wins in August

Rusty Wright | Fernando Sam-Sin

Rusty sits at No. 1 right now and is only extending his lead, as he pulled in the win at the Gem State Stampede in Coeur D' Alene, Idaho, earlier this week. It wasn’t his only recent win that pushed him ahead, as he sits $17,000 ahead of Ryder in No. 2.

After finishing at No. 26 last year, Rusty was not going down without a fight this season, especially as his brothers dominate professional saddle bronc. He’s won 10 rodeos this season, five of them in the last month, proving he’s on a roll right now, which has extended his lead at the top. 

The win at Gem State earned him a check for $4,286 thanks to his ride of 85 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo's Barraness. 

Rusty Extends His Lead

This wasn’t the only win he pulled in recently. Wright competed at back-to-back rodeos, winning at the Rosebud Fair Rodeo Xtreme Broncs. He continued his winning streak at the Kitsap Stampede, where his massive 91.5-point ride earned $7,445. 

Wright took home another win at the Range Days Rodeo with an 87-point ride on Lunatic Nation from Burch Rodeo for $3,480, and this was all within days of each other. Wright is now battling for another win as he competes at the Magic Valley Stampede this weekend. 

At 30 years old, Wright comes from a family of legendary cowboys, including his World Champion father and uncles (Cody, Jesse, and Spencer).

Rusty's brother Stetson is a 10-time World Champion (split amongst titles in All-Around Cowboy, Bull Riding, and Saddle Bronc Riding). Their brother Ryder has three world titles in saddle bronc riding and finished as the Reserve World Champion last year behind their youngest brother, Statler, who earned his first World Championship in 2025. 

Rusty has $1.3 million in career earnings and has banked nearly $250,000 this season alone — over triple his 2025 season earnings. The 2014 Resistol PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year is hungry for his first gold buckle, and this momentum could carry him to it in just a few short months.