Winding Road Ends with Tanner Aus Winning Bareback Title at Rodeo Austin
Friday was one of the best night's sleep Tanner Aus had gotten in quite some time.
The Granite Falls, Minn., native has been traversing the lower portion of the United States over the last few weeks, traveling from one Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s event to another.
Last week alone, he hit Rodeo Austin before heading to Houston, then over to Montgomery, Ala., for the Southeastern Livestock Exposition, before coming back to Austin to compete in Saturday’s final go.
As he returned to Texas to get ready for Saturday’s ride, Aus figured out who his matchup would be. He had drawn Andrews Rodeo bucking horse Empty Promises. It was then he knew he had a chance at coming out on top.
“Before they drew it, I kind of figured that one would be here because Sammy Andrews was here of course,” Aus said. “I thought, ‘Man, that would be a really nice horse to have in the short round.’ And when I got the stock last night, sure enough I had him. I was really excited. It actually made it a little bit easier to fall asleep knowing I had a good one drawn and made the most of it.”
Aus had seen other bareback riders post scores in the high 80s at Fort Worth and Tucson earlier this year on the horse, which gave him a strong indication of how things could play out.
The insight ended up paying off as Aus rode for 90.5 points to win the finals and secure the aggregate title with 265.5 on three head.
After finishing tied for eighth in the first round and earning a win in the second go, Aus walked away with $15,678 from the rodeo, helping him stay firmly entrenched in the top 10 of the PRCA World Standings. Prior Saturday’s finale, Aus was eighth in the standings with a little over $38,000 already in his ledger this year.
The win kept Aus’ confidence high as the eight-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier looks to continue building off his success in 2023. He qualified for his fifth straight NFR, finishing 10th in the world standings with a little more than $210,000 in earnings.
Right now, Aus’ focus is on continuing to add money to his earnings and keep himself in contention for a sixth straight NFR berth. After a few weeks on the road, the veteran is looking forward to a few days at home with his family back in Minnesota.
The journey to get there might require a lot of travel, and possibly some restless nights, but if the final destination is Las Vegas, then it’s all worth it.
“Balance is the toughest thing. And I’ve got a family, so that’s on the forefront of my mind all the time. I’m actually catching a flight out here early to go be home for a little while and I’m really looking forward to it,” Aus said. “As far as traveling and going one place to the other, you just make it work. It doesn’t make a lot of a sense from an outsiders perspective, but sometimes you look an expensive flight to make a little bit of money or maybe not make any money, but when every dollar you make is a point in the standings, you’re hoping it all makes sense at the end of the September.”
Other results from Rodeo Austin
Steer wrestler J.D. Struxness placed in all three rounds, finishing with an aggregate time of 11.8 seconds on three head to win the title and $13,512.
The team roping duo of Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord covered all three runs in a total of 12.5 seconds to win the title and 19,267 each.
Westyn Hughes came away with $14,875 in earnings and the tie-down roping title as he completed his three runs in a total of 24.3 seconds.
Bull rider Trey Kimzey had two qualified rides, earning $27,505 in all.
ALEX RILEY
Alex Riley is a writer for Sports Illustrated's feature, Rodeo Daily. Formerly working at news outlets in South Carolina, Texas, Wyoming and North Carolina, Alex is an award-winning writer and photographer who graduated from the University of South Carolina.