ProRodeo Sports News - April 20, 2018

Breding hits the trifecta in bull riding

BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI T he last couple of seasons of ProRodeo haven’t been the easiest for bull rider Parker Breding. After making the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2013 and 2015, the 25-year-old from Edgar, Mont., hasn’t been back. The RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo might go a long way toward helping Breding find his way back to ProRodeo’s biggest stage. Breding won his third RAM NCFR buckle, taking home $29,567 (including ground money) in Kissimmee, Fla., April 5-8. That was the most money of any competitor at the rodeo. “This is amazing; I came down here wanting this really bad,” Breding said. “I needed a money boost, because I’m up there toward the top of the standings, but I need to keep winning more and this helps. Winning this kind of money was great, but they sure made me work for it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” All that money allowed Breding to leapfrog from fifth place in the PRCAWorld Standings to second with $83,984 as of April 16. Breding’s last trip to the Wrangler NFR was his best season. That year, he finished seventh in the world standings after earning $176,247, including taking home $54,000 from the Wrangler NFR. But last year Breding finished with $33,527, and in 2016, when he won his second RAM NCFR title, he finished the season with $41,160. “During the last two years I’ve

Parker Breding won the second round of the RAM NCFR with a 90.5-point ride on Hi Lo ProRodeo’s 20 To Life on April 7. Breding went on to win the RAM NCFR and take home almost $30,000. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Kent Soule

had to deal with a lot of injuries, and it made me take a close look at what I was doing out here and why I was doing it,” Breding said. That brought a bit of introspection. “Through that, I was able to find that I really do love the sport of bull riding,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of growing up and maturing over the past few years, and I learned how to handle losing better. I’ve been better mentally, and I’ve been able to shake off bad rides and move on to the next one. That’s been a key.” Breding posted an 83.5-point ride on Brookman Rodeo’s Chicken Dance in the RAMNCFR finals, tying with Brady Portenier, who rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Jay-Z. Breding earned the buckle because of his higher-scored ride in

the semifinals, 90 points on Rafter HRodeo’s Nose Bender. “I knew that bull (Chicken Dance) because I had been on him twice before – one of which he really put me down on my head,” Breding said. “He’s a smaller bull and doesn’t really fit me too well. There were a lot of past demons there, but I was able to fight through it and grit it out for a score.” With RAMNCFR titles in 2014, 2016 and 2018, Breding is enjoying winning every other year. But he’d like that to increase. “Winning every two years is great,” he said. “I’d like to get it down to every year, but every two is better than nothing.”

ProRodeo Sports News 4/20/18

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