Etbauer Marks 90 on Son of Sadie
By Ed Knocke
Saddle bronc rider Billy Etbauer may be 46 years old, but he is still riding like a 20-year-old. Etbauer, from Edmond, Oklahoma, showed the young guys in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo field on Wednesday that age has nothing to do with ability when he turned in a 90-point ride to win the seventh round.
The only guy to come close to Etbauer’s performance was 23-year-old Jesse Kruse, who turned in an 86. In fact, Kruse was 2 years old when Etbauer qualified for his first of 21 NFRs.
Other than that, everyone on Wednesday had to look up to Etbauer, who joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1988 and has won five world championships.
He garnered the first-place check, his first at this year’s NFR, aboard a high jumping Son of Sadie out of the Bar T Rodeo string.
“He kind of stood me up there pretty bad,” Etbauer said of the horse that went high in the air early in the ride. “He threw me up out of there and cocked me over. But, I was adjusting all the way. He really bucked.
“He was really good. Horses are like people, they have good days and bad days. Thank goodness he was awesome tonight. I was just glad to be there when the whistle blew.”
After having been bucked off three times earlier in the week, he said he tried to make some changes on Wednesday night. “I just needed to relax and try to ride,” he said. “I talked to (my brother) Robert and basically one of my biggest things was not handling my rein. He’s a good outsider looking in. It was just one thing that he saw on TV. He said just relax, have fun and pick up the rein.”
Etbauer is not in serious contention for the world title this year, but nevertheless he put on a clinic of how to ride a bucking horse on Wednesday night. He is out of the average and stands fourth in the world standings with earnings of $121,550.
Kruse, who ranks fourth in the average that pays a large bonus at the end of the 10-round rodeo, leads the world championship race with $169,308, and has the inside road to the title at this point.
But, Etbauer says he’s not discouraged.
“You always want to do good, but I’m going to try to ride as good as I can ride,” he said. “Sometimes it seems like you can’t do anything right and then it seems like you can’t do anything wrong. I’m just going to keep working at it. Thank God, I’m able to be here.”
Well said, for a guy who is twice the age of most of his competitors.
Check back later for more NFR updates from Western Horseman columnist Ed Knocke.