Taylor Broussard Claims Odessa Title
ODESSA, Texas – Winning the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo is no easy feat.
Bareback rider Taylor Broussard, who bought his PRCA card in 2013, accomplished that goal with an 87-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Black Fury.
“I’m very happy to win Odessa, it is the biggest ProRodeo I’ve ever won,” said Broussard, 25.
The Estherwood, La., cowboy made his ride during the first performance of the rodeo Jan. 4 and then had to wait until Jan. 12 to see if his score would remain atop the leaderboard.
“It made it a little more special being out in the first perf and winning it,” Broussard said.
Broussard also drew Black Fury in July at the Kansas Largest Night Rodeo in Pretty Prairie, where he finished sixth with an 81-point trip.
“He was good the first time I got him, and I didn’t ride him quite as good as I wanted to ride him,” Broussard said. “In Odessa, he bucked a lot harder and I rode him a lot better. The ride felt good. The horse had a lot of moves and I felt like I spurred him every jump. It felt good when the whistle blew.”
Broussard earned $3,043 for his performance. The past two seasons have been the best in Broussard’s ProRodeo career, as he earned $19,169 in 2017 and $27,381 in 2018.
“I’m going to go full time again this year and try and make the NFR,” he said. “I’m pretty confident in my riding abilities. I always knew that I had the skills to compete against the best, but since the end of the (2018) summer run and into this year (2019), I have really stepped up my game. I’ve been keeping my chin down and things have been going a lot better for me. I’ve also been getting on better horses, which helps a lot.”
Rodeo is a family affair for Broussard. His wife, Alishea, and his little sister, Elizabeth, 19, compete in barrel racing.
“It’s pretty cool being able to go to rodeos with your family,” Taylor said. “That’s great that we all get to do what we want to do.”
When Taylor isn’t rodeoing, he works in his family’s business – Acadia Crawfish Company in Crowley, La. The company is run by Taylor’s father, Scott. Taylor also trains horses.
“When you can eat crawfish as fast as me, you can eat a lot,” Taylor said. “I can for sure eat eight pounds of crawfish in one setting.”
Other winners at the $222,609 rodeo were all-around cowboy JoJo LeMond ($3,385, team roping and steer roping); steer wrestler Matt Reeves (9.6 seconds on two head); team ropers Dustin Egusquiza/Kory Koontz (8.5 seconds on two head); saddle bronc rider Preston Burr (87 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Bombshell); tie-down roper Tyson Durfey (17.7 seconds on two head); barrel racer Michelle Alley (14.05 seconds); steer roper LeMond (60.5 seconds on four head); and bull rider Parker McCown (88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s No. C05).
For move coverage of the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo, check out the Jan. 25 edition of ProRodeo Sports News.
Courtesy of PRCA