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Larsen Having Fun with Big Scores

LAS VEGAS – Time flies when a person is having fun.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo has flown by for bareback Orin Larsen, who has had as much fun as anybody as he chases a world championship.

Orin Larsen

“I feel like three days ago was Dec. 1 when we showed up,” said Larsen, a five-time NFR qualifier from Inglis, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska. “I just try to slow everything down as much as I can. I need to remember to just enjoy it; it’s not going to last forever. There’s going to be a day when this is just going to be a memory for me. I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can as often as I can.”

He should. Over the course of the first seven rounds, he has placed on five nights, including the fourth-round victory. He has posted three rides of at least 90 points, with the most recent happening in Wednesday’s seventh round. He posted a 90-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo’s Mayhem to finish second, pocketing another $20,731.

Actually, Mayhem was Larsen’s second horse of the night. He was originally mounted on Kesler Rodeo’s Uptown Flash, but the paint didn’t have a good trip. Larsen took his re-ride opportunity and made the most of it.

“I don’t now what happened; the horse just had a bad day,” he said. “Tim (O’Connell) rode that horse and was 89.5. The re-ride worked out good.”

That’s a bit of an understatement. He has earned $80,231 through seven nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale and has pushed his season earnings to $253,673. He is No. 2 in the world standings behind leader Clayton Biglow, but Larsen is still very much in the world-title race with three rounds remaining in the 2019 season.

“When you are 90 points three times during the finals and only won one round, it’s a pretty salty bareback riding,” Larsen said. “It’s just a great group of guys. Everyone is just hammering horses and doing good. It’s so fun to see. When you get to see everyone riding this good, there’s nothing more fun.”

Courtesy of twisTEDrodeo.com

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