Tyson Powers Steer Wrestler Stephen Culling to Maple Leaf Circuit Finals Win

Riding award-winning horse Tyson paid dividends for steer wrestler Stephen Culling.

Culling clocked a 5.2-second run in the final run to secure the four-head average title at the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals Rodeo Saturday night in Regina, Saskatchewan.

“This felt good,” said Culling, 28. “I was riding Tyson, so I felt confident in my horsepower, and I drew some good steers all week and it turned out good. (Saturday) night I knew I had to make a smart run and win the average. I didn’t have one that I could win the round on, and I went out there and laid one over. It is always good when you get to ride Tyson.”

Tyson is owned by veteran steer wrestler Curtis Cassidy and won the PRCA Nutrena Horse of The Year, Presented by AQHA in 2020 and 2021. Tyson will be ridden by Cassidy, Jesse Brown and Scott Guenthner at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge in Las Vegas, Dec. 2-11.

“Curtis left here (Regina) as soon as we got done bulldogging and he was headed toward Vegas,” Culling said.

The timing of the win gave the Fort St. John British Columbia native a shot in the arm as he prepares to make a push to make his Wrangler NFR debut in 2022.

“This win primes me up for 2022 and gets the fire lit,” Culling said. “In 2019, I came really close to making the NFR and then with COVID in 2020, I didn’t rodeo very much. I’m getting geared up again and it is on my bucket list to make the NFR.”

In 2019, Culling finished 21st in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $61,161. That year he was the co-champion at the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Fort Worth, Texas.

“I just turned 28 this weekend and this was kind of a birthday present for me, and it was a fun week out here,” Culling said. “I take a lot of pride in winning the Maple Leaf Circuit. It’s exciting. It is a new circuit up here and it is pretty exciting to get this win. It means a lot.”

Courtesy of PRCA