Jacob Edler Finds his Groove at RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo
Jacob Edler boasts a resume that reminds competitors he was the top steer wrestler in ProRodeo not long ago.
He won the PRCA World Championship in 2020. Then, like many cowboys, the sport humbled him. Edler never lost his talent but lacked chemistry with his horse. Now aboard a 9-year-old horse named Mud Duck, he’s throwing dirt on the competition again. Edler won the average at the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Duncan, Okla., posting a time of 15.0 seconds on three head, pocketing $5,358 for the win.
“I knew when I came in, I was leading the average on my last round, and I was the very last to go. I had a good steer, an honest steer,” said Edler, who won five events this past season. “I just had to do my job. It worked out. I love coming here.”
Edler knows what it takes to dominate. However, he has missed the NFR in back-to-back seasons. What changed? Simple. He wasn’t on the right ride.
“I tried to go ahead and make my second NFR this year and get back to the top, but I just wasn’t riding the horse I needed to be. So, the first week of August I packed up and went home,” said Edler, who returned to Oklahoma. “For me to be successful, I had to find confidence in a horse again.”
Edler wrapped up the 2022 ProRodeo regular season 46th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings. He admits his horse Mud Duck is a little green but working the circuit rodeos has accelerated his development. Success has followed. Edler doesn’t have to squint anymore to see an NFR berth in his future. He believes 2023 can become a blast to his past.
“Yes, I now have confidence in myself again and my horse. I am bulldogging the way I was in 2020. So, we will do a few more events and take a break in November,” Edler said. “Then we will get into the winter rodeos. I am looking forward to it.”
Other winners at the $218,667 rodeo were bareback rider Jayco Roper (244.5 points on three head); team ropers Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II (14.4 seconds on three head); saddle bronc rider Ean Price (243.5 points on three head); tie-down roper Jerry Adamson (27.6 seconds on three head); breakaway roper KeAnn Hayes (7.9 seconds on three head); barrel racer Ivy Hurst (48.40 seconds on three runs); steer roper Rocky Patterson (36.50 seconds on three head); and bull rider Trey Holston (163.5 points on two head).
Courtesy of PRCA