WNFR Qualifier Dustin Boquet
2-time NFR Qualifier Dustin Boquet at the Hobbs, NM Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding.
Dustin Boquet, the twenty-six-year-old Louisiana native from Montagut, earned $81,566 for his second chance to compete at the National Finals Rodeo beginning next week in Arlington, Texas, where he enters as the No. 4 ranked bull rider on the contestant draw.
The Cajun cowboy made 31 qualified rides on 79 attempts to win four event titles in bull riding, including the SWELS – Xtreme Bulls (Fort Worth, Texas). His 39% ride average and 83.9 average ride score got him a Top 5 ranking for the second time as he makes his way to the 2020 Super Bowl of Rodeo.
Qualifying for the NFR is logistically no easy feat for the cowboy whose home is 45 minutes south of New Orleans. Bouquet missed the 2019 NFR finishing 36th in the world standings, but 2018 was a completely different story.
In 2018 Boquet jumped 47 places from the 2017 PRCA World Standings to qualify for the 2018 NFR as the No. 3 ranked bull rider in the PRCA. Once he arrived in Las Vegas, he won Round 6 and placed in three rounds to rank seventh with 262.5 points on three head at the NFR. Bouquet Finished 7th in the world standings with $196,934. In 2018 Boquet competed in approximately 110 rodeos, winning seven titles, which earned him $114,587.51 during his quest to compete at the NFR for the first time.
In 2017 he won the Trinity Valley Exposition Fair & Rodeo (Liberty, Texas) and ranked 50th in the world standings with $30,257 in earnings.
Boquet didn’t get on his first bull until he was 16, which some would call a “late” start, but he more than made up for it with this stellar season. His process was to give it all he had and know that there would be tough times and great times. “I just keep my faith strong and kept chasing the goal I had, and it paid off. ”
“If Prayer becomes a habit, then success becomes a lifestyle” was his mantra that same year, also using #mygamehisglory.
In 2016, Boguet was attempting a PRCA and CBR run, and in January, he broke his leg in the practice pen eliminating him from competition for seven months. When he got back on his feet, he qualified for the 2017 CBR World Finals in Cheyenne, where he finished in the top 25 and shifted his efforts to rodeo, where he earned $32,272 in the early days of 2018 qualifying.
Dustin enjoys outdoor sports including fishing and hunting and his social media is full of great photos of enjoying the outdoors. Boquet joins a long line of successful Louisiana bull riding talent, including 2-time NFR qualifier Koby Radley, PRCA World Champion Mike White (1999), PBR World Champions Troy Dunn (1998), Chris Shivers (2003), and CBR World Champion Cole Echols (2013).
Courtesy of TuffHedemanBullRiding.com