Behind The Buckles Ep 3 Western Weekly Recap w/ Special guest Kade Bruno

In this episode of Behind the Buckles, we sit down with saddle bronc rider Kade Bruno to talk about his rodeo career, the people he travels with, and the different formats that make up the professional rodeo season. Kade shares how much the traveling partner dynamic matters on the road, and why those buddy groups become such an important part of life in rodeo.
We also dig into the way rodeos can vary from one event to the next, from smaller circuit rodeos to bigger winter stops and major championship events. Kade explains how entering, hitting the road, and figuring out the best rodeo format all play into staying competitive and building momentum through the season.
Along the way, Kade talks about the grind of travel, the support system that comes with rodeo, and what it takes to keep showing up when the miles stack up. His perspective gives a great look at how much strategy, chemistry, and consistency go into a successful season.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:01

Spears coffee. Really? Fucking good.

SPEAKER_05 0:10

I love that.

SPEAKER_04 0:11

Hello and welcome back to Behind the Buckles. I know we've had a little bit of a hiatus, but we had to rework how we were going to do this. Luckily, now we're going to have video every time. And these two are going to be my co-hosts because it's kind of hard to nail down Jordan when he's rodeoing. And so we had such a good time last time and had such good feedback that we're going to start. It's going to be called the Western Weekly Recap. It's going to be every Tuesday. Once we get a little tougher, we're going to start going live on YouTube. But we have to learn how to manage.

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Not yet.

SPEAKER_04 0:47

Now you're ready to not be able to cut something out if we need it. But we just had so much fun, and there's so many podcasts that start and then fizzle out. And we just did not want to be one of those. And so we'd been in Arizona. It kind of got away from us. But so that's going to be the change in format. And we'll do some other interviews and different types of deals. But yeah, that's what it's going to be. So each week we're going to have some weeks we'll have a guest, some weeks we won't. This week we actually have the most eligible bachelor in the PRCA coming on in just a little bit. Um, and we get to hear all his stories. But for now, we're just gonna kind of go into a recap of what's been going on in our lives and in the Western world, and then we'll bring him in and interview him, and maybe we'll stay on after and gossip about what he said. So here we go.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:37

So I'll start. We Abby left Arizona before we did. Lame, but then we left a little bit after we just got home last week and then went down to my friend Megan's wedding in Grace. So it was like we were home and then gone again. Um, before that, when we were in Arizona, Jordan was at the Chandler Extrem Bowls and he kind of pulled on his shoulder a little bit wrong, so he's taken a little bit of time off. But he will be back at Red Bluff in his hometown. So he's headed there. Well, kind of his hometown, basically. So he's headed there. And then also in my life, the best horse in the world, Flash, she got bred. And so hopefully that works out good. And those are my two little quick updates. These two have a pretty good story about what they've been doing. So I'm gonna let them add it now because I've been talking too much. I'll let you tell it.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

Well, we we came back to Idaho hitting the ground running because you know we have kids, yeah, and so we have all the sports and all of the things happening. But Megan and I did go to Redmond, Oregon to the rodeo last week. There were some moral victories. Not for you, not so much for me, but I didn't have that great of a victory. So anyway, I didn't go that guy. So first we walk out, and we're we actually we both have cousins in that area. Yeah, and we both got to see them. That was great. And that was highlight. Yeah, that was fantastic. And when we walked out, Meghan's like, so we got a flat tire on your truck. Now, mind you, I can make the story so long, but I'm gonna shorten it. I cannot unhook my living quarters because my batteries are dead.

SPEAKER_05 3:14

And it was cold in Redmond, so we ran the batteries for the propane heat because if we hadn't, it snowed, and you know, we had just come back from Arizona, so maybe not most prepared for snow on the ground.

SPEAKER_04 3:27

And if you listen to our last podcast, sorry to interrupt. You know, sometimes our batteries run out on our trailer, and sometimes we don't change them that quick. It's ever that's text Jordan and Jerry's job.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

And also, I had squoshed my brand new generator, and so our generator, we were using electrical tape to keep the choke running. I mean, we're handy, we it was going, but anyway, we couldn't unhook my trailer to change my outside duel. Granted, I told everybody it was an inside duel, so I sounded tougher, but it was totally the outside duel. So she literally trying to be like, well, it's an inside duel, I can't change it. So we had to wait for Le Schwab. So we got to have a fabulous lunch with all of our people. That was a great one. We were very happy.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

Shout out Madeline's and Redmond.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

I wasn't there, I was like, I was it's the place. So, anyway, so then we're like, okay, let's get on the road. And we're like, okay, we get loaded. My cousins, who we love, Luke and Jess, were like, just stay the night. And I'm like, you know, we have things, we have things, we gotta get going. We're so responsible. Absolutely. So we get on the road, and my phone sometimes doesn't work, and Tex had just been yelling at me that I hadn't updated the GPS system on my pickup. And we were talking and I missed the first turn. And I'm like, oh, just look, just look again where we're supposed to go. And it said Alfalfa Road, which I know that there is a gas station on Alfalfa Road. Now, granted, I have a 50-gallon tank and a slip tank in my pickup, but when they hooked up the slip tank, it doesn't work. Tex has put fuel in my slip tank before, and so I knew there was some fuel, but it doesn't transfer over. Long story short, we get quite a ways from Prineville, Redmond, all of those towns.

SPEAKER_05 5:14

In our defense, we had added a gas station to the stop. Like we've added a stop as a gas station. Turns out that gas station didn't have diesel diesel or gas.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

It was for decorations, it was just pretend. It was cute. So we get out there, Rainey's calling us, and we're she's trying to talk to us about a story. And I'm like, Megan, for real, how many miles? Because we have 16.

SPEAKER_05 5:37

And I said it's 20 back to Prideville.

SPEAKER_04 5:40

So I'm like, okay. She's like, I'm turning around. I'm like, hey, okay, have a great time.

SPEAKER_05 5:48

See ya.

SPEAKER_03 5:49

Long story short, we're not gonna make it. So I have this genius idea. I'm said, we can siphon out of my slip tank. There's already a hose. We are handy, we can do these things. So here Megan and I are parked on the left side of the road at an angle because we're smart with a hose, and I'm kneeled down on the side of the road with Megan holding the hose above me. And I'm like, is this a lull moment? I can't get any diesel out, nothing is happening. So then Megan starts to try. She gets a little bit, we're trying to put it into a water bottle, she pukes. I decide we're gonna cut the hose. So I start to cut the hose like a total girl, and I slice my finger. So now I have vet wrapped my finger and bled through that. We decide to call my cousins. Yeah, Luke and Jess, who don't answer initially if you're listening to this.

SPEAKER_04 6:38

And because they were mad you guys left.

SPEAKER_03 6:40

Yeah. So anyway, the longer story part of this is that Megan and I napped on the side of the road for two hours.

SPEAKER_04 6:48

I have to interrupt you real quick. Wasn't it me and you when we were headed to Chick and Cindy's after Omac in my truck? I was my slip tank on my truck was a gravity flow, and we left OMAC and we had like I think it's like 25 miles to uh Chick and Cindy's and except for it's it's turns and straight up hills. And same thing, we pulled over and we were trying to siphon fuel out of my fuel tank. Oh no, but before the chick showed up, thank God, because we had no service. If he wouldn't have showed up, we wouldn't have made it.

SPEAKER_03 7:20

Also, we were on the reservation, just saying, like, here we are, we have no service. But before we had Chick and Sydney had to come, I figured out that I can fit through a slider while we're driving window because I'm back there like trying to like maneuver to make the gravity feed. So the moral of the story is we have ran out of fuel between Megan and Rainey and I in every single state in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm the common factor.

SPEAKER_04 7:45

It was like our friend Jesse, though. I have ran out with her in Utah and Wyoming. Oh, so it's clarified.

SPEAKER_05 7:51

So it's just I ran out with Jerry in Texas. So we're just gonna go.

SPEAKER_04 7:54

Yeah, see, so we just and Jordan always asked me, How do you run out of fuel? I'm like, Well, I think it's pretty easy since we all do it. It just you just don't have any, not that hard. The next day, Megan calls me, she's like, Yeah, I've been burping up diesel all day. I'm like, Oh, that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 8:09

I did also throw up a lot, it was not great. Don't recommend that.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

She did get some out of the tank, but yeah, not enough.

SPEAKER_05 8:16

It was but Jess and Luke did show up with 15 gallons of diesel, a case of water and a case of white claws, and pretzels for us.

SPEAKER_03 8:22

Yeah, so we worked out.

SPEAKER_05 8:24

She did wake us up from our nap because we were sound asleep on the side of the road, so we at least got a little sleep.

SPEAKER_03 8:30

Again, nobody died. We made it.

SPEAKER_04 8:35

Yeah, we did. But you also had a good run in Redmond. Yeah, you didn't even bring that up. It was a great run. Redmond's act, you guys took Ellie Buchman with you. She got a check. I feel like she made a great run. Badass run. She did. You had a good run. That horse is awesome. Such a nice she has quite a few nice horses, a string of them, yeah. And have made some phenomenal horses. So yeah, and you know, you had a learning experience, and it's all good. Yeah. And now Megan's gonna go to Celina this weekend and kick their ass at the Calgary qualifier.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

Absolutely, that will be fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 9:10

And we're gonna go to Lucy's race. Yes, yes, we're gonna do it. That's what we're gonna be doing this weekend.

SPEAKER_05 9:16

Yeah, and Coyle's gonna go to the junior rodeo, the junior high rodeo. It's gonna be great. Jerry's going to the horse owned salmon.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

Everybody's going different directions. Apparently, Marshall has a bye with his baseball games. I didn't even realize that. So that is good because we play baseball three days a week.

SPEAKER_04 9:28

That's a lot of baseball. So Pierre has his kids are in sport every single day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

And I'm not gonna lie, on Saturday's game, I try to always sit kind of by myself. And I was sitting over there by myself on third baseline, except for I had people around me, and I definitely cussed out loud, very loud. And I looked to the lady next to me and I'm like, did I just cuss that loud? She's like, It's fine. This is my life.

SPEAKER_04 9:55

We're all competitive, but it's like I'm sure everybody watching this is very competitive. And kids' sports, when I was coaching a couple years ago, when a couple after I came back from college, so more than a couple, I guess, because I'm getting older.

SPEAKER_06 10:09

Really?

SPEAKER_04 10:10

I was coaching freshman girls basketball, and I got yelled at by the ref to calm down. So I think we just all kind of have that.

SPEAKER_06 10:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:18

I did tell Abby last year I went into one of Coyle's games and I was sitting next to Megan and I was like, Megan's pretty laid back. By the end of it, I'm like baseball.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

It'll bring the worst out in you. You everybody can hear what you're saying, everybody can hear whatever else is saying. Yeah, there's downtime. It's just it's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_04 10:36

I'm sorry if I'm on my phone. I'm just trying to help our guest. He's gonna get a spot into uh into the show. And yes, we have notes because sometimes we can get off on tangents and we have to keep our notes. They're circles. That's why I tell my kids. There it's not a tangent.

SPEAKER_05 10:51

We're just it's we just start coming back eventually.

SPEAKER_04 10:54

Yeah, and so that's kind of gonna be the whole point of our show that we decided that we wanted to do because we had talked for a long freaking time about us doing a podcast, and it's kind of intimidating though, even just setting this up and talking to you guys, like it feels a little bit uncomfortable. So I think having the three of us, it is something that we will be able to sustain and continue to do, and then we can just bring our opinions about stuff going on not just in the rodeo world, but in our lives, barrel races going on, like obviously a lot of bull riding that we get to watch, team roping jackpots, horse sales, you know.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

We probably some football, a lot of football, maybe some moms and kids' sports pulling each other's hair.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

Yes, yeah, maybe we'll attach some video, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 11:41

Like we it's yeah, what we care about, our lives. There was a couple good mom fights last year. Yeah, yeah, I wasn't involved in any of them.

SPEAKER_04 11:50

Yeah, but I will say, and so we're gonna, and then if you guys think of anybody that would be you would be interested in having us interview or have on the podcast, just message us because we would love to have on anybody from all walks of life, even outside of the Western industry, because we have I feel like our toe is dipped in so many things that it would be super fun to.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

We have a very diversified group of people, and I I love that about us, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:15

And even like events coming up that you want us to highlight or note or yeah, talk about, you know, I think that's something that is, you know, hard it's hard to always nail down your schedule. So I feel like the more you get airtime of it, it's great.

SPEAKER_04 12:31

Yes, 100%. And just like ranch rodeos that we're going to, like, we'll talk about those. We're gonna talk about just kind of a sporty sport of everything, and kind of like just our schedules. Like when we were in Arizona, you guys all know. Well, maybe not all of you, but majority of people that know me, I'm very obsessed with CrossFit. I'm very annoying. And when I was in Arizona, it's tough to get a good workout in. And so just being in Idaho again for two weeks and being able to go to the gym every day, like, I don't know. And you're the same, and you have your schedule here.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

I don't know. I feel like my pants are telling me I crossfit it a lot more in Arizona than too in Idaho.

SPEAKER_04 13:11

You do you're now that your waters are fixed in Arizona, though, you're gonna have to be less CrossFit for dragging all the hose. But that's true, yeah. But yes, but we were sad to leave Arizona, we had a ton of fun, and that's also what I was gonna say. We're dang sure gonna have Elise and Colton, Kelsey, all these people that you guys are gonna get to meet. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:32

Our friends group, yeah because we're cool, so we want everybody to meet them, and they're so diversified. Like we have friends that have cotton horses or sell horses or breakaway rope or yeah, whatever it may be.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

There's a lot of we we have a lot of friends in different areas of we have Western champs, we have NFL players, we have NFL players, we have future world champs.

SPEAKER_04 13:55

Exactly. Um but I do actually, real quick before our guest comes on, Megan, do you want to tell us about Rancho, the horse sale? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 14:03

So every year they have um, it's like kind of the last hoorah of the horse sales in Arizona, and we get to go. We've been going for oh, I don't even know how many years now, a lot. Um, this year Jerry and I had four horses in there. I had one of my personal horses in there. Um, but it was a great sale, it's a great atmosphere. They, I mean, they play rock music like you're a superstar when you ride in.

SPEAKER_02 14:29

I love that.

SPEAKER_05 14:29

Yeah, and the atmosphere is just loud and fun, and generally the drinks are flowing and everybody's having a good time. And you know, the horses all sold really well this year. Um, Coyle got to keep his pony. Yeah, he was jacked about that. Um, the guy accidentally bought the wrong horse, and that happens. These things happen. Yeah, it happens about sales. Sometimes people don't tell the truth. Yeah, and it's fine. It ended up working out great. Coyle made the short round on his pony the next day, yeah. High call and second high call, and one ended up winning the roping the next day on his pony. And so it was just one of those things that you know, kind of everything kind of works out for the best. His other horse had kind of been sore, so we were not sure if he was gonna get to rope on him at the high at the junior high rodeos. Um, he's doing a lot better.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

So when she says pony, he's like a metallic cat, like blue, like yes, but fantastic.

SPEAKER_05 15:23

Yeah, he's biased on a metallic cat, but out of a um uh Amish pony mare, I guess. And so I mean he's worked for a living, so he thinks that roping with Koila is pretty pretty cake.

SPEAKER_04 15:35

I got to kill on him one time, and I'm like, this is like super what it's supposed to feel like. Yeah, he is pretty cool. We did a lot of team roping this winter. Yeah, we did. I would arguably I did a lot more team roping than I did barrel racing, but I had a good time. Now, it was the one thing that I miss so much is every Friday we would do oh yeah. Um Megan's parents set it up, and it was uh oh, he's about to get on. They did happy hour with advertisers, and so we would team rope, we would get to team rope with all these fun people, and then after it was like full charcuterie boards, like beers, whatever you want, and you just all sit around, and it was it was like our community block.

SPEAKER_03 16:15

Everybody come in. That's something you love about Arizona the most is the community feeling, like everybody just comes together, yeah. A hundred percent. But yeah, I also with Rancho Rio and Art of the Cowgirl. I know that's like I don't want to not give credit where credit is due, but like Ty and Stacey Yoast or just not I mean what they put top notch it is fantastic. If you guys haven't been to those events, they're worth going to.

SPEAKER_04 16:41

Yes. I didn't get to go to Rancho because I was being a midwife to my bulldog, but we called her. We yeah, they let me do it, but I'm sure she appreciated the call. Yeah, I was not jealous at all. But Art of the Cowgirl was I team roped one day with Cody Brown, and but that event, it was like insane. I've never if you've never got to go to that, it is so shit. It's all day every day for a week. They have clinicians, yeah, shopping, roping, a ranch rodeo, and then the horse sale is it's just so fun.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

And it feels fancy, so I really like that.

SPEAKER_04 17:14

Yeah, yeah, it's like so fun. And so definitely I would put that on the list of things to go to for sure. Um, but rancho, I did not get to go this year.

SPEAKER_05 17:24

It's so much fun. It it and it just is like the feel of it, everything is just like normal horse sales for us, are very very stressful, yes, and it's still stressful because you want to do good and you want your horses to get the right spots, but it's just like it just feels a little bit more refreshing, it's fun, it's it's a little bit lighter than it's the last handy kind of the lot, it's even though you guys are like just going to salmon this weekend, but it's the last one of Arizona when everything is like Arizona, everybody thinks that you're on vacation all the time, and it is, I mean, it's definitely my happy place.

SPEAKER_04 17:57

I enjoy it a lot, but you're actually busting your butt a lot in Arizona.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

I actually have a stigmatism about this because I didn't even want to admit to anybody that we came back and went to the coast because everyone just thinks we're on vacation Arizona, which I get there, are people that get to like retire and go there, and it's so fantastic. But like we work our tails off, right? I mean, I love it, it's great, but there's a lot of work to be done.

SPEAKER_05 18:23

I had a lady today say, Well, why do you go to Arizona? You're not a snowbird, you're not retired. And I thought, well, I no, I'm not, but I also I work more there, I think. Like work, ride as many horses and do more there than I do at the house because I don't have to worry about taking the kids to school, drop them off because you know my dad homeschools my kids in the parking lot, which is great.

SPEAKER_04 18:46

Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't even know if we I think we probably talked about that on the last one, but Dave literally homeschooled Coyle when he was there, but Teal and Marshall, every single day they would drop them off. Like it was school, yeah. It was like it was awesome. And yeah, so class started at nine. And when your friends work as hard as they do, I'm like, I got to be working harder in Arizona. So I'm like, they definitely drive me in it, but it is but we do have a lot of fun. That's great. But you are still getting up every single morning, especially that last week we were there, you got out of there luckily before. I mean, 106 every day, like just like in Idaho when it's like the end of August and stuff, and you have to get outside and start riding your horses by five or six. That was Arizona, and I was ready to come home at that time because I don't really like that kind of well.

SPEAKER_03 19:36

Also, I had to leave because Marshall killed a rattlesnake on the back of our place with his BB gun. And then they came over when I was at our place by myself after I'd just been like wandering around out there in the dark. And Teal actually saw, and it was close to my living space, like my pump and all these things. So we had to call Jordan because I'm like, they're like, Abby, there's a snake. I'm like, I'll get a shovel, but are we gonna call someone? See, this is one thing I am not I'm not gonna be prideful about. I do not want to cut its head off.

SPEAKER_04 20:06

Well, and to be honest, like, I never got off my words. Jordan Jordan is a bull rider, so you know, he's just built a little differently about fear and things like that. And so I was like, I know that he's killed rattlesnakes. One time him and Ruger, they were in Montana and they're driving down the road, and Ruger was like, Oh my gosh, rattlesnake. So Jordan gets his seven iron out because they were going golfing and tees up and hits his head off. So it's like, I just want him to like think a little bit more about.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

Yeah, Rick's like, Jordan, be careful. And he's like walking up, and this thing kind of rears up and he just shoves, and I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_04 20:39

Because I was like, I don't really want to call. And Megan's like, well, Jerry doesn't want to come over. And I'm like, and Tex was gone, and I'm like, and so Jordan and Coyle come ripping over on the four-wheeler. Jordan takes the shovel. Yeah, like just two seconds. I'm like, just watch him.

SPEAKER_03 20:53

I can't even watch him do it. Let me prepare it's like if we had to do it, we couldn't have done it, but I did not want to. I probably couldn't have done it.

SPEAKER_05 21:01

I've been like, Yeah, you just slip there.

SPEAKER_04 21:03

Because I probably would have missed whenever I tried to hit the head off with the shovel.

SPEAKER_03 21:08

Anyway, and so it yeah, it was time. It was time for me to go home when I had snakes all everywhere in my place.

SPEAKER_04 21:12

Yeah, because then I was still at the Hotwire Ranch and I was by myself, and like my place is the desert. Like, two, what's my parents' place, but two fences are the BLM, and then I just have the pens and stuff, and so every time I'm out there feeding, like I'm like freaking out. And so the last week I moved over to Megan's house because I was like, I'm like, well, everyone's gone. I'm and a lot of people left their place, so I went over there. And even though I know there could be rattlesnakes there, they're a little more like landlocked, so I feel a little less.

SPEAKER_05 21:46

There's like me. No, I let my and every one I would like walk around it, like lift it up. I'm like, I do not want to be surprised by a snake.

SPEAKER_04 21:55

Because every second you look on Wickenberg Bulletin board, someone has a rattlesnake. Oh, a different.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Colored ones, like you know, and I'm like, you guys, this isn't like a competition, but yeah, that's the reason I can't live in Arizona full time.

SPEAKER_04 22:07

I love it there, but I love it too, but like I also grew up on 10 acres, you know, not like a ranch or anything big, and so I don't know like different kinds of snakes. I don't really, I'm not really like wise to all that stuff. Like, I would think a gopher snake, sorry that makes me sound really blonde, but it's just true. Like, I didn't really know the difference. Apparently, gopher snakes are good. We almost walked over one. Yeah. That night we get to their house, we go on a walk, and coil was like, Hey guys, there's a snake. I'm like, it's dead. No, it was alive. We have my kids to keep on the case. Literally marshal coil until the finders.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

Exactly. So yeah, yeah. And also my kid told me, Mom, I need some grass in my life. And I'm like, true.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

You do get home and you're like, you see your yard and you're like, oh my gosh, I missed it. Even though it was really green when we got there this year.

SPEAKER_05 22:57

It was beautiful. And honestly, like right before I left, oh, I was going, Kelsey and I were going to Cave Creek and we were driving over the Care Free, and like every cactus was blooming, and the desert was like green and it was beautiful, and like and the prickly pear margaritas and so.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

If you had a real prick prickly pear margarita, it will change your life because they're not like too sweet, so they're perfect.

SPEAKER_04 23:20

Yeah, yes. I can't. I'm sorry, I'm on my phone. I'm just waiting for him to call in. Where are you going?

SPEAKER_01 23:28

I'm going to the car. I don't know where else to go. I'm at the bar.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

I've never noticed how much car and bar just rang as I just said that. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 23:40

I'm just waiting on you here, cowboy.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

I could have done it at the bar, but there was turn my music in mind. I didn't figure I needed to ask him to turn my music off.

SPEAKER_05 23:50

I'm going to do a podcasting music too for just a second.

SPEAKER_04 23:54

Are we going to be able to leave this part in when I edit it about you walking to the car from the bar and chugging your beer?

SPEAKER_00 24:01

Yeah, I don't care.

SPEAKER_04 24:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 24:04

Should we ask you tomorrow?

SPEAKER_04 24:05

Because it appeared that you were on a date, and I did start the podcast by saying that we were going to have the most eligible bachelor in the PRCA on the podcast. So is that not something I'm going to be able to say now?

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Uh you could still say it, but yeah, I mean I am on a date.

SPEAKER_04 24:24

Why don't you just bring her in this? Yeah, you should have just brought her with you.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Should we do the podcast?

SPEAKER_04 24:32

Why not? I don't know. She might be interesting. Abby actually has a question about your taste and like what sent you to we have to do some serious ones first and then we'll ease into it. Okay, because this would have been a good because I knew who he was on the date with. No, we'll start with some serious questions for you. Okay. So you gotta lock in for a minute. And then you're locked in. Well, can you tell us a little bit about your last couple weeks? Oh, sorry. Okay, see, we're new. And it's just Kate. Okay. Cade, you're gonna uh introduce yourself. Okay. Yeah. Give a little intro and then we'll start asking you some questions. So tell us what event you do because you're not not a lot of people know who you are. Right.

SPEAKER_06 25:20

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_04 25:21

What event you do, how old you are. Give us a kind of a rundown of Cade Bruno.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Yeah, yeah. So my name, obviously, I'm Kate Bruno, uh professional Cyberbrun crowder. Um 25, uh originally from Chalice, Idaho. And uh yeah, I've had a pretty sweet winter so far.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

Yeah, yeah, tell us about 84,000. And I didn't actually realize, not because you know, maybe I'm just not fangirling you because I'm not 25, but that you're over a million dollars. Good job, bud.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

I actually I went over a million dollars last year, right before the NFR.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

Okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 26:00

Yeah, and so yeah, true. It's been a really good last couple years, but even just this winter, this is the best winner I've ever had. Uh two winters ago, I actually left the winner, and I think I had like maybe 4,000 one.

SPEAKER_04 26:12

So I think four. Yeah, that doesn't even kind of compare then right now.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

It just kind of seemed kind of seemed like everywhere I went, things just kind of fell into place. I didn't always have the best horses drawn all winter, but in them set rodeos, like I didn't have to, you know, it didn't matter if I didn't have the best one. It seemed like a couple of my sets that I was in, there were some guys that drew a little bit better, but maybe stubbed their toe, or um, you know, just I don't know, it all it all just kind of seemed to go my way in in the set deal. And and that's that's why I like those rodeos. You know, you can have you don't have to have the best horse in every pen. Versus when we get some of these rodeos in the summertime, there's 60 entries, like you kind of gotta draw pretty good. But in them sets, it makes it to where you're you're riding against eight guys and and just gotta do whatever you can do with what you get drawn.

SPEAKER_03 27:02

It it does seem to kind of even the playing, I mean, maybe not even the playing field, but as far as for like what you're drawing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Yeah, for sure. And the short rounds, the short rounds still get tough when you get to them short rounds, but as far as the just going through the sets, it it kind of it does, it evens the playing field a little bit where and it makes it nice for under contractors to where they're not half in a buck the very best horses they own every time. They can they can go get a set of 18-point hoppers, and as long as all eight of them are the same, it it doesn't really matter what we're getting on.

SPEAKER_03 27:35

Yeah, that I guess I didn't really think about the stock contractors either. Yeah, that is a really good point.

SPEAKER_04 27:39

And honestly, like in the barrel racing, that those tournaments like where the ground changes and things like that. That's what makes because isn't Austin a little different that it's every single perf is against the whole group.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

Yeah, Austin's run really, really backwards for it being uh it they kind of want to say it's sets, and I guess it's not, but they uh yeah, they're the whole long round is one deal. Yeah, and then the top they bring the top 24 rides and runs back to a what they call a semifinal, and then they just put eight eight in each perf, and then after that, out of those 24 runs, it's the top eight overall again, move on to the semifinals isn't even separate, it's just in one or the other, but the top eight times go to the finals.

SPEAKER_04 28:26

Yeah, see, that's just like makes it tough. Yeah, yeah, it defeats the purpose of the tournament.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Oh, makes it oh yeah, like I said, I don't know why they're tournament tournament style because it shouldn't be. But it's also, I mean, that that's what's tough for us, you know, because when you're talking, I think Austin takes 72 guys for us and more for you guys, obviously, it's flaxed and stuff like that. But you take you can't put 72 even horses together, it's just impossible. And so it's one of those rodeos that's either a really easy to turn out of or really easy to go to, depending on what you draw. For sure because you're riding but on the on the same same note. If you draw a middle of the road horse, it's like, well, you better go take your chance because what are the odds you end up in the top 24, and then draw really good in that round and make it into the eight man. So I don't know. It's got some it's plus and minuses for sure.

SPEAKER_04 29:18

For sure, but you did well there, so that was good.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Yeah, ended up second there. Uh actually, I think I made every short round at every yeah, I did. I think I made the short round at every winter rodeo this year, including Tucson and Austin.

SPEAKER_04 29:32

And you're winning San Angelo?

SPEAKER_00 29:34

Uh I won my perf over there, and I was winning San Angelo, and then they had they had another perf since, and I think I'm fourth now, fourth or fifth.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Okay. This has nothing to do with what you have going, but what did it take to make the NFR in their bronch writing last year?

SPEAKER_00 29:50

It took a hundred and 141,000.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

Okay. My traveling partner, um, I obviously traveled with Wyatt and Weston. And uh Wyatt Casper missed the NFR last year. He was 16th. Uh, he broke his leg in July, and we battled. He went and had surgery. We 12 days out of surgery, he came back. Uh, he was never supposed to, and we battled through it and rodeoed the rest of the year actually really pretty hard because he was on the bottom side and he ended up uh 16th with 141,000.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

Oh what was the difference? Like a thousand bucks.

SPEAKER_04 30:31

Uh yeah, and then but then Wyatt went on, which he went on like the next week and did like one new town though, didn't they? For next year, like that was pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

Yeah, we went to the we went to the governor's cop and then uh service put on a deal at the ranch in Rogan, Colorado, and that was the very last day of the season. And we went there and it was that's one of the most heartbreaking experiences being there with somebody. I've never Wyatt's made the NFR every year that we've traveled together. And so this is the first year, like we we knew going in there, it was kind of a it was a different ride. Like our our rig's happy go lucky all the time.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

This one really was throwing out.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Yeah, when we left Sioux Falls and they crunched the numbers, and Lefty didn't get in Sioux Falls, it was he was him and Lefty for 15th and 16th, and Lefty didn't get in Sioux Falls and Wyatt did, but he didn't have a great Sioux Falls. And and we knew driving to Rogan that it was whoever won money at Rogan was in, yeah. It was gonna be oh my gosh, I just got chills. I know. Yeah, no, it was a really weird drive there. We get there, it just felt like so such a different rodeo. And then after it was all said and done, I don't know, I think Wyatt was 83 or 84, lefty was 86. So he won a bigger check and and was in. And like driving to Newtown, we went straight from Rogan and Newtown. Newtown starts our new year, but it's we have one day in between. Um so we were already in Rogan and we were just gonna drive over there and driving to Newtown is one of the weirdest, one of the weirdest drives I've ever had rodeoing with anybody. Just knowing that I mean, as we're driving across there, that they just missed the finals, and you know, he was talking, you know, I think he was being a little sarcastic, you know, gonna have to go get a job now, you know. Like it's just really now that yeah, it's really tough to be in the rig with somebody that's kind of in that mindset, and then yeah, we showed up there in Newtown and he freaking wins 40,000. Yeah, wins 40,000 the first week.

SPEAKER_03 32:36

That was fantastic. But leading up to that, how I mean, because I know I mean I have my own little weird, like, you know, things that I would do, but like leading up to that, even though going into that, you full-on knew. I mean, obviously you're going back to NFR. We've done this consecutively, but do we still not talk about it until the end of? I mean, especially not in front of your traveling partner that's battling, but I mean, do we still just not talk about it until we're like, yep, this is the plan, this is what we're doing. I mean, we all talk about it about you guys and Jordan, like what we're gonna do. But I'm talking about like if you are traveling, even if you're in, you're just like, I'm totally just committed to this season, or I'm like, yep, making the next plan, going to the next thing.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

You know, that's yeah, for me, it was yeah, I was exactly what you guys would have been doing. You know, I'm I'm looking down the road, keeping my mind positive and stuff like that. But as far as like for Wyatt, it was really tough, you know, like just the difference in I don't know, like I said, I guess I've never missed it either since I made it, so I don't know what it's like to miss it. Um and but yeah, no, for for me, I kind of look everywhere, uh, every year that way. I just kind of we get done at the finals and we go back to win a rodeo and that's just kind of my mindset that I I'm going back and and win, lose, or draw in the winter time moving forward. I'm just gonna keep rodeoing and and uh I've always it can't stay bad forever. I feel like when you're one of the top guys, whether it be a top bull rider, top bareback rider, bronck rider, whatever.

SPEAKER_04 34:07

The light is fine. You're orchid if you want to leave it off. Thanks, we'll see you.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

Yeah, turn it back on. But I feel like when you're one of the top guys, like you when you have that I don't know if it's charisma or or what, but like you have that thing about you, like you're you're gonna get back. And so you just keep going. But I don't know, it's it's tough. I feel like anymore it's getting tougher and tougher and tougher. Each year I've rodeoed, it's actually gotten tougher. And there's I don't know what it's like in the barrel racing, but there's young kids showing up that I I've never even heard their name, and I just watch them absolutely like smash something. Yeah, like make one of the best rides I've seen in a while. I'm like, well, who the hell is that? Like, where'd he come from? It seems to happen like every freaking week or every new other rodeo anymore.

SPEAKER_05 34:56

That's yeah. Do you remember what it took to make it your first year?

SPEAKER_00 35:00

The first year took like 90,000.

SPEAKER_04 35:03

Yeah, and that was not that long ago. That's what's so crazy. Like the difference in rodeos, yeah. Because what was your first MSR?

SPEAKER_00 35:11

2122, 22. Yeah, and actually in 22 it took 90,000 that year, and I think I went in 10th or 11th, and I had 138. So, yeah, I mean, now you fast forward to last year, and like I wouldn't even have made it, and that was only four years later.

SPEAKER_03 35:30

That's insane. It feels like that was a blink of an eye. Yeah, yes,$50,000 difference.

SPEAKER_04 35:35

Before we ask you many more questions or more questions about you, I do have to ask your other traveling partner because one of our questions was your traveling partners, Wyatt Casper's one, Weston Patterson is the other. We watched him get stepped on in Houston. I've not really seen anything. He got up and walked out of the arena. It was one of the scarier wrecks I have seen, but is he doing good?

SPEAKER_00 35:56

Yeah, he's doing good. Um, you know, it was actually no, you're you're exactly right. It was actually really scary. Um, we just there's another young kid that rides really good named Coleman Schalbetter. Got in a similar wreck. We just watched in Denver. We were there, and uh it it punctured his his lung and and like broke three or four ribs or whatever, and we went and seen Coleman that night. And like it gets pretty scary walking in the hospital. You know, they told him like you were kind of lucky, and and so when I watched this happen to Weston, it is the same thing just runs through my mind. And so, right as soon as I got off on the 10 man, I run back in there and and uh they did take him to get x-rays right there immediately at NRG. Houston's got a pretty immaculate setup, as you you know. Um, they have a whole kind of little hospital room right there for the NFL players and staff, and so they they took really good care of him. And uh luckily he did not puncture long. He did uh break his ribs. Uh I think he four or five. And then he broke the he broke the one rib in maybe two, two, three places. And so he he is doing well, everything was good that night. He got to watch me get on in the format. Uh, we found a ride home for him. Jess Pope and Ty Pope were uh headed to Austin. So they they took him to Austin and then got him home. And I actually just talked to him today and he's doing doing good. Uh he's been he actually rode a horse today for the first time since. So he's a saddle horse, right? Yep, saddle horse, yep.

SPEAKER_06 37:26

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:26

Yeah, he was he was roping today, but yeah, he's doing good. He's he said the worst thing is to cough or or sneeze or anything like that. But yeah, he is on demand, and actually he said he's he thinks in another two weeks he's gonna try it, but we'll we'll see about that.

SPEAKER_04 37:44

He's up with me. Well, I said we'd only give you 20 minutes, that's clearly a lie. So I'm gonna we're gonna start asking you some questions. Um I don't know where I want to start, but I guess I do like high school sports. You tell us about that, what you did, and then your events in rodeo in high school and stuff, and how you kind of landed on saddle bronch riding, it like where we know you were successful in the other events.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

Yeah, the the high school sports. Um my parents were super, I feel like like anybody else's parents, I said, you know, we'll support you in anything you want to do. And uh, but my dad really did push the high school wrestling or wrestling at a young age, and so I wrestled uh from the time I was four all the way to senior year, and and uh then I played football a couple years, there's a couple years I had a broken leg and I couldn't play. And then I played one year of junior high basketball, and um, that was all the sports I did growing up, just rodeoed outside of that. And it was like summertime we did as many junior rodeos as we could, and but yeah, the the high school wrestling was a bit actually a really big part of my and but it was even before high school. I was on traveling teams and and went and spent some time in Colorado at a training facility right outside of Denver and lived in a hotel room by myself at eighth grade, and somebody picked me up, take me to practice every day, and and uh so yeah, wrestling was a big part. And then when I got into rodeo, high school rodeo, I did all the events except for the bare back riding. Uh I wanted to win the all-around, and so uh I picked up and obviously I grew up farming and ranching. Like I've you know, twirled the rope and stuff, but team open and calf ropen weren't my best events, but I really did like the steer wrestling and and the bronck riding and bull riding, but uh and yeah, I should actually think I finished higher at the high school finals in the bull riding every year than I did in the bronk riding. And there was a part of me that thought that maybe I was gonna be a bull rider, but when I started riding bulls in the PRCA, I actually went for a summer or a fall riding bulls, and it did not go good. I I drew really good though, like everywhere I went, and it just wasn't collected for me.

SPEAKER_03 39:57

You broke your leg in high school riding bulls, or was that after high school?

SPEAKER_00 40:02

No, I was I was 16. I was a freshman. I had to miss the high school finals that year because and it was bad. Yeah, it was it was my femur, and and yeah, I was emergency surgery that night. Uh, I was out for six to eight months, and yeah, no, it wasn't good, but that was kind of what led me to riding Bronx more was that accident happened, and then when I got to come back, I I wasn't cleared actually to do anything, but I started riding Bronx again. And uh so I had like two or three months where I just got on horses and I didn't get back on a bull until like the next spring that year. Um, but that was where the the the kind of the love for the horse job really picked up to, and and then yeah, like I said, once I left high school and I went to college and I college rodeoed, I team roped, steer wrestled, rode bulls, and Bronx in college. But when I hit the the PRCA, it was I don't know, I was paying double entry fees and I was kind of broke and paying$380 at every single rodeo I went to just in entry fees. Not a lot, you know. That didn't include the plane ticket I either had to pay to get there or the driving, whatever it was, you know, it was kind of stacking up. And then if you got into an extreme, it doubled again, and so yeah, I was just I was like drowning in entry fees. And yeah, I think I only rode two or three bulls, and it was the two or three bulls I rode just happened to be at the same rodeo as everybody else rode. You know, you we see it all the time with the bull ride, and nobody rides, and everybody wins ground money, or one guy rides and wins a bed check. But everywhere I rode, it was winning last hole, and so it was just getting really, really expensive. And like I said, I was kind of broke at the time. So I threw the bull rope away and decided that I was gonna ride Bronx because I was winning more money doing that, and that was the here we are. Yeah, that was the kind of the start. It was meant to be, yeah. It took off from there and went good.

SPEAKER_04 42:00

So uh to kinda circle back, so what year did you meet Jordan? How did that kind of start? And then you know, you becoming my roommate for quite a while. What year was that? Yeah, yeah, because I know that you picked Jordan's brain a lot.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

Yeah, well, I started picking Jordan. Obviously, everybody might not know him. Ruger Peva and I are cousins, and um, yeah, Ruger Peva and Ruger, Ruger and Jordan were traveling together from I was still in high school when they were traveling together. And so I'm right, yeah. But I'd run into uh shoot, it'd probably been 2019. I'd run into him a little bit and pick their brain and and uh or not pick their brain, but pick Jordan's brain. Like I said, I knew he'd made the finals and stuff, and so it had probably been 19 when I ran into Jordan, but then it wasn't until like I said, I was broke, and so I ended up over there um in the Caldwell area. I was building fence at the at King's, uh working for 3M fencing, and that was when I kept then running into Jordan more and more and more, and finally he was like, man, you just he's like you just live here. I was like, that's cool. Like, but I I was still trying to rodeo like every I'd work a week, and then whatever I got into, I would obviously go to, and then I'd have to come back and work, and and it actually wasn't until the spring of that year that uh I started hanging out with Jordan a bunch. Uh, I went to the round finals in Florida, it was the first round finals I'd I'd ever made. That was back when they called it the round finals, I guess. Now it's the NFR open, but um, I won 14,000 that weekend, and that like was triple the amount of money I had in my bank account. And so I was ready to go rodeoing after that.

SPEAKER_03 43:49

How exciting is it that we're a million dollars later from that? Right now, in like four years.

SPEAKER_00 43:55

No, it's super it's been super fast. Like I said, it's it is I feel like I just Telling why actually I talked to why this morning we were talking about internet stuff, and I said, Man, he said something about it. I can't believe it's already April. And I told him, I'm like, Man, looking back, like, where'd the last two or three years go? I said, Never mind it. Like, can't believe it's in April. I was somebody asked me the other day, How old are you? Or how old are you now? And I said, 25. And then I got to thinking about it. I'm like, man, I used to be like the young kid. Now I don't feel like the young kid anymore.

SPEAKER_03 44:27

I know, I get it. We go through this. Yeah, we'll hold your guys' hand through this aging thing. Yeah, it's if we haven't figured out. And I'm three years older than Kate.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

So I literally thought that I looked up and I'm like, wow, like, where did time go? I feel like just yesterday I was starting out, and here we are five years later.

SPEAKER_04 44:48

Here we are now we have like pros beat.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

I know that's what I'm saying. I don't know where the last four years went.

SPEAKER_03 44:54

Well, yes, because you've been killing it, buddy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 44:57

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 44:58

Um, I do have kind of a hard question that goes along with the NFR open Ram finals. And and we can like skirt around this if you don't want to like talk directly about it. But how are has anything progressed? So this was probably like two years, maybe two or three years ago. Both Jordan and you, we all claim the same circuit, so I was more involved in this. You didn't get your circuit count in. And okay. Yeah. So how and remember in that one year, correct me, I don't want to butcher the story. You actually went to a rodeo, I'm gonna say it, Joseph, to get on to get your circuit count, correct? And you got on and the horse fell down. Is this correct? I don't want to butcher the story. But you don't get to count that horse.

SPEAKER_00 45:47

I didn't get to count it. It was, it was, I guess they pinned it on me that it was my own fault. Because the horse had fell on me, and and actually it fell on the same leg that had broke, and I'd been struggling with that leg, and right off the bat I told them I'd take the re ride. And so I said I'd take the re ride.

SPEAKER_03 46:07

Oh, you said that you would take it.

SPEAKER_00 46:08

Yeah, I said that I would, and then they went to load it, and I was there was no way I could get on it. So instead of giving me a zero, which they should have done either way, doesn't matter whether I said I wanted the re ride or not, I was physically incapable of doing it, of doing it, and so instead of them riding down, well, just turn down his re-ride and I get a zero for the other horse falling on me, they they drew me out, is what they said I did since I accepted the re-ride and then turned it down. So they drew me out, and then I said that rodeo doesn't count.

SPEAKER_03 46:43

So what happens to the physical injury? I'm butchering how this is written, but visual injury, the vis yeah, the visual injury.

SPEAKER_04 46:51

That how come you couldn't have contested well that's VI count as a rodeo count, right?

SPEAKER_00 46:57

Yeah, yes, okay. Uh well, VI. No, I do think it takes the rodeo away if you VI. But either way, I think I think it does.

SPEAKER_03 47:08

I mean, you physically got on the horse. That's what I'm saying. Like it doesn't in your instance, it doesn't really matter.

SPEAKER_00 47:13

Right, in my instance, it really went there and you rode. Right. I was there, I I contested my horse. That's how that in the rule book. That's how you know I had contested, and then once I accepted a rerand and turned it down, they had to draw me out instead of just give me a zero. So they did try and play it off like word they word soup. Um basically said that it was it was my own fault and that they yeah, they can't count that rodeo, but I found it pretty oh, I'll just say it. It it was shitty, like it was you know, like it like I said, it just the way it all went down, it didn't make sense, and and not that I wanted to throw my sucker in the dirt and say, Well, they're trying, you know, trying to keep me from going somewhere, but it just the whole the whole situation really didn't make sense, and and uh yes, I think that as much as I love the PRCA, I think they have some rules that have some very gray areas. Um they they have an in. Yeah, exactly. You you read our rule book, and like I said, as much as I love it, and it's it's the only job I've I've had the last handful of years and loved, and it's radio is everything I've ever known. But at the same time, I feel like our rule book could get some touch-ups. Uh, we'd leave a lot of gray areas for you know open controversial things to happen, and then everybody's surprised when they happen. But if you just read our rule book, we could do so much better as an association and as a whole, a group, to rewrite some rules and take some of those gray areas out, and and then it'd make our rule book way easier to enforce in my mind.

SPEAKER_04 48:46

And I think I didn't mean interrupt you, I think all of us kind of because we know like Jordan's battled some things with the circuit and stuff like that, too. And uh, like you said about the rule book, a lot of the rules are gray and subject to interpretation, like you know what I mean. And instead of and like, yes, we all love the PRCA, that's why we get to do what we do, right? But a lot of times the tie doesn't go to the cowboy, you know, it just it goes to I guess like it doesn't nobody wins.

SPEAKER_03 49:17

Yeah, that's what the problem is. I I was just bringing that up because I felt like we've obviously the nation has watched things and we're just thinking, but also you still went to that circuit finals.

SPEAKER_00 49:27

Uh no, I didn't actually.

SPEAKER_04 49:29

Um you missed you didn't go two years, right? This was your last year was your first year back.

SPEAKER_00 49:34

Yeah, yeah, I didn't know.

SPEAKER_03 49:36

I thought you still went even though you didn't have your rodeo count. Oh, okay. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 49:41

Um, they would have let me so like I said I missed the rodeo count. I still entered the rodeo, and if there's enough people that have their count, um, so like obviously if 15 guys enter, and even though I was winning the circuit, they're gonna draw me out due to the due to the count. But if if only 10 or 11 guys had entered, I would have got a spot. But uh yeah, they did draw me out that year, and then the next year, like I said, the next year I was uh not gonna lie, I was petty about it, and I was like, screw them, I'm gonna go win that circuit again and not get my count. So I did. Yeah, I think I win 30 or 40,000 that year. I was in the circuit, and uh yeah, I then I didn't even enter the circuit finals, didn't didn't show up.

SPEAKER_03 50:27

Yeah, and my point of bringing this up is it's like you're obviously the best that we have, and we didn't send you, so I don't feel like that was correct, yeah. And the same way Jordan has kind of ran into it too. The barrel racing were all just stacked in there, it's just how it goes.

SPEAKER_00 50:43

Yeah, but well and and that's 24 girls, yeah. Right, and and that's what they had kind of argued when I because I I said, Well, how's that, you know, like how do I get drawn out? And you know, we have to go back in the year now, and we we they had to call the judges and they figure out you know, the two judges that worked Joseph, and and we had to figure out why they you know that rodeo didn't count. And and then when when we were going through all that, like I said, there had been some higher ups in our circuit, and and even I guess in the PRCA that that it threw thrown some shade at me and said the circuit system wasn't designed for guys like me that could make the NFR, and and like I said, that was kind of what really upset me about the circuit, was because I'd used the circuit system how nobody else has in the last handful of years. That was really actually what got me my start was going through the circuit system myself. I'd I didn't have a name, obviously, I didn't have a a daddy before me, you know. Nobody nobody came before me and made my name. And so when I was going coming coming up, like I said, I used the circuit system. I I rode pretty good and I'd go play big fish in a little pond in our circuit. And I kind of got to where I was leading the circuit, and then like I said, I had a good circuit finals and and made my first RAM finals, and like I said, that was what sparked me winning that money there in Florida was had what sparked me into my my rookie year, and then you know, eventually that led me into getting into the winner rodeos the next year and making the finals. And so I said, Yeah, I used the circuit system how his design. And then three years later, when I had made the NFR one or two times, and you we have a another, like I said, kind of a controversial gray rule, hold me out of the circuit finals for the circuit system to then tell me, well, you're you're not a circuit guy anyway. Um, like I said, I kind of put a chip on my shoulder toward them, and I'm over it now. Like I said, I've obviously I went back last year, but uh yeah, it it upset me a little bit. Like I said, you'd think that they would uh anyway and that was the one thing I didn't want them to say that they'd catered toward me, or you know, or catered uh to the top end, and and I'm glad they didn't, but at the same time, like I said, I I just feel like if we fixed our rule books a little bit and took out some of the gray areas, um, you know, it would it would help a lot in every in every event too. That is not just mine or the bull ratting.

SPEAKER_03 53:00

Yes, yeah. And I mean, they I feel like as a marketing standpoint, they should have used you as an example about how you just what you're saying. You climbed the ladder, you've made this name by using our circuit. Like, why don't we just exploit you? Like, that's just my opinion. It's totally fine. But also, I kind of hate you're not a circuit guy because the one problem with the Northwest rodeos is from the first of August on, it's not the Northwest rodeos. Yeah, actually, it could be more than that. I don't I don't want to say that, but I mean, everybody is there. Everybody's trying to make the circuit finals, everybody's trying to make the NFR, everybody's trying to get into. I mean, it's tough. So either whether you're a circuit person, like obviously I would be just trying to make the circuit finals or going the NFR, it's still tough. So they shouldn't have taken that away from you saying they're putting a label, is what I mean with this tangent.

SPEAKER_00 53:49

Right. Oh, oh, absolutely. And and like I said, that's the the things I was told, you know, is was there's circuit busters that this is their NFR, and you know, you you get to go to the actual NFR. So um, you know, they would I still kind of hate that.

SPEAKER_04 54:04

Like, does that make you feel like that?

SPEAKER_00 54:06

When the S when the NFR open pays what it does, yeah, you know, it's it would be absolutely it would it would be different to me if the NFR open didn't count, but they got it back to where it counts now. And and look, at the end of the day, guys, hate me or love me for it, I'll go to an amateur rodeo if it adds enough. You know, I do. I go to Miss Paul's.

SPEAKER_06 54:24

It's business, exactly it's business.

SPEAKER_00 54:26

I'm I'm out here to make a living. I don't give a shit whether it's an open rodeo, amateur rodeo. If that thing pays around 10 grand, I'm probably gonna be there. Yeah, you know, like so I'm I'm out here to make a living at the end of the day, and and like I said, it doesn't matter what association, if if you've got a high-paying event, your top guys are gonna go.

SPEAKER_04 54:45

Yeah, for sure. That kind of leads me into so what are your goals? And like, do you have a time that you know how long do you want your career to be, like in a perfect world, and then some of your goals for your career?

SPEAKER_00 55:02

So I've like I said, the last three or four years has been a whirlwind, but I've got I've got some rodeos on my goal list that I've always wanted to win. Um, and I've got to mark a few of those off. And uh realistically, I I kind of sit down every year in January, right before winter rodeos start, and everybody gets busy, and and uh I just write down a little list of goals, and and every year it's it's close to the same, which is obviously my goal every year is to win the world, and then with behind that goal is win an average title. Behind that goal is uh win 15 rodeos. I write that goal down. I don't it's more of a uh materialistic goal, I guess. I just kind of every goal I set though, if I can mark that one off like the winning 15 rodeos, if I'm winning rodeos, I'm probably gonna have a pretty good chance to make the finals. If you're gonna make the finals, you're gonna have a pretty good chance, you know, of winning the world title. And if you win the average, you got a really good chance of winning the winning the world.

SPEAKER_06 55:57

Yeah, kind of just goes up, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:59

All my goals kind of I just they kind of stair step into the one main goal because at the end of the day, if I check that one main goal off, I probably checked off the rest of my goals on the goal list that year. And um, like I said, I there are a handful of rodeos that uh regardless, I'd I'd like to win Pendleton would be one of them. Uh Houston would be one of them. I've never really got close to either one of them. I've only I think I've only made it.

SPEAKER_05 56:23

You were close this year in Houston. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:25

In Houston this year, yeah, I ended up fourth. But that that's the first time I've ever met the four man in Houston. And I'm you know, I've been there five, six times. Um but uh Pendleton would be one of the not only is it one of our best circuit rodeos, that's been one of my favorite rodeos. I just I don't know how you get any better in that rodeo. It's tons of fun.

SPEAKER_04 56:43

Everybody's so happy to be in the room. In this group, yeah, it's like a celebration. It is, it's you know, it's a good year. Yeah. So um, you know, I have uh I'll ask now, um, so tell me about your workout routine and how you eat right to stay healthy, just you know to go down the road. We're starting next CrossFit. Yeah, we're sending next Randy's CrossFit lives.

SPEAKER_00 57:08

It's okay, no, Rainey's got me on the block here because actually the entire time I lived with Jordan and Rainey, I did not work out. And it wasn't like I ate bad, but no, they always tried to get me to work out, and it wasn't until this last fall I'd had um I'd had some more injuries, and I I started taking some peptides and started working out going to the gym.

SPEAKER_04 57:31

And I And did that make you better?

SPEAKER_00 57:34

I hate to admit this, but I had the best NFR I've ever had after I worked out for two, it was roughly two and a half months straight, right before the NFR. And yeah, I had the best NFR, and then I followed it up with the best winner I've ever had.

SPEAKER_05 57:49

So she might be onto something, is what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 57:51

She might be onto something, yeah. Uh and and really with my workouts, it's it's not, you know, I you see other guys talk about how they gotta go pump iron at the gym, and and obviously Jordan Raine to do CrossFit, but I I just used a whole bunch of self um more like uh I don't know what the word be self like weighted workouts. Yeah, bodyweight workouts. There we go. Like I'd work out, like I there was I'd pick up weights a little bit, but a lot of them was rubber bands and repetition and and more or less, like, yeah, I might go to the gym and work out for an hour, but you know, I'd do 10 10 10 or 15 sets of one thing and do 10 or 15 reps and and uh really all in all, like I said, that that kind of helped get me back to where I needed to be. And then, like said, I've kind of I haven't worked out as strict since the finals, but I've still tried to get in the gym two or three times a week if I can. Uh obviously I just bought a place down here in in Hico, and so yeah, we have that was that was our next guess. Yeah, in between, I'm trying to get an arena built and um I've got a little stallbourne built and some pens, and I've actually got some bucking horses down here. Um I've been trying to get them bucks, but like I said, they're they're kind of taking up the time. I've been and I and I'm I live 15 minutes out of town, so I don't I don't make it to the gym every day, but I also feel like some of the things I'm doing in my everyday life with the I'm building a lot of it myself, um putting pipe in. So I feel like some of that and you're good at that.

SPEAKER_03 59:24

We know that. Yeah, yeah. It's been making up for not not going to the gym, but just like my Arizona CrossFitting, like you're doing real guys CrossFit.

SPEAKER_04 59:33

I just I know you were doing you were doing a little CrossFit-esque stuff before the NFR, so I just had to, and you know, we're like brother and sister, and so I feel like all the years that you lived with us, it's like you didn't work out to kind of spite me because I wanted you to do it, and then now you're like, Do you see all this working out?

SPEAKER_00 59:51

I do to a point, you're absolutely right. It was like kind of spite you, but on the other side, like I did after the way the last six months had gone. I'm like, man, what could have happened if I'd have been working out for the last two or three years?

SPEAKER_06 1:00:05

You're like, I'm talking dominated.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:07

Yeah, I I have I have thought about that.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:10

Yeah, yeah, but you did help build our whole place and stuff in Idaho with Jordan building fence, so you did a lot of you know, okay outside crossfitting. Yeah, and built fence here, crossfitting.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:21

Yeah. Okay, so we're gonna talk about Texas. Like I congratulations on your place. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. And I get it's so much easier to rodeo out of there. That's great. But I am going to fight you if you follow the Texas flag in Vegas. Like I'll talk about your parents. I think it will be on my side. We are Idahoans.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:44

I actually didn't think about it, and now I'm already pissed thinking about you riding behind the Texas.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:49

Do you want me to read to you the Idaho World Champ Saddle Bronck Riders? The first one was in 1904. Early, oh no, he was born in 1904. It was in the 30s. And then Gene Pruitt, he was in 48. And then we we skipped to Sean Davis, who was 65, 67, and 68. We've had some very good Idaho contestants, don't get me wrong, but don't take the Saddlebronk riding title from Idaho. Yes. Like you stay in RC. Mike and you are going to be on my side.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:19

Actually, no, they are, but I don't think, even if even with the move, I don't think I'm allowed to ride behind the flag. Uh just the same as Jordan always rides with California. Jordan's never left.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:31

No, no, not this year. This year, this year he did change his hometown to Caldwell, Idaho. Because I guilted him.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:38

And and he might have rode behind the Idaho flag and obviously at our final.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:43

He rode with California this year. And honestly, because California comes in last, I think he'll always ride behind California because he's kind of the safest route in the grand entry, as we know. I mean, because he's like the last one. Yeah, who the F cares about? He's the last one trees that happen in the Grand Entry.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:02

Okay, I can't ride for the Texas. I can't.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:07

Okay, thank you. I love breakups.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:10

I do love Texas, but I can't do that. No, yeah, there's there's way more contest. It's more of a pride thing for me. There's not obviously a lot of us from Idaho that um, you know, obviously population's a lot smaller. I do think pound for pound we we hold our own. We have great radio contestants, and it shows every year. We have actually a lot of calf ropers right now that are on the verge of making it.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:35

Yes, yes.

unknown 1:02:36

Oh, that's one of them.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:38

Um Bray Yor, uh, Brett Badkey. Like we've got some really, really good um calf ropers.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:46

Yeah, some heavy hitters.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:47

Yeah, yeah, there's some heavy hitters, and like I said, it's I think it's cool to ride with with them smaller states that you know, Texas has been known for rodeo forever. They got everywhere you go down here, it's all about rodeo. And and uh so yeah, of course they get quite a handful, but I think it's cooler to be from from Idaho, and and then like I said, there's there's a lot less opportunity, I would say, throughout the years growing up.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:09

You can't rodeo year-round up there. You're you're stuck in a building half the winter, and any if you are trying to rodeo, you know what I mean. So uh I think it kind of means more to be from Idaho and make it than be from Texas.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:20

Yeah. Me too. Okay, see, we're fine.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:23

We almost have to find we haven't one last at least one last question.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:28

Well, she has the one question about why. Go ahead. Because we like you said, we called you the most eligible bachelor, you know. Right. Because you're you're kind of sought after, you know what I mean? And and I said that we wouldn't ask any specific girlfriend questions.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:46

I got a little nervous you moved to Texas too because there's more cutting pins. So we were nervous with the barrel racers. Why are you you you're not doing barrel racers? Is it because of us? Is it because it didn't mean to work me into the arena more time than he's supposed to be? Kate did say we're not even taking on him. He saved our lives like in 22 a lot at the same time.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:10

I have one at Omack, like we're running off the hill. Kate's outrunning my horse until he gets me into the arena. So, did we ruin you? Is that why we don't take rule? Is that is that why you prefer the other end of the arena? Yes, like we just.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:27

Uh I I will say there are more cutting pens, but that was not the reason we defensive.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:35

Don't worry, this is a small podcast, it won't get that many views. It might.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:39

I feel like the I'm not gonna lie, the barrel racers, most of them are already married, and the ones that come along that aren't married are like pretty psycho, and you know it.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:50

We do, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:51

And so I just have kind of stayed away from the barrel racers, but uh that's for the only particular reason.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:58

As long as you know we didn't like ruin it for you, Abby just was nervous about it.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:03

Yeah, no, no, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:06

Yeah, I we did appreciate you, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:08

We did for sure. So, where do you go next? What's the what's the future next couple weeks look like for Cade?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:14

Uh I fly to Logendale in the morning. Um Logendale in the morning, and then I got a day off, and then I go out to the Hondo in Louisiana. Um, and then that next week, I'm I'm kind of in the air right now. Like I said, it'll depend on how Angelo finishes up. Um I actually have a crazy week if I make the short round at Angelo. I'm in the American qualifier in Oklahoma City uh the 17th and 18th. So if I make the short round at Angelo, they're gonna buck me in the slack in Oklahoma City on the 17th in the morning. And then I'm gonna haul haul Bot back down to Angelo, get on that night in the short round, and then go back to Oklahoma City and get on in the short round the next day there, and then I'll flash Red Bluff. Um

SPEAKER_04 1:06:00

Say red bluff.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:00

Yeah. Red Red Bluff on the 19th on Sunday. And then I got uh a couple days off, and I think we go to Clovis on the next Sunday. So I got a week week in between, but that's as that's as far as I'm in it up by now. And and uh it's kind of getting in the time of year where we kind of weekend rodeo a little bit, but it's it really has snuck up on me about the middle of May. We're we're fixing to roll and and be going full stream.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:25

Pretty soon you're gonna be back in our neck of the woods. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:28

I will. Yes. Uh I think actually May, we're gonna jet straight to Canada. Um Buffalo Lake and Yep, do some Canadian rodeo in the end of May there, and then be back in Sisters and all that good stuff the first week of June there.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:43

Cool, we good. Well, you're gonna have a lot more stories by then, and we might have to have you on live in person for our super fancy podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:51

Yeah, we do appreciate you, bud.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:54

Yeah, we do have me come on.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:56

I'm I'm sure we could ask a million more questions, but then I'd have to learn how to edit a lot of stuff out, and so we'll just have to call you on the phone for those conversations. But good luck. You better get back to your date because we've kept you way longer than we were supposed to. So we'll tell you.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:14

Hopefully she's drunk.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:18

It'll be fine. Sorry, I screened your call yesterday. I was really busy.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:23

Oh no, you're good.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:25

I'll call you back.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:26

Yeah, yeah. Call me back. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:28

Yeah, yeah. You got some stuff to run by me? Okay. All right. Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:34

Yep, love you guys.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:40

He crushed it.