Ky Hamilton captured his first career Gold Buckle in 2023 after earning a record $595,414 on the year. Hamilton won the title by nearly $200,000, and as dominant as that looks, his season wasn’t without its ups and downs.
Early Season Struggles
Hamilton ended his 2022 season with a then career-best $278,000 and it looked like the momentum from a big 2022 NFR would carry right into the new year. Hamilton had just placed in six rounds, including winning Round 8 with a 90-point ride. He placed third in the average and everything was working in his favor.
"I could not wait to get to Denver and San Antonio and light things up. It did not go that way at all."
“I was so excited for 2023 to start. I had been doing everything possible to prepare,” he said. “I could not wait to get to Denver and San Antonio and light things up. It did not go that way at all.”
Turn the page to 2023 and Hamilton went as cold as the midwest winter. Hamilton’s first appearance came at the National Western where he went one-for-two with a 77-point ride and failed to earn a check.
Coming off the grind of the NFR, it was fair to expect a small letdown right off the bat, but that struggle would continue far longer than any expected. Hamilton traveled south to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo where he would compete at the Bulls Night Out Xtreme Bulls to kick things off.
Hamilton rode one of two at the Xtreme Bulls but failed to earn a paycheck. Things looked to turn around in the opening round of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo where he went 89.5 points to get the round win. As solid as his ride was, the trend did not continue. Hamilton would be bucked off his next three bulls at the rodeo and fail to make the finals.
Things wouldn’t improve in Rapid City where he was bucked off at the Xtreme Bulls event.
Hamilton returned to Texas for the San Antonio Rodeo after riding just three of nine bulls to start the season. What was a could be written off as a rough stretch extended into a concerning trend in San Antonio where Hamilton was bucked off his first three bulls.
Heading into his fourth ride in San Antonio, Hamilton had ridden just three of 12 bulls and had failed to make the full eight on seven straight.
Hamilton was able to advance to the Semifinals in San Antonio thanks to his previous year’s ranking and he did not waste the opportunity.
A Week With JB Mauney And A Wardrobe Change
After a week he’d like to forget, Hamilton had some time before the Semis in San Antonio. That’s when he asked JB Mauney what he was up to.
It turned out JB had a free week and Ky asked to spend the week there and practice as much as he could, and during that practice, the helmet came off.
“I think I got on eight bulls that week and rode every single one of them in my hat. Just hanging out with him and talking about bull riding and getting that confidence back on the practice bulls. I think that flipped the switch.”
It clearly did, Hamilton headed back to the Semis in San Antonio and made the Short Round. He would go on to win Tuscon the same weekend as the San Antonio Finals and his 2023 season was officially back on track.
The Hot Stretch
Entering the month of March, Hamilton was No. 19 in the PRCA World Standings with just over $24,000 earned on the season. He was trending in the right direction, but was already nearly $40,000 behind Stetson Wright who held the No. 1 spot at the time. That would change and change fast.
Entering RodeoHouston, Hamilton had newfound confidence and it showed in his riding. He would win the first four rounds he rode in with four scores between 83.5 points and 88 points. This easily moved him to the finals where he had a matchup with Soccer Mom.
It was a match that Hamilton dominated, riding for 90.5 points and winning the rodeo, bringing his earnings in Houston to over $65,000.
By the end of March, Hamilton had earned $99,858 and had jumped to No. 1 in the world.
Consistency Throughout The Summer Run
As Hamilton entered the Summer Run he and his traveling partner were dominating wherever they went. Wright and Hamilton took first and second place in the same rodeo four different times throughout the season and combined for a staggering 50 Go Round Wins.
Hamilton’s early season struggles faded in the rearview mirror. Throughout the summer Hamilton’s longest stretch of consecutive buck-offs was six rides. Hamilton went on a tear to end his season. Beginning at the Pendleton Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale in mid-September, Hamilton broke off eight checks of $1,000 or more in just 20 days. In those 20 days, Hamilton earned $27,445 to end his season No. 2 in the World Standings with over $254,000 earned on the year.
Heading into the NFR the Gold Buckle race appeared to be between three people. Stetson Wright, who earned over $350,000 on the season, Ky Hamilton at No. 2, and Josh Frost who was over $230,000 on the year. Those were the only three to earn more than $182,000 on the year.