Meet the Athlete: Dustin Boquet

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PHOTO: ALEXIS OBOYLE

Dustin Bouquet is the No. 7 ranked bull rider in the world with over $85,000 in total earnings this year so far. He is a Louisiana cowboy with two Wrangler Nationals Finals Rodeo qualifications under his belt and he is hunting for a third.

This year, you have watched him be the only cowboy to ride a bull in the short round of the Dodge City Roundup where he went for 91.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Gladiator’s Hammer. Right after that he went to the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo and was 88 points on Hard To Handle of Andrews Rodeo. He was in the money at all but one round at the Daddy of ‘em all in Cheyenne and that weekend he also ended up third at the Deadwood Days of ’76 Rodeo with 85.5 points on Burch Rodeo’s Red Head. He won the Fiesta days Rodeo in Spanish Fork, Utah where he went for 92 points on Glory Days of Frontier Rodeo.

DUSTIN BOQUET DODGE CITY ROUNDUP RODEO

Bouquet has also had his fair share of wins at the Xtreme Bulls events this year including winning the Ultimate Challenge in Enid, Oklahoma and the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Xtreme Bulls. In the final round in San Antonio it was 87 points on Cow Boyd of 4L & Diamond S Rodeo that got Boquet the win.

At the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas Boquet won the sixth round, finished 11th in the average and took home over $43,000. In the same year her won the Northwest Florida Championship Rodeo, the Westcliffe Stampede Rodeo, the Mesquite Championship Rodeo and the Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo.

DUSTIN BOQUET SAN ANTONIO XTREME BULLS

The years of 2019 and 2017 Boquet had some minor wins but in 2018 he won round six at the NFR and placed in three other rounds, finishing seventh in the world with $196,934. He also won the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho, That Famous Preston Night Rodeo in Idaho and was co-champion at the Mineral Wells Rodeo and the Mid Winter Fair and rodeo in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Boquet started riding steers at the age of 12 and got on a bull for the first time at the age of 16 and look at him now. He’s sitting at a good spot in the world standings to close the season and qualify for his next NFR but it is not over yet.