BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Layton Green is looking to prove that when he’s healthy, hes one of the best saddle bronc riders in the world.
In 2021, the Canadian cowboy made the NFR for the first time since 2017 after he battled injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
He finished No. 7 in the world in 2021 after riding 96 percent of his horses for an average score of 82.63 points.
This year was almost a mirror image of last as Green rode 93 percent of his broncs for an average score of 82.61.
Green has gotten more accustomed to the top of the podium in ’21 and ’22 as his 16 Go-Round wins combined equal the amount he had from 2015-2020.
BIGGEST PAYDAYS
Cinch Playoffs, $18,850
With 171 points in the first two rounds, Green entered the Semifinals with the highest aggregate score and lived up to the billing as the man to beat. On Sunday, he finished fourth in the Semifinals before winning the winner-take-all Finals with 87.5 points. Last year, Green won the Tour Finale, which the Cinch Playoffs took the place of, in Salinas.
San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, $12,250
After finishing second or third in all three rounds of Bracket 1, Green was 86 in the Semifinals to make the Short Round in San Antonio. There, he was 90 points on Toma Jo to win $7,500 and split second with Kolby Wanchuk. Stetson Wright won the rodeo with a 90.5 in the Finals.
HIGHEST MARKED RIDES
Sheridan WYO Rodeo, 90.5 Points
Green’s highest marked ride of the season came on Saddle Horse of the Year, Black Tie, in July. He was 90.5 on the Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics horse to take second behind Tanner Butner, who was 92.5.
Magic Valley Stampede, 90 Points
About six weeks after their first encounter, Green once again went 90 on Black Tie. This time, it made him the champion of the rodeo and earned him nearly $4,000.
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, 90 Points
In what was his first of several 90-point rides in the 2022 season, Green finished second in Semifinal 2 thanks to going 90 on Stampede Warrior. He was 84.5 in the Finals, but did not pull a check. However, he still left Fort Worth with nearly $5,000 to kickstart his seaon.
NOTABLE WINS
High Desert Stampede, 87 Points
Green teamed up with Beaver Bend of of Bridwell’s to win the rodeo by 3.5 points. It was one of two winter wins for Green, the other came at the Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo in Sioux City, Iowa.
CPRA Rodeos
You cannot tell the story of Layton Green’s season without including a note about how well the Alberta native rode north of the border. He was the champion of Ponoka Stampede, Stathmore Stampede and Wildwood Bronc Bustin’, three of the biggest events in Canada. In Ponoka, he was a whopping 92.25 points in the winner-take-all Showdown Round.
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