BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
Zeke Thurston is only 27, but he is already one of the most decorated cowboys competing at the 2021 Wrangler NFR.
He has now qualified for the NFR seven times in a row and has two World Titles (2016, 2019) and an NFR Average Title (2016).
This year, Thurston ($99,802) arrives at the Thomas & Mack Center No. 6 in the PRCA Saddle Bronc World Standings and he saved his best for last in the 2021 rodeo season.
Thurston entered the August barely inside the Top 10, but rode well all month and earned big checks from his win at the Cache County Fair (Utah) on Aug. 14 and at the Xtreme Broncs Finals in Rapid City.
In Utah, he was 87 points on Pinto Pass to earn $4,371 and in Rapid City, he had a two-head total of 176.5 points, including 90.5 on Straight Jacket in the Finals. He tallied $14,501 total at the Xtreme Broncs Finals.
THURSTON IN RAPID CITY
In August, Thurston also placed third at the Home on the Range Champions Ride (North Dakota) and second at the Missoula Stampede.
Thurston’s other season highlights came when he won a total of $15,000 in his home country at The Calgary Stampede in July and winning close to $10,000 with his 88-point ride at the St. Paul Rodeo during Cowboy Christmas. During The Stampede, Thurston made six rides and all of them were between 83 and 89 points, he won checks on five of them.
THURSTON IN ST. PAUL
Thurston also had a weekend in the middle of May where he placed second at the Redding Rodeo (California) and the Daily Record Xtreme Bares and Broncs. Both of those finishes earned him checks larger than $3,000.
THURSTON IN REDDING
Thurston will enter the NFR with an average score of 81.82, the third-highest mark of his career. He rode 69-of-76 broncs this year, but only six of those outs came in September.
RELATED:
Stetson Wright Looks to Capture First Career Saddle Bronc World Title