How Is Bronc Riding Scored? Pendleton's 92.5 Record Ride Explained

How is bronc riding scored?

How is bronc riding scored? Two judges each give the rider 0 to 25 points and the horse 0 to 25 points, so the four marks add up to a score out of 100. The ride only earns that score if the cowboy stays on for 8 seconds with one hand, marks the horse out on the first jump and never touches anything with his free hand.

That split is the heart of rodeo scoring: the horse is half the score. A great rider on a horse that barely bucks can't win, which is why bronc riders hope to draw the rankest horse in the pen.

Why everyone is talking about it this week

• A new Pendleton record. At the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon (Sept. 16–19), multiple-time world champion Stetson Wright won the saddle bronc riding with 92.5 points on The Black Tie. The PRCA and Rodeo on SI both reported it as a new arena record.
• A champion horse. The Black Tie, from Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics, was the PRCA Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year in 2022 and finished second in the 2023 voting.
• Big marks in Mandan. At the North Dakota Roughrider Cup the same weekend, Brody Wells rode J Bar J's Shady Jacket for 92 points and $18,020 in the saddle bronc. Three-time world champion Tim O'Connell scored 90 points in the bareback on J Bar J's Straight Stick for $18,119.
• A timed-event record, too. Steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack won Mandan in 3.5 seconds and moved past the PRCA regular-season earnings record for his event.

Every dollar counts right now. The PRCA regular season ends Sept. 30, and only the top 15 earners in each event qualify for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), Dec. 3–12 in Las Vegas.

The 50/50 system: rider score plus horse score

All three roughstock events (bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding) are scored the same way. Two judges watch each ride, and each one gives two marks: one for the athlete and one for the animal.

Half points are common, which is why you see marks like 92.5 or 88.5. As a simple illustration (not an official score sheet): if one judge gives the rider 23 and the horse 23.5, and the other judge's marks add up to 46, the ride is a 92.5.

What judges look for in the rider

• Control and balance from the first jump to the horn.
• Spurring rhythm. A rider who times his spurring with the horse's bucking scores higher.
• Length of the spur stroke in saddle bronc: a long sweep from the horse's shoulders back toward the rear of the saddle.
• Exposure in bareback: how much of the horse's power the rider takes on while staying in control.

What judges look for in the horse

• How hard it bucks: power, speed and strength, jump after jump.
• A real test. A horse that bucks honestly and hard gives both the rider and itself the chance at a big score.

Bucking horses are bred and raised for this job, and the best are honored every season. That's why fans cheer The Black Tie by name, not just the cowboy on his back.

The 8-second rule and how a ride gets no score

A ride counts only if the rider is still on, and still legal, when the horn sounds at 8 seconds. In saddle bronc riding, he gets no score if, before the horn:

1. He misses the mark out. His feet must be over the horse's shoulders when its front feet hit the ground on the first jump out of the chute. The rule gives the horse the advantage.
2. He touches with his free hand. Touching the horse, himself or his equipment disqualifies him.
3. A foot slips out of a stirrup.
4. He drops the bronc rein, the single thick rein attached to the horse's halter.
5. He bucks off.

Saddle bronc vs. bareback vs. bull riding

• Saddle bronc is rodeo's "classic" event, born when ranch hands competed to see who could ride untrained horses with the most style. The saddle has no horn, and the rider holds one bronc rein.
• Bareback has no saddle and no rein. The rider grips a leather-and-rawhide handhold called a rigging and follows the same mark-out and free-hand rules.
• Bull riding is the one roughstock event without a horse. Bull riders don't have to mark out or spur, although spurring can add points.

The re-ride

If an animal doesn't buck well enough to give the rider a fair chance, the judges can offer a re-ride. The rider gives up the first score and tries again on another animal, which can be a gamble.

A note for charrería fans: the jineteo de yegua and jineteo de toro in a charreada are judged under charrería's own rules, not on this 100-point rodeo scale.

What is a good saddle bronc score?

Use this rule of thumb when you read a pro rodeo scoreboard:

• Under 70: the horse didn't buck much, or the ride was rough.
• 70s: a completed, respectable ride.
• 80s: very good. Many pro rodeos are won in this range.
• 90 and up: exceptional. Arena records, like Wright's 92.5, live here.

A high score is always a team effort. Both Mandan's 92 and Pendleton's 92.5 came on proven horses, not just great riders.

How to watch a ride like a judge

1. Watch the first jump. Did the rider's heels stay over the horse's shoulders?
2. Watch the free hand. It has to stay in the air, touching nothing.
3. Feel the rhythm. Good spurring looks smooth and in time with the horse, not frantic.
4. Count to eight yourself, then listen for the horn.
5. Watch the pickup men. These riders move in after the horn to help the cowboy off safely and release the horse's flank strap.

Rodeo has its own vocabulary, so keep our glossary handy.

How timed events like steer wrestling differ

What is steer wrestling? It's a timed event: there are no judges' points, and the fastest legal run wins. The rider, called a bulldogger, slides from a running horse onto a steer and brings it to the ground, often in just a few seconds.

1. The head start. The steer leaves first, with a head start set by the size of the arena. If the bulldogger leaves too soon and breaks the barrier, he gets a 10-second penalty.
2. The hazer. A second rider on the steer's other side keeps it running straight.
3. The catch. The bulldogger eases down the right side of his horse, grabs the horns and digs in his heels.
4. The throw. He must stop the steer or change its direction before tipping it over, or he is disqualified.
5. The flag. Time stops when the steer is on its side with all four legs pointing the same direction.

The event's world record is 2.4 seconds. Waguespack won Mandan in 3.5 seconds.

Pendleton plays differently. Cattle there run down an alley instead of leaving from a chute, which usually means slower times. That makes Gavin Soileau's 3.3-second run, a new Pendleton steer wrestling record per Rodeo on SI, stand out: his steer stumbled on the wet grass, and he made the most of it.

Pendleton Round-Up 2026 results and the NFR race

Scores win rodeos, but money decides the NFR. The world standings rank prize money, so every check from Pendleton and Mandan moved riders up or down.

• Saddle bronc, Pendleton: Stetson Wright, 92.5 on The Black Tie, $15,894 at Pendleton across the first round, finals and average. He is No. 3 in the saddle bronc world standings, behind his brothers Rusty (No. 1) and Ryder (No. 2).
• Steer wrestling, Pendleton: Gavin Soileau's 3.3-second arena record. He is No. 14 in the world standings, right on the NFR bubble.
• Saddle bronc, Mandan: Brody Wells, 92 on Shady Jacket, $18,020.
• Bareback, Mandan: Tim O'Connell, 90 on Straight Stick, $18,119.
• Steer wrestling, Mandan: Tyler Waguespack, 3.5 seconds, $9,475.

Rodeo on SI puts Waguespack's season at $205,876, past Dalton Massey's 2024 regular-season mark of $199,263. The official final figure comes when the season closes Sept. 30.

Pendleton itself is part of the story. The Round-Up, which dates to 1910, is held on a grass arena instead of the dirt used at most pro rodeos.

What to watch next

• Sept. 25–27: Cinch Playoffs Governor's Cup, Sioux Falls, S.D. A small, select field (only 12 barrel racers, for example) and one of the last big paydays before the season closes.
• Sept. 30: the PRCA regular season closes and the top 15 in each event are locked in.
• Dec. 3–12: NFR at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas. Ten rounds, one per night, with the top 15 in every event.

Storylines to follow:

• Can Stetson Wright catch his brothers in the saddle bronc standings before the books close?
• Will Waguespack's final regular-season total stand as the new steer wrestling record?
• Who grabs the last spots inside the top 15 in each event before Sept. 30?

If you or your kids want to try rodeo

• Build riding basics first. Balance, a secure seat and good horsemanship come before any rodeo event. Start with our riding skills guide and get started page.
• Start with the gentler events. Many young riders begin with timed events like barrels or goat tying; roughstock comes later, if at all.
• Learn roughstock only in organized programs. Youth and high school rodeo associations and rodeo schools have coaches, pickup riders and medical help on hand.
• Gear up. Review our safety guide before you ride.

See how rodeo fits with other horse sports on our disciplines page, and follow the season on our trends page.