Parsonage and Thurston Riding High
It was a rematch Jared Parsonage had been looking forward to.
He’d been on the bull twice previously and had been unsuccessful on both occasions. The bull was Duane Kesler Championship Rodeo’s 877 Down With the Devil, a six year-old white, powerful, scary-looking dude that is one of the stars of the Kesler firm’s bovine inventory. And one other thing—he spins to the right, away from Jared’s hand which adds considerably to the degree of difficulty for the rider.
Parsonage was the last man out in the celebrated Friday night performance at the SMS Equipment Pro Tour Medicine Hat Stampede and brought the huge crowd to their feet with a spectacular 90-point ride on his nemesis. And when no one was able to match or better that ride on Saturday, the three-time Canadian Champion pocketed $3211 to pad his lead at the top of the standings as the 2024 season rounds the final turn and is heading for home.
“I wasn’t happy with my spring,” the Maple Creek, Saskatchewan cowboy admitted. “I bucked off some bulls I shouldn’t have bucked off of. But you just have to stay focused. You rode your way into it; you have to ride your way out.”
Parsonage has definitely ridden his way out of whatever slump he thought he was having and is poised to have a strong finish to the season as he vies for a third Canadian crown. And Friday was the perfect illustration of the two-time NFR qualifier on his game and riding a bull that was on his.
“That was one of the best trips I’ve seen him have,” Parsonage acknowledged. “He’s been a bucker; he’s awesome. He’s a little tricky away from your hand but he’s one you’re happy to draw. I knew what was coming from him and I definitely had a game plan to correct what went wrong the other times I had him.”
The game plan worked to perfection and the jam-packed Medicine Hat grandstand went wild. “It’s a cool place to do good,” the 31-year-old veteran added. “It’s close to Maple Creek; I know a ton of people over there and a lot of the committee too. It definitely feels like my hometown rodeo.”
Parsonage has cut back on the number of events he’s getting to as he’s staying on this side of the 49th parallel. “I’ve slowed down some. I just don’t want to be away. I’ve got lots of reasons to be at home,” the rancher and father of two said.
The reduced schedule seems to be working out well for the 2021 All-Around Cowboy. And a rested, healthy Jared Parsonage spells trouble for the other eleven bull riders who will be heading to the CFR with their sights on a champion’s gold buckle.
Zeke Thurston had a decision to make. The four-time world and Canadian Champion saddle bronc rider went into the finals at the Hardgrass Bronc Match in a tie for 5th place. At Pollockville, the riders get to choose their mounts – that’s a good thing. However, they make those choices based on the order they finished in the long go-round. If you’re fifth, that means you’re making one of the later picks and several of the most desirable horses have already been selected. That’s not such a good thing.
Zeke decided to gamble choosing a Calgary Stampede horse – B-73 Blasting Sand, a horse best-known for his prowess in the bareback riding. In fact, the 10 year-old gelding had not been in the bronc riding since 2022.
The gamble paid off in spades. Blasting Sand was wild, but he bucked hard and gave Thurston a chance to do what he has done better than anyone else in the world on four occasions. The result was a 91 point highlight reel ride that gave the second generation talent a half point win in the aggregate where he chalked up 178 points on two head. The victory came on the heels of an uncharacteristic buckoff in Medicine Hat earlier that day but combined with a win at the Fiesta Days Rodeo in Spanish Fork, Utah, and cheques at Ogden (Utah) Pioneer Days and Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, the four paydays provided a boost of more than $31,000 for the man who came into the weekend sitting sixth in the PRCA World Standings.
Another rough stock rider who had a big weekend was the Australian-born and raised bareback rider, Strawbs Jones who collected a pair of wins, topping the field first at Medicine Hat on the Kesler mare, 661 Stands Alone (83.5 points for $2562, then added a terrific 88.5 trip aboard Northcott-Yule Rodeos 663 Broken Arrow for another $1008 at the historic Bruce Stampede.
A couple of timed event cowboys trying to get to their first CFR kept those aspirations very much alive. Tie down roper Ben Robinson bested the ropers at Bruce with an 8.0 run for $2075 and added $683 with a 9/10 split at Medicine Hat. Meanwhile bulldogger Landon Beardsworth inched closer to a CFR appearance with a pair of wins—the first a lightning 3.6 at the Rockford Lions Rodeo for $1762 and the second at Bruce where his 4.7 netted Beardsworth another $1978.
And barrel racer, Vanessa Leggette enjoyed a profitable weekend as well, spitting the win (with Karli Cowie) at Rockyford where 16.61 seconds earned the Kamloops cowgirl $1755, then cashing a second place cheque at Medicine Hat with a 17.41 second time for $2776. The second-generation cowgirl entered the weekend in 14th place in the standings but that is likely to change.
The breakneck pace of the Canadian rodeo season continues with stops at High Prairie, Alberta July 30-31, the inaugural Zeke Thurston Xtreme Bronc Match in Stettler, AB July 31, the North Peace Stampede in Grimshaw, AB July 3-4 and two SMS Equipment Pro Tour events: Regina, Sask’s Pile O Bones Rodeo August 1-2 and the Strathmore Stampede Aug 2-5.
For complete unofficial results and schedule details, check out rodeocanada.com
