RODEO CHAMPION BRINGING TOP BULL RIDERS TO BEAVER COUNTY

One of the most successful names in rodeo today has brought his love of bull riding to Beaver County in an effort to help other young riders find their own success in the sport.

In May of 2021, Stetson Wright of Beaver City organized the first Stetson Wright Invitational, an event featuring 30 of the world’s top bull riders competing for $30,000 in prize money. This first invitational attracted a standing-room-only crowd, as did the second invitational in May of 2022 despite added seating.

Held at the Beaver County Fairground arena in Minersville, the invitational will continue to be held annually, with the 2023 event scheduled on May 13.

“I try to bring the county and the state of Utah the greatest bull riding in the country,” Stetson said.

A native of Milford in Beaver County, Stetson is one of rodeo’s top talents, with career earnings of more than $2 million. In 2022, he won both his fourth consecutive Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association All-Around World Championship and his second bull riding world title. He ended the season winning $927,940, shattering the record for most money won in a season.

Stetson isn’t the only successful rodeo rider in his family; the Wright family has produced some of the best rodeo talent in the world. Father Cody Wright is a two-time PRCA World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider. Several others in the family have also competed professionally in the saddle bronc event.

Stetson competes in saddle bronc as well, but he is the only Wright family member to compete professionally in bull riding.

Currently only 23 years old, Stetson has achieved his rodeo success at an incredibly young age. Through his experience, he saw there were limited opportunities for young, talented rodeo riders in Utah to compete against professionals while significant prize money was on the line (riders have to be 18 years old to join the PRCA and compete in PRCA-sanctioned events).

This can create a mental obstacle for young riders who suddenly find themselves competing against their idols with thousands of dollars on the line.

“Even two years into my PRCA career, I was still starstruck by some of the guys that would show up,” Stetson said. “You just want to impress those kinds of guys because they’re the kind of guys you’ve tried to shape your career around.”

With his high-achieving, rodeo-centered family, Stetson had some experience being around extraordinary rodeo talent in his youth. However, he wanted to offer others the same chance.

“I created this event to kind of showcase young talent and guys that should be riding in a higher level and they just need a little boost, a little help to remind them or show them that they can hang with the PRCAand PBR (Professional Bull Riders)-level guys,” Wright said.

The Stetson Wright Invitational is specifically designed with enough prize money to attract top-tier bull riders while also inviting up-and-coming young talent and keeping entry fees affordable. Mini bulls are brought in for competitors ages 10 to 14.

This year’s invitational will feature John Crimber, the 2021 National High School Rodeo Association bull-riding champion, and Wacey Schalla, who placed first in the 2022 Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo bull riding finals.

The Stetson Wright Invitational is run by Stetson and his mother ShaRee Wright. Its stock contractor is Broken Heart Rodeo Company. For more information, visit stetsonwrightinvitational.com.