Ryker Butler of McLoud is the 2023 Bull Riding Champion of the 31st Annual International Finals Youth Rodeo.
After a “no score” in his first round, Butler received an 84 in his second round and an 83.5 in the final round for a combined average of 167.5 to win the event on July 14.
The Countywide & Sun mentioned this in an article last week, but Butler has since answered the questions emailed to him, so here is the rest of the story.
When Butler was on a T-Ball team at age 5, his team lost a tournament, and their coach invited them to watch his son compete in bareback bronc riding.
That was when Butler first tried his hand at mutton busting and won.
Since then, Butler has tried bareback bronc riding and bull riding in “a lot of rodeos - too many to count” and found success at several.
When asked what he enjoys about bull riding, he said, “The sport is just unique.”
To prepare for a ride, Butler said, “I pray about it and trust in myself and my prayer.”
The 17-year-old son of Kristina King and Joshua Butler and a “first-generation rodeo kid,” Butler said he’s never had any serious injuries.
Butler is friends with fellow McLoud bull rider Brayden Dowdle.
“I actually met him earlier in my career,” he said. “Then, I went on my way, and we started seeing each other at more rodeos again recently.”
When asked what winning the IFYR Bull Riding event means to him, Butler said, “It’s one of the most amazing things. It’s a big thing to win, and there (were) a lot of other good bull riders, along with good stock to compete on. I’m glad my hard work is paying off.”
Butler will be a senior at McLoud High School this year and plans to make bull riding a career.
