After Ups and Downs, Bareback Rider Clay Jorgenson Finds Path to Success

Following an injury riddled start to his career, the North Dakota native has begun to turn a corner with a handful of recent victories.

Bareback rider Clay Jorgenson got the biggest win of his career at Cheyenne Frontier Days last weekend, helping him earn more than $25,000 in the month of July. / CFD photo by Jackie Jenson

The situation was everything Clay Jorgenson could have asked for. 

Under a clear Wyoming sky, the bareback rider was preparing for the short round at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo last Sunday as one of the 12 finalists chasing a championship buckle. He knew the pen of horses featured plenty of quality matchups, including his own – Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail, an animal with Wrangler National Finals Rodeo experience. 

As one of the final riders to compete, Jorgenson watched as some of the best bareback riders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association nodded their heads. Scores poured in with everyone seeming to finish in the mid- to high-80s. 

“It kind of fires you up when you see stuff like that, at least me anyways. To see all these great horses, they set the bar high and it just keeps going up and up,” Jorgenson said. 

By the time his chute opened, the Watford City, N.D., native was ready for the moment, one he has been anxiously chasing since turning pro in 2020. 

Jorgenson’s 90-point ride finished as the high mark of the day, lifting the cowboy to the biggest victory of his career. 

Clay Jorgenson comes through with the first and only 90 of the bareback riding at this year's CFD to win the rodeo on Summit's Game Trail! pic.twitter.com/NKXE3V9PgV

— The Cowboy Channel (@Cowboy_Channel) July 28, 2024

A win at “The Daddy of ’Em All” is cause for jubilation by itself. But given everything Jorgenson has experienced over the last month – and the past few years of his career –  the result meant so much more. 

As a rookie in 2021, Jorgenson finished with a little more than $20,800 in earnings and a spot just inside the top 50 of the PRCA World Standings. Over the next two years, things didn’t go as planned. He earned less than $10,000 in 2022 and failed to clear $20,000 in 2023. Injuries mounted, limiting his ability to ride and stalling out his burgeoning career. 

During his sophomore season, it was a broken jaw that sent him home early. Last year, he tore his AC joint and had to have surgery. In 2022, he went to just 14 rodeos. Last year, he missed every chance to compete from July 4 through the end of September. 

Even 2024 had its hardships, minus the serious injuries. 

On June 1, Jorgenson placed third in the Darby (Mont.) Xtrem Bareback Qualifier, picking up $2,333. Over the next three weeks, he earned just $440, leaving him frustrated. 

Things started to turn in the final week of the month as he picked up his first win since taking the second round at the Badlands Circuit Finals back in October by capturing the Roughrider Days Rodeo in DIckinson, N.D.

Once the calendar flipped to July, everything changed. 

“Towards the end of June, I was bucking off things that I had won on before. I was thinking I might have forgotten how to ride bareback horses,” Jorgenson said. “And then it takes one thing to turn it around and it’s been consistently going well, consistently winning checks places and it’s crazy. You just keep riding that momentum and things seem to keep going your way and hopefully we can keep it up.”

According to Jorgenson, the key moment came in Oakley City, Utah, as he won the 89th Annual Independence Day Rodeo and more than $5,400 in prize money. A few days later, it was a similar result in Estes Park, Colo., at the Rooftop Rodeo. 

There were smaller paydays along the way to keep the positive energy flowing. Then came Cheyenne. 

Congratulations Clay Jorgensen for being our 2024 Cheyenne Frontiers Days Bareback Champion with a score of 90 points !!

Posted by Cheyenne Frontier Days™ on Sunday, July 28, 2024

In total, the month of July put $25,641 in Jorgenson’s ledger, giving him just shy of $52,000 in earnings for the year and a spot in the top 25 of the PRCA World Standings. It’s a vastly different feeling from the experience he’s had the last two seasons, one Jorgenson welcomes with open arms. 

There’s still a lot of season left to play out and Jorgenson remains 10 spots away from his ultimate goal – qualifying for his first NFR. But after every setback of the last two years, that moment feels closer than ever. Cheyenne was one win, but he hopes its one of many still to come. 

“It gives you so much confidence just to know you’re right in there with these legendary guys like R.C. Landingham, Orin Larsen, Clint Laye, guys that have been to the Finals a bunch,” Jorgenson said. “That you can be up there with them riding to par with them does a lot for your confidence.”