Bull Rider Hopes to Build Momentum With Back-To-Back Badlands Circuit Titles

Following a significant knee injury in the spring, Mason Moody appears to be finding his stride once again.

Mason Moody captured a second-straight Badlands Circuit Finals championship over the weekend, finishing as the only bull rider to cover all three animals he faced. / Chuck Miner/ @cm_4_bar_c_photos

For the second straight year, Mason Moody left the Badlands Circuit Finals as the bull riding average champion. 

This time around, he’s hoping to parlay the success into something even bigger. 

Moody was the only bull rider to cover all three animals he faced, including wins in the first and second rounds, leading to an aggregate total of 246 points on three head. In all, the Letcher, S.D., cowboy left the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot with $9,218 in his ledger for the 2025 season. 

The win qualifies Moody for another trip to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs in July 2025. The event brings together circuit finalists in the middle of the regular season for a championship opportunity. It’s a return visit Moody is anticipating. 

“I did get to go (last year) – but it did not go very good, I can tell you that. I went 0-for-2 and they were pretty fast buckoffs,” Mood said of his 2024 experience. “I didn’t have a very good June or July and that kind of hurt me in the world standings. A lot of guys were winning a lot of money in July this year, and I was not one of them.”

The 2023 Badlands Circuit title was one piece of a significant year for the up-and-coming bull rider. Moody finished the 2024 regular season with career-highs in earnings ($96,663) and his finish in the PRCA World Standings (26th). 

However, getting to that point was anything but easy. 

The third-year ProRodeo competitor sustained a knee injury at RodeoHouston in March that sidelined him for several months and took weeks to feel normal once he returned. 

Back in high school, Moody tore his ACL and meniscus, repairing both through surgery. This time around, doctors diagnosed a torn ACL, MCL and possible meniscus tear. After the swelling subsided, Moody opted not to have the knee surgically repaired. 

“It doesn’t really bother me anymore, so I don’t know if it’s toughing it out or just being dumb and stupid,” Moody said with a laugh. “I’m just going without ligaments in my knee pretty much right now. The doctor said there’s obviously something not quite right, but if you can deal with it there’s no point in getting it fixed right now.”

Despite the injury, Moody was certainly good enough at the Badlands finale. He posted an 82.5-point effort on Sutton Rodeo’s Rock N Roll Fantasy to get things started with an opening-round win. Then, Moody and Thayne Elshere tied for first in the second-go with 87.5-point efforts. Moody accomplished that while riding Sutton Rodeos’ Time Traveler. 

Moody capped his time at the rodeo with a 76-point effort against Big Buck Rodeo’s Night Moves, placing third in the round. 

Getting back-to-back Badland Circuit championships is something Moody hopes to use as a launching point for 2025. Last year, an injury halted his momentum at a crucial point in the season. This time around, Moody is ready for the challenge ahead. 

“To start off the year with this much already in the standings, there’s very few guys that have this opportunity. So I’ve got to get healthy because it’s been a long three or four months of rodeoing since I came back,” Moody said. “You kind of get burned out by the end of the summer, but to be able to start like this again, it’s just a blessing. I can’t thank my Lord enough because I make a living riding bulls and that’s all I’ve ever dreamed about. It’s definitely a blessing in disguise.”

Other results from the Badlands Circuit Finals

Bareback rider Clay Jorgenson finished as the average leader with 247 points on three head. In all, he earned $7,731. 

Wynn Schaack captured the steer wrestling title with an aggregate total of 15 seconds on three runs. Schaack left with $4,163 in earnings. 

Team ropers Bodie Mattson and Trae Smith took the circuit with 17.7 seconds on three runs. The duo each earned $6,542 in total. 

Thayne Elshere earned $11,300 between saddle bronc and bull riding to capture the all-around cowboy honor. Elshere also won the saddle bronc championship with 250.5 points on three head. 

Tie down roper Jerry Adamson finished his three runs in 25.2 seconds to win the average. Adamson left with $10,705 in prize money. 

Alyssa Gabrielson took home the barrel racing title with a combined time of 42.57 seconds on three runs. She earned $6,542 for the win. 

In breakaway roping, Morgan Foss blazed past the field in 12.5 seconds on three runs, earning $4,163 in total.