"Crush"ing Pesos With a Banker? Three Horses Win Big in Las Vegas at the NFR

What if I told you a trio of very special horses won almost $1 million? (And it was not in the casino!)

Crush and Ty Erickson / Casey St Blanc

There were three horses that really stood out at this year's National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Throughout the course of the week, each of these horses carried three different riders and took them all to the pay window. We know how much each cowboy won when all the dust settled, but how much did these great horses win?

Finding Meno "Crush"

If you have ever wondered what makes a horse worthy of a title like Horse of the Year, let's take a look at Crush's stats for the National Finals Rodeo. Owned by Ty and Cierra Erickson, Crush has been a force in the Thomas and Mack since his first NFR in 2019, where Ty earned the World Championship.

Crush is the 2024 Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year. At the NFR this year, he carried J.D. Struxness, Rowdy Parrott, and Erickson. Throughout those ten rounds, he amassed $304,634 in earnings. In the average, another $63,571. His total NFR earnings with all three riders is $368,205.

Throughout those ten rounds, Crush carried each of his riders to a round win. All three placed in Round 2. In five rounds, two of his three riders placed. At least one of his riders placed in every round, except Round 5.

Daddys Shiner Cat "Peso"

Owned by Logan Bird, the buckskin they call Peso has made appearances at the last four National Finals Rodeos, with six different tie-down ropers. You can read all about that here.

This year, he started off with Joel Harris. By Round 2, brother, Ty Harris, was also aboard. In Rounds 9 and 10, Tuf Cooper rode the great horse.

Peso helped at least one of his riders pull a check in every round except Round 2 and Round 7. Each of the Harris brothers earned two round wins aboard Peso. In Round 3 and Round 5, they each pull checks. In Round 9, Peso took the top three spots, with Joel winning the round, Ty and Cooper tying for second.

Throughout the week, Peso earned $249,484 in round money and $272,304 including average earnings. Ty did ride a different horse in Round 1 and I did not factor that out of the average earnings.

Telle Em PYC "Banker"

Owned by Justin Shaffer, Banker was ridden by Shaffer and Tucker Allen at the 2024 NFR. In Rounds 5-10, Jesse Brown also rode Banker.

Banker pulled at least one check in all but two rounds. In three rounds, he helped two of his riders to the pay window. Brown won Round 10, Round 7, and Round 5 aboard the great horse. In Round 2, Shaffer and Allen tied for third with their 3.9 second runs.

Over the 10 rounds, Banker and his riders won $217,341. Including the average money he won with Allen, his total for the week is $258,091.

This standout group is an exceptional example of why horsepower matters, in any event. Together, these three horses won $898,600 over the past ten days and I think that is pretty dang cool. Congratulations to all connections of these amazing animals. I also have more information about the breeding of the steer wrestling horses here and the tie down roping horses here.