Refocused Mentality Pushes Saddle Bronc Rider to Southeastern Circuit Title

After missing out on another trip to NFR, Ryder Sanford is hoping a circuit championship will provide a spark for the 2025 campaign.

Ryder Sanford might have missed a return trip to NFR this year, but thanks to a big win at the Southeatern Circuit Finals he's off to a strong start for a return trip in 2025. / Hailey Rae/For PRCA

When the 2024 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association season ended in September, Ryder Sanford had to unpack a mix of emotions. 

A year after securing the Resistol Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year and a spot at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the Sulphur, La., native essentially replicated that success, finishing with just over $125,300 in regular season earnings in back-to-back years. 

Only this time, it wasn’t quite enough to get him back to NFR. 

Sanford finished 16th in the PRCA World Standings, one spot away from a return trip to Las Vegas this December. That’s made the last few weeks interesting for Sanford as he’s worked to figure out what’s next. 

Was he riding with a chip on his shoulder at the Southeastern Circuit Finals over the weekend? 

“Just a little bit. Just a little bit,” Sanford joked. “I had some good draws and I used them.”

That might be an oversimplified analysis of what Sanford accomplished as he dominated the field in Davie, Fla., winning all three rounds on his way to the average title. 

Sanford was the only cowboy to post a ride of 80 or more points, doing it three times. In the opening go, he scored 81.5 points on Silver Spurs Club’s Clifford, followed by an 82-point effort against 4L Rodeo’s Gabriel in the second. To close things out, Sanford posted the high score of the weekend with an 83.5-point effort on Silver Spurs Club’s O’Reilly. His 247-point aggregate on three head was well ahead of runner-up Treyson Antonick who finished at 225. 

Through the first few weeks of the 2025 season, Sanford has focused on getting a jump start. He had already earned $3,081 in October before the Southeastern Circuit showdown. Between round and average money, Sanford left Florida with $13,350, giving him a significant lift and a spot at the NFR Open this coming July. 

“It’s a good start to 2025. I took a step back and we’re going to work on some things,” Sanford said. “I’m glad to get a good start at it and have that opportunity later on this year at the NFR Open to get some big money.”

While he plans to get a little downtime as the 2024 calendar wraps up, he has no intentions of really slowing down. Sanford plans to keep hitting the schedule as hard as possible with a focus on getting back to NFR. 

“I don’t know how much of a break I’ll be taking because we’re going to hit it pretty hard to avoid the bubble this year,” Sanford said. 

Other results from the Southeastern Circuit Finals Rodeo

Waylon Bourgeois held on to win the bareback riding title with an aggregate total of 241.5 points on three head. In total, he earned $11,391 in prize money. 

Steer wrestler Kyle Irwin held off Tyler Waguespack to claim the championship, finishing with a total time of 12.6 seconds on three runs. Waguespack finished at 12.8 seconds. Irwin left with $11,496 in earnings. 

Team ropers Koby Sanchez and Trace Porter finished their three runs in a combined 17.6 seconds to win the title and take home $7,788 each. 

Riley Istre won tie-down roping with a three-round total of 27.6 seconds, resulting in a $11,125 payday. 

Barrel racer Alex Jones finished her three runs in 45.14 seconds to claim $9,271 in earnings and the circuit championship. 

Brooke Ladner was the only breakaway roper to complete all three runs, finishing in 7.9 seconds. She left with $11,867 in prize money. 

Bull rider Clayton Sellars held off Jace Trosclair by a single point to secure the circuit crown. Sellars finished with 238 points on three head, winning $12,126 in prize money.