Dean Thompson Recommits Himself in Quest to Remain Among Bareback Riding Elite

After reaching the NFR last year, the young rodeo competitor took stock of his journey thus far, focusing on more practice time and skill development to keep his edge.

Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

Everything was going right for Dean Thompson.

A year after competing on his permit, the Altamont, Utah cowboy put together an impressive 2023 season, ending with his first trip to the National Finals Rodeo.

And then, on rodeo’s biggest stage, the up-and-coming competitor watched as things started to unravel a bit.

Thompson’s first trip to Las Vegas ended with him finishing dead last among the field of 15, placing in just two rounds. He thought he understood what it takes to compete with the best in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Turns out, Thompson still had a lot to learn.

“I almost lost momentum there at the NFR. It kind of made me take a step back this year and kind of re-evaluate in the month of January,” Thompson said. “I had that whole month to do nothing but think about what little mistakes were costing me. And I’ve kind of been chiseling away. To become a better bareback rider, you’ve got to work on all things in your life, and that’s kind of what’s been going through my mind this last little while.”

Since the NFR wrapped in December, Thompson has been back at the drawing board, upping his commitment level and finding a routine and rhythm that give him the opportunity to sustain his success.

During his permit year, his only goal was to make money, it didn’t matter the city, the place he finished or the amount he walked away with. Last year, his ambitions rested solely on reaching NFR. Those singular focuses are good places to start, but Thompson has quickly come to realize that mentality doesn’t translate to longevity.

Rodeo is and can be fun, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying it. But, it’s also a job as a professional athlete. In today’s environment, that requires increased commitment to honing a craft.

Bareback rider Dean Thompson regrouped after a disappointing showing at NFR to refocus and recommit himself to the rigors of being a PRCA competitor. The result - a lot of success in early 2024, including a big win in Tucson recently :: Click Thompson/For PRCA

“Once you realize that it’s a professional sport, you can kind of take a step back and say, ‘Well, I know how a professional athlete should act and what they should be doing,’” Thompson said, noting that he’s focused more on things like skill reinforcement, practice pen opportunities, flexibility training and overall workouts in recent months. “When you just feel like you ought to hang it up for the day – that’s been a big focus is just realizing it’s going to take discipline to make this thing work at the highest level and the game is not getting any easier. Guys just seem to be getting better, so if you don’t keep moving forward, you’re going to get passed.”

Thus far, the plan seems to be working pretty well.

Through the month of February, Thompson has put together an impressive start to the 2024 season, earning just shy of $32,000 to sit among the top 10 in the PRCA world standings.

Already, Thompson has placed second in the finals at Fort Worth (good for a $12,000 payday), took third at the Dixie National Rodeo in Jackson, Miss., and picked up money at San Antonio, the Wilderness Circuit Final and the Chase Hawks Rough Stock Rodeo in Billings, Mont.

But it was last weekend’s success at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz., that gave Thompson his biggest thrill of the young season. Two years ago, while riding on his permit, Thompson was dealt what he called one of the “worse ass whoopings” in his career. The horse, Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Bad Influence, was his finals draw back then, resulting in a 73-point ride and no money. This time, the pair were matched up in the opening round.

His 87-point effort was third in the round. Thompson followed that up with an 86-point ride on Amped Up, giving him an aggregate score of 173 points. It was good enough to win the average title, his first outright victory of the year. The two rounds and average championship put $7,310 in his ledger for the season.

To some, it might seem like just another win and a nice check, but for Thompson, it was much more. Tucson was a snapshot of how things can change and what the byproduct of hard work and commitment can do. 

“Coming off this win in Tucson feels really nice because, shoot, I’ve had pretty good success this year, but I haven’t been winning crap. I’ve been getting a lot of seconds and thirds, and those do pay, but man, it sure does feel good to get a win under my belt,” Thompson said. “Just being able to capitalize in those moments is going to make the whole rodeo season so much smoother for a guy, so that’s something I’ve really been focusing on.”