Young pro closes deal, makes two finales

The first three years of Q Taylor’s professional saddle bronc career were largely defined by near misses.

Since turning pro in 2022, the Alberta, Canada, native has done well for himself in the PRCA and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. Just not well enough to make either organization’s season-culminating finale.

In 2023, Taylor finished 18th in the PRCA world standings, narrowly missing the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo during his rookie campaign. Similarly, he has never made the Canadian Finals Rodeo, including one season where he failed to qualify by about $100.

Ben Anderson, a fellow saddle bronc rider from Alberta whom Taylor often travels with, knew all of this. And he wouldn’t let Taylor forget it.

“We were driving somewhere and he was teasing me for riding good for this long and not qualifying for either Finals. I told him, ‘You watch this, I’m going to make both Finals this year. You just watch,’” Taylor said. “Oct. 1 rolled around, and he said, ‘Yep, you did it for sure. You owned up to your word and got her done.’”

In September, Taylor raced his way up the PRCA world standings, thanks to more than $67,000 in earnings, taking him from on the bubble to first-time NFR qualifier. He entered the NFR 13th in the season-long world standings, with a career-best $167,562 in earnings.

Also, he qualified for the Canadian Finals Rodeo in early October, finishing second at the competition to fellow Alberta cowboy Zeke Thurston.

On paper, a string of big rides during the final weeks of the 2025 regular season helped carry Taylor to this point. But it was his experience in 2024 that played a significant factor in his success this year.

In less than 12 months, Taylor broke six saddles and was forced to adapt on the fly. Those difficulties are a big reason he settled for 35th in the rankings last year, earning just $48,000.

At the time, those struggles were difficult to handle, especially as they came one after another. A year later, those hard moments made life a lot easier.

“Whether a bronc rider likes to admit it or not, (a saddle) is the most important piece of equipment we have, and it’s kind of nice to have it set up to what you’re used to and what you like. With breaking all the time, I was just switching from saddle to saddle on the fly and having to set it up and get used to it,” Taylor said. “I was kind of fortunate for that lesson, too, because now I feel confident that I can switch on the fly and still ride.

“Maybe not to the best of my ability, but still compete at a higher level and not have the head games of wondering: ‘Is this going to work or is this not going to work.’ I can kind of trust myself, knowing that I could set my equipment pretty good on the ground and just keep rolling like nothing changed.”

Renewed confidence, coupled with a strategic plan for the back end of the season, proved to be the formula Taylor needed to reach NFR. He had stashed some rodeos on his count to make sure he could ride at late-season events if needed. Those smaller events, with success at a few big showcases, gave him exactly what he needed.

The Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up provided the early spark, as Taylor won the final round and the average, taking home more than $16,000 from the event. At the end of September, he sealed his place by winning the second go-round at the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, then taking runner-up in the finals. Combined, he left Sioux Falls, S.D., with almost $36,000 in prize money.

“September was kind of crazy,” Taylor said with a laugh. “My personal mindset was to make as good a ride as you can on every bucking horse you get on. I wasn’t too worried about scores or placing or whatever. For me, things were heating up, and I was riding good.

“I was just wanting to get on the best horses I could and know that if I did my job, that’s all I could do. Everything else was kind of out of my control, so I wasn’t worried about it too much.”

It’s all added up to bringing Taylor to Las Vegas for just the second time in his life. Aside from competing at the 2022 Permit Members of the Year Challenge, he has never taken part in anything else NFR-related.

It’s been a new experience navigating media and sponsor obligations during the day. There’s a lot more to the NFR than just showing up and easing into a yellow bucking chute. Taylor is grateful for all of it. Years of narrow misses were hard to understand at the time, but they’ve made the end result much more rewarding.

“Finally getting that qualification to my first NFR is kind of everything I’ve hoped and dreamed for,” Taylor said. “My mindset going in there in the bronc riding is going to be the same as it’s been last month. Everything I’m going to get on, I’m going to get on and go at as hard as fast as I can go, and see where they put you in the end.”