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Kade Bruno has never been a stranger to winning, or a stranger to Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
At just 25 years old, the Challis, Idaho, cowboy has already qualified for the NFR four times and surpassed $1 million in career earnings. That was a milestone he reached earlier this season. Those accomplishments have built him quite the resumé and quite the career.
Now, his goals this year are bigger than ever. Bruno is no longer riding to just make the NFR, but has a gold buckle on his mind.
With nearly $180,000 won this season, Bruno sits third in the PRCA World Standings behind Stetson Wright and Rusty Wright. Stetson still leads the standings despite recently announcing he will miss much of remainder of the regular season because of injury, while Rusty remains just ahead of Bruno with more than $195,000 earned.
That leaves the gold buckle race wide open heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Bruno has put himself in that position by doing exactly what every world champion has to do. He has found ways to collect the big checks and capitalize at the rodeos that matter most.
Since June 1, Bruno has won multiple rodeos. He picked up victories at the Spudman Tri-State Rodeo in Driggs, Idaho, the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, Nebraska, the Silver State Stampede in Elko, Nevada, and the NFR Open, where he collected more than $13,000 alone.
He finished third at the Calgary Stampede to add another $10,000 to his season earnings before following it up with a fourth-place finish at Ogden Pioneer Days worth nearly $6,000. Week after week, Bruno has continued to stack checks at some of the biggest rodeos on the schedule. That consistency is often what separates the field.
Winning one rodeo can change a season for any cowboy or cowgirl, but continuing to cash checks every weekend, big checks, is what keeps a cowboy in the world title race. Bruno has done both during the 2026 season.
Kade Bruno also recently received an invite to the 2026 Hondo Rodeo in Phoenix, Arizona. Although this does not count towards the World Standings, good momentum at big events like this sure does carry through. It is much easier to win if you are already winning and have been on a streak. In 2025, a Hondo Rodeo Championship helped him gain some of that needed big energy momentum before his fourth NFR appearance.
This year, the Wright boys have controlled much of the PRCA saddle bronc conversation, but Stetson's injury has created uncertainty at the top of the standings. Rusty Wright has positioned himself to make a run at his first PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding World Championship and Bruno has done the same. Of course, the battle is far from over.
Wyatt Casper, Ryder Wright, and Sage Newman are a few of the cowboys who are sitting very close behind Bruno in the standings. Every rodeo over the next several weeks could reshape the standings with so much money still left to be won. There is little room for mistakes, as any one of the top 30 in the world could still make a big comeback this year.
For this Idaho cowboy who has already accomplished a lot, 2026 could become something bigger for him. Many have said that a gold buckle was in this guy's future, watching him dominate year after year as a young athlete. Will 2026 be the year he becomes a World Champion?
If Bruno continues riding the way he has over the last two months and the entire 2026 season, he'll be right in the middle of that gold buckle conversation when the lights come on in the Thomas and Mack in Las Vegas this December.
Continue reading...
At just 25 years old, the Challis, Idaho, cowboy has already qualified for the NFR four times and surpassed $1 million in career earnings. That was a milestone he reached earlier this season. Those accomplishments have built him quite the resumé and quite the career.
Now, his goals this year are bigger than ever. Bruno is no longer riding to just make the NFR, but has a gold buckle on his mind.
With nearly $180,000 won this season, Bruno sits third in the PRCA World Standings behind Stetson Wright and Rusty Wright. Stetson still leads the standings despite recently announcing he will miss much of remainder of the regular season because of injury, while Rusty remains just ahead of Bruno with more than $195,000 earned.
That leaves the gold buckle race wide open heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Bruno has put himself in that position by doing exactly what every world champion has to do. He has found ways to collect the big checks and capitalize at the rodeos that matter most.
Since June 1, Bruno has won multiple rodeos. He picked up victories at the Spudman Tri-State Rodeo in Driggs, Idaho, the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, Nebraska, the Silver State Stampede in Elko, Nevada, and the NFR Open, where he collected more than $13,000 alone.
He finished third at the Calgary Stampede to add another $10,000 to his season earnings before following it up with a fourth-place finish at Ogden Pioneer Days worth nearly $6,000. Week after week, Bruno has continued to stack checks at some of the biggest rodeos on the schedule. That consistency is often what separates the field.
Winning one rodeo can change a season for any cowboy or cowgirl, but continuing to cash checks every weekend, big checks, is what keeps a cowboy in the world title race. Bruno has done both during the 2026 season.
Kade Bruno also recently received an invite to the 2026 Hondo Rodeo in Phoenix, Arizona. Although this does not count towards the World Standings, good momentum at big events like this sure does carry through. It is much easier to win if you are already winning and have been on a streak. In 2025, a Hondo Rodeo Championship helped him gain some of that needed big energy momentum before his fourth NFR appearance.
This year, the Wright boys have controlled much of the PRCA saddle bronc conversation, but Stetson's injury has created uncertainty at the top of the standings. Rusty Wright has positioned himself to make a run at his first PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding World Championship and Bruno has done the same. Of course, the battle is far from over.
Wyatt Casper, Ryder Wright, and Sage Newman are a few of the cowboys who are sitting very close behind Bruno in the standings. Every rodeo over the next several weeks could reshape the standings with so much money still left to be won. There is little room for mistakes, as any one of the top 30 in the world could still make a big comeback this year.
For this Idaho cowboy who has already accomplished a lot, 2026 could become something bigger for him. Many have said that a gold buckle was in this guy's future, watching him dominate year after year as a young athlete. Will 2026 be the year he becomes a World Champion?
If Bruno continues riding the way he has over the last two months and the entire 2026 season, he'll be right in the middle of that gold buckle conversation when the lights come on in the Thomas and Mack in Las Vegas this December.
Continue reading...
