Pandemic gave youngest Wright boost to join family rodeo business

Statler Wright had nowhere to go.

Like a majority of Americans, Wright faced the same realities in March 2020. The COVID pandemic forced shutdowns and closures across the country, leaving people with no other option but to stay home.

At the time, he was a high school junior looking forward to finishing the spring semester before heading into the summer ahead of his senior year.

It all abruptly came to a halt.

For many, the new reality meant developing an understanding of online learning or using Zoom for digital meetings.

For Wright, it was a moment to ponder the thing he’d tried to steer clear of for so long — his family legacy.

Avoiding the inevitable

There are certainly last names synonymous with rodeo, but none have a lineage quite like the Wrights.

Cody Wright won two Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world saddle bronc riding titles during his hall of fame career. His brothers, Jesse and Spencer, each have a PRCA championship to their credit as well.

Among Cody’s children, Stetson, Rusty and Ryder have all been competing for years, with a combined 23 National Finals Rodeo qualifications and 10 world titles between them. Stetson is the reigning five-time all-around world champion, but he won’t be competing in Las Vegas this year while he covers from hamstring surgery.

Statler, the youngest of the siblings, decided early on to buck the family trend by not bucking at all.

“I got on a saddle bronc steer one time when I was 11 or 12,” Statler said. “My bronc saddle on the steer went right over his head, so I was like, ‘Well that’s stupid.’ So I didn’t do that again.”

For years, Statler was committed to being the Wright who didn’t ride.

At Beaver High School in Utah, he was a standout athlete, particularly for the football team. In three years on varsity, Statler amassed 165 tackles, including 21 for a loss. He also caught 11 touchdowns on just 31 career receptions.

During that span, the program lost just two games while playing for the Utah Class 2A state title each season. The Beavers won championships in 2019 and 2020.

Statler had ambitions of following the game to the collegiate level. He envisioned a different path for himself, one that didn’t include rodeo.

“(My family) all actually thought I was going to play football. My dad, he kind of steered me away from (saddle bronc riding). He was always like, ‘Why don’t you be a doctor or something? It’s way easier on your body,’ ” Statler said with a laugh.

“I won’t say I didn’t say that,” Cody joked when recalling the conversation.

Then, came the pandemic.

From there, everything changed.

‘Might as well try it’

After years of avoidance, Statler was suddenly on the family ranch, surrounded by PRCA world champions with nothing else to do. Jumping on a bucking horse seemed like a decent way to pass the time.

Since the chute gate opened, there’s been no going back.

“My dad asked me, ‘Do you want to try riding bucking horses?’ And I said, ‘Well, we ain’t got nothing much else to do. Might as well try it,’ ” Statler joked. “Since the first one, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is why those guys do this.’”

The Wrights turned the practice pen into a one-man rodeo, with everyone playing a part. With roles loading the horses, opening the chute gates and serving as pickup men, the entire family played a part in educating Statler on the finer points of being a saddle bronc rider.

And with so many veterans looking on, the process advanced at an expedited pace.

“We couldn’t wait until the next one, because there wasn’t a whole lot else going on during COVID,” Cody said. “It was easy to practice, and everybody was around. It seemed to speed things up pretty good.”

Added Statler: “ I had eyes everywhere every time I nodded my head looking at what I could do, what I did good that time, what I could fix. I think that made a huge difference just having all them guys there. Shoot, they’ve all been there and done that, so it was really nice to have them there just watching and seeing what I could do better.”

Cody’s advice to his son — never leave the pen on a bad ride. That might mean having to mount up four or five times before getting it right, but ending the day on a positive note was a crucial part of the building process.

The crash course in saddle broncing came to a head several months later. As restrictions related to the pandemic began to ease, Statler signed up for a high school rodeo in Ogden, Utah. The three-round event was set to be his first competitive outing. It turned into his first win.

Statler posted the best scores in the first and second rounds along with short-go to finish as the average leader. He earned a trophy saddle and buckle.

“As soon as I did that, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is freaking awesome,’ ” he said.

Family tradition

Easing into life as a PRCA competitor was never an option. And if it was, Statler wasn’t going to take it.

Since his first year on the pro circuit, the newest Wright saddle bronc rider has been a factor. In 2022, Statler finished just short of $80,000 in earnings, placing him 20th in the world standings. A year later, he was better, securing more than $113,000 in prize money while finishing 19th overall.

It was a learning experience, one he took to heart.

“The first two years, I was just rodeoing because I thought that’s what you do. I didn’t know setting goals made that much of a difference. I was just out there having fun,” Statler said. “I rodeoed with my brothers because it was fun seeing them after all these years of just watching them on TV, just seeing them from right there on the back of the bucking chutes at every rodeo. Everything isn’t what people see on Instagram. There’s way more downs than a lot of people think.”

Less than five years removed from his first practice pen ride, Statler is in a familiar place but from an unfamiliar vantage point.

Since he was born, Las Vegas in December has been an annual journey for the Wright family. For 21 straight years, Statler followed Cody and his uncles to the Thomas & Mack Center for the National Finals Rodeo. Then it was brothers.

Now, it’s his turn. He enters the NFR in ninth place in saddle bronc riding with more than $172,000 in earnings.

Most aspiring cowboys envision this moment from their first glimpse of the yellow bucking chutes. For Statler, it’s a dream come true, just not a typical one.

“I guess I can’t say I’ve dreamed about it my whole life, but I’ve dreamed about it for long enough. I’ve seen my dad back there. I’ve seen all my brothers back there,” Statler said. “I tell you what, I’ll be a nervous son of a gun that first night of the rodeo.”

In February 2020, rodeo was the furthest thing from his mind. Now, Statler Wright is chasing a world championship and a place in the Wright family’s legacy of rodeo excellence.

And while this chapter is nearing its finish, the story appears far from over.

“I’m excited to see what the future holds for him. I’m excited to see him come alive at NFR,” Cody said “I think that’s going to be a place where he’ll stand out and shine. The better they are, the better he rides. With that electricity, I think it’s just going to be an awesome show for him.”