Age: 27
Hometown: Witter Springs, California
Career Earnings: $530,822
Major Rodeos: Wing & Barrel Western Days (Sonoma, Calif.), Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo (Salt Lake City, Utah), California Circuit Finals Rodeo (Red Bluff, Calif.), Co-champion — National Western Stock Show and Rodeo (Denver, Colo.), Colorado State Fair & Rodeo (Pueblo, Colo.), Chief Joseph Days (Joseph, Ore.), Eugene (Ore.) Pro Rodeo, Bigfork (Mont.) Summer ProRodeo, Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Vernal, Utah), West Texas Fair & Rodeo (Abilene, Texas).
NFR Qualifications: 2 (2023, 2025)
Star Horsepower: Gunny
Brushton Minton is heading back to the National Finals Rodeo for the second time in his career after a standout 2025 season that earned him $159,345 and solidified his spot inside the top 15 in the tie-down roping.
Minton grew up in Witter Springs, California, where is a fourth-generation cowboy. His father, Casey, is a former Linderman Award winner and trains many of the horses Brushton competes on. His siblings Bryar, Masey and Rainy have all been involved in the Western lifestyle, and Minton spent his youth roping and competing throughout California.
Early in his professional career, Minton began stacking wins across the California Circuit. He won the tie-down roping at the California Circuit Finals Rodeo in both 2021 and 2022, along with victories at Rowell Ranch in Hayward and the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo.
Those wins helped build the momentum that carried into his breakout 2023 season, when he qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo and finished 15th in the world standings with $134,476 earned.
At the 2023 NFR, Minton placed in multiple rounds, including second place finishes in Rounds 1 and 2, and finished 12th in the average on nine head. After returning home from Las Vegas, he won the California Circuit Finals average for the third straight time, tying three calves in 27.7 seconds.
The momentum continued in 2024. Minton picked up all-around titles at Santa Maria, Redding, Auburn, Oakdale and Redmond, plus calf roping wins at Pueblo, Chief Joseph Days and the California Circuit Finals. He finished the 2024 season No. 18 in the world with $94,999 earned in the tie-down roping.
During the 2024-25 California Circuit Finals, Minton entered with $16,302 won on the season and left with his fourth consecutive circuit average title and another all-around championship. Riding Gunny, the 17-year-old gelding who helped him qualify for both trips to the NFR, he won the first round, survived a tough second round and secured the average in the final round with an 8.9.
In early 2025, Minton opened the season with one of the strongest starts of his career. He won the all-around at Poway, San Bernardino, Marysville, Woodlake, Springville and Logandale. He won the calf roping at Wing & Barrel Western Days, the Utah Days of ’47 and the California Circuit Finals, and he split the win at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. He also won the team roping in Marysville with Spencer Mitchell.
Denver showcased Minton’s Cinch Timed Event Championship all-around skillset. After advancing through Denver’s timed-event qualifier in both the steer wrestling and team roping, he competed in both events during the performances and delivered a strong showing in the calf roping. He won the second round, won his semifinal set with a 7.8 and split the short-round win with a 7.3 aboard Gunny, leaving Colorado with more than $20,000 earned early in the season.
Minton continues to develop his string with Gunny as the cornerstone. The Westyn Hughes-trained gelding returned from injury late in 2024 and carried Minton through key rodeos throughout the 2025 regular season.
Looking forward, Minton plans to continue entering multiple events and hopes to qualify for the NFR in more than one event. He enters the 2025 NFR with $530,822 in career earnings and a resume built on circuit titles, all-around wins and a steady climb through the ProRodeo standings.