No. 11 | $95,296
- Age: 33
- Hometown: Gering, NE
- Career earnings: $1,051,357
- NFR Qualifications: 2 (2016, 2019)
- NFR Average Titles: 1 (2016)
- Major rodeos: NFR, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Pendleton Round-Up, NFR Open, National Western Stock Show & Rodeo.
- Star Horsepower: Snowman (Trouble At The Rodeo), Esther (Siouxs Prescription)
Raised in the cab of a pickup, Riley Pruitt is no stranger to the rodeo road—and it shows, as the two-time NFR qualifier finds himself back inside the top 15.
Pruitt didn’t ease into rodeo—he was born into it. With a world champ dad and an NFR qualifying mom, he spent his early years on the road learning what it takes to make a living with a rope.
“Both of my parents rodeoed, both of them made the Finals,” Pruitt said. “I lived in the truck growing up.”
His dad, 1990 PRCA World Champion Calf Roper Troy Pruitt, kept punching tickets to Vegas through 1997—meaning Riley spent his earliest memories trailing behind at ProRodeos and soaking in every second.
“We live close to a lot of big rodeos, and when I was about six or seven, I’d go with my dad to the slacks,” Pruitt said. “I’d sit there and watch the best guys in the world rope. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen, and I always knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
By age nine, Pruitt had a rope in his hand, and soon after, he was traveling with his dad to roping schools across the country.
“I learned a lot growing up just being around it,” Pruitt said. “And when the junior high finals started, I was a sixth or seventh grader. That was a big turning point for junior rodeoing.”
From the NFR to the Sidelines
High school rodeo rolled into college rodeo, and eventually into ProRodeo. He made his NFR in 2016, placing in four rounds to win the average and finish seventh in the world standings. Pruitt qualified again in 2019, finishing fourth in the world standings. But then life—real life—intervened.
His son was born just two days before the world shut down for COVID in 2020. It gave Pruitt something he didn’t know he needed: time.
“I got to go home for about eight months and be a dad,” Pruitt said. “And I really enjoyed it.”
That break turned into rehab when a torn calf muscle and then a blown knee kept him out even longer. Stuck in a straight-leg brace and unsure what came next, Pruitt started working with young horses.
“I started with six and I’ve got five of them still,” Pruitt said. “My white horse—Snowman—was one of them. He’s been great for me this year.”
Team Roping Detour and a Viral Crash
But there was also a brief detour to the team roping side of things.
“I thought, ‘I can’t flank a calf, but I can swing a rope—I’ll learn to head,’” Pruitt laughed. “So I went to Trey Yates’ place with two horses, just looking for some pointers.”
That day turned into one of CalfRoping.com’s most-watched clips—when Pruitt and his wife’s blue roan barrel horse flipped head over heels mid-run.
“It hurt. Really, really hurt,” Pruitt laughed. “I was already injured on one side, then I messed up the other. But we ended up with a kid horse out of it.”
That same blue roan now belongs to Pruitt’s daughter—the only one he likes anymore.
“He’s a different animal now,” Pruitt said. “Doesn’t like anybody but my daughter. They’re best buds. We both learned something that day. We’re not meant to be for each other, but him and her are. He’s a big, beautiful barrel horse that used to be good at his job. But after that day, he just wants to be a kid horse. After surviving that incident, he can do whatever he wants.”
Pruitt’s wife, a standout barrel racer in her own right, keeps the whole thing rolling behind the scenes—and sometimes right alongside him.
“My wife grew up running barrels, she had great horses and would win checks at the circuit and amateur rodeos around Colorado,” Pruitt said. “She didn’t really like leaving home much, but when she showed up, she usually won. When we started hauling together, I tried to convince her to make the Finals with me. I lost that battle. She said, ‘You can go, and I’ll just go with you.’”
Their daughter doesn’t ride much, but when she does, Pruitt says it’s clear the horse savvy runs deep. Their son, he says, is all-in on life.
“He really just lives for the moment,” Pruitt laughed. “He’s a good kid.”
Stacked Horsepower and a Strong 2025 Push
Now, with two solid horses under him—Snowman and a 12-year-old mare of Miles Garwood’s named Esther that he had back in the COVID days—Pruitt has confidence every time he backs in the box.
“Esther has handled every situation I’ve thrown at her,” Pruitt said. “Having two good horses has made all the difference. They’re not getting overused, their confidence stays up, and so does mine.”
A strong winter laid the foundation for Pruitt’s 2025 season.
“Dean Gorsuch always said, ‘You make the Finals in the summer. Whatever you win in the winter is bonus,’” Pruitt said. “For me, it’s kind of the opposite. If I have a good winter, I can hang on all summer and build some momentum going back into the winter.”
He’s entered up, aiming to hit 85 rodeos this season, picking the ones where he feels like he’s got a real shot.
“It’s been a long time since I hit 85 rodeos,” Pruitt said. “This year, I’m going to try and get to them. I’m entered up enough, but I really want to get to the ones that I have confidence in and think I can win something at. There’s a lot of year left, but it’s a good time to be entered if you’re sitting on the right side of things.”
After his big win at the NFR Open, Pruitt went home for a much-needed reset.
“The wind’s blowing and I’m not behind a steering wheel,” Pruitt laughed. “I let the horses out to just be horses again. The whole rig needed a reset, and thankfully we got to have it.”
