A Lot of First for Timberman

By Patrick Everson

First-ever Wrangler National Finals Rodeo appearance. First event of the night. And the first first-place check of the 2024 Wrangler NFR.

That’s Weston Timberman in a nutshell. The rookie bareback rider spurred Drunk Bunny to 87 points and a fat check of $33,687. It was a great start and a nice homage to his uncle, Kelly Timberman, who 20 years ago won the bareback world title.

The range of emotions a ride like that brings is broad, especially on a cowboy’s first ride under the Thomas & Mack Center lights. But Timberman summed it up nicely.

“If I’m being honest, I’m just relieved,” said the 20-year-old cowboy from Columbus, Mont. “It’s something I’ve thought about, dreamt about my whole life. To do this is just a dream.”

The roaring crowd of nearly 18,000 certainly let Timberman know it was not a dream.

“Everybody said there’s nothing like riding at the Thomas & Mack. And about 3 seconds in, I felt that,” Timberman said.

By no means was it an easy final 5 seconds, either. Drunk Bunny is one of the toughest horses to stay aboard, so anyone who makes it to 8 seconds will usually score well. But you have to get to 8 seconds.

“I watched that horse break a buddy’s back earlier this year,” Timberman said.

Fortunately, Timberman has drawn Drunk Bunny before, so he knew what to expect and was in fact eager for the opportunity.

“That’s a bad-ass horse. I’ve been on him a couple times, and he’s kind of a booger in the chute,” Timberman said. “So I couldn’t wait to get out of that bucking chute. It’s good to get on one you’ve been on before.

“He worked out real well for me.”

How well? Before Thursday’s first go-round, Timberman was seventh in the bareback world standings, with $164,100 in season earnings. That includes a $10,000 bonus by qualifying for the NFR.

With that aforementioned $33,687 first-place check, Timberman is at $197,787, jumping all the way to third in the world standings. He trails only defending world champion Keenan Hayes ($249,187) and Rocker Steiner ($243,319).

“I’m excited. I came here to do my job and have fun.”

On Thursday night, he did both, drawing a little closer to his goal of matching his uncle’s 2004 world title, 20 years later. That would be a storybook ending.