PORUM, Okla. – Justin McDaniel is back where he belongs.
After six months on the injured list, the 2008 world champion bareback rider returned to competition the second week of June by competing at the Beef Empire Days Rodeo in Garden City, Kan. As he wedged his hand in the rigging and settled atop his bucking horse, the cowboy’s focused demeanor was joined by raw anticipation.
“It was awesome,” said McDaniel, 23, of Porum, Okla. “It felt good to be back. I was a little rusty, but I hadn’t been on anything in a long time.”
McDaniel actually mounted two bucking broncs at his first rodeo since a back injury sent him to the ProRodeo sidelines – his first horse didn’t meet the standards of the competition, so he was awarded a reride. It gave him a better chance at placing, but it also meant the cowboy had to give two times the effort.
“I had to get on two horses, and the second one felt really good,” he said. “I’ve just lost a lot of muscle memory, but it’ll come back.”
McDaniel credited his partnership with Ariat, WW Livestock Systems, Carr Pro Rodeo and James Hodge Ford of Muskogee, Okla., with their support through their sponsorships. The $393 check he earned in Garden City for his sixth-place finish was nice, but rodeoing for a living takes a strong commitment and plenty of support.
“I’ve got some great sponsors that have helped me do what I love, and that’s riding bucking horses,” McDaniel said. “Jack and everybody at Hodge Ford came on in the last few months and have helped a lot through my surgery and being away from rodeo.”
He took a few days off after Garden City, but he doesn’t expect to get many of those with busiest time of the rodeo season ahead of him. He knows what it takes to win that coveted gold buckle, and he’s ready to chase it again in 2009, even though he’s about $86,000 behind standings leader Ryan Gray.
“I’m entered in everything in the book, so it’s about to get busy,” McDaniel said. “But I’m ready for it.”
