This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Cody Wright arrived at the Days of '47 Arena on Thursday night at 7, just as the rodeo began.
He was coming from the Gillette National Finals High School Rodeo where his third-youngest son, Stetson, competed.
At the Days of '47 Rodeo, his two eldest sons, Ryder and Rusty, were competing. So was Cody.
"It's fun [to compete with my sons]. I feel very blessed that I am able to," said Cody. "It's just something that happened. I never really planned on it. It just happened, and I feel blessed to be able to go down the road with them."
In the field of eight riders competing in the saddle bronc riding competition, only two of them get to move on to the finals on Monday. Those two spots now belong to Rusty and Ryder, who finished with scores of 79 and 75, respectively.
While the Wrights hope their family members do well, once they step foot in the chute, it's every man for himself.
"We got three of us and it's only possible for two of us to move on, and you know you want one of them to be you," said Rusty. "It sucks, but it's part of rodeo."
Even with not winning himself, Cody wears his sons victories as a badge of honor.
"It just feels better to see them win than me, to be right honest," said Cody.
Rusty doesn't like to consider doing better than his father "beating" him. He thinks of it in terms of riding his given horse the best he could to the likings of the judges.
No matter how Rusty and Ryder like to look at or label their victories over their father, they know that does not give them the bragging rights over Cody.
"We don't have that right yet," said Rusty. "He won way more than we could ever dream of. Maybe once we get two of three world titles we can."
Cody has two World Championships under his belt, has qualified for the RNCFR eight times and the WNFR 13 times.
While his sons have not accomplished that in their young careers, they both won rookie of the year, Rusty in 2014 and Ryder in 2016.
"It makes you feel like you belong," said Rusty. "When you start out and you are riding against people like my dad, Chad Muncy, those guys and you think 'Do I belong? I'm just the young guy.' Then you win rookie of the year and you know you belong and you can compete, and it helps with your confidence."
For the Wrights, having family around at all times also helps with that confidence and their performance.
Cody is one of 13 children, and Rusty and Ryder, two of five. The close-knit family members see each other if not every day, then every other day. Two more members of the Wright clan will be competing in Friday's Days of '47 events, and hailing from Milford, it means even more family out to watch.
"I think it makes it a lot easier," said Ryder on having his family around. "You are always with one of them and if you get in a hard spot there is always someone there to help you. For me, everyone else has rodeoed longer than me. They have been there and done that.
Rusty and Ryder will compete on Monday in the saddle bronc finals. The top three will win a grand prize of $50,000, helping them reach the NRF held in Las Vegas in August.
Twitter: @kendra__andrews