Bushaw making drive to nationals

Will Bushaw may not be old enough to drive a car on his own yet, but he sure knows how to steer a horse around a rodeo arena with no assistance.

Bushaw will turn 16 in September, and his mother, Aimee, said he, like all teenagers, “Can’t wait to get wheels.”

In the meantime, the Peaster High School sophomore is hoping to continue his upward trajectory on his current mode of transportation - at least around the ranch and in the arena - as he competes in the National High School Finals Rodeo next week in Gillette, Wyoming. The competition begins Sunday and runs through July 23 featuring the top high school rodeo competitors in the United States.

Bushaw, 15, is coming off winning the boys cutting championship at the Texas High School Rodeo Association Finals in Abilene in mid-June. In doing so he continually improved with each go-round, scoring 151 in the opening session, 152 in the second and finishing with a 154 score to win the overall title by 2.5 points.

His performance also paved the way for him to be named the Texas High School Rodeo Rookie of the Year.

This all came on the heels of a fourth-place finish in Region 3 of the Texas High School Rodeo Association in the regular season.

Of course, every great rodeo competitor will say success starts with having the right horse. Bushaw presented high praise for his trusty steed.

"My Horse, Velvets Revolver, is extremely talented and we get along great. He is a 10-year-old gelding with earnings of almost $300,000," Bushaw said. "He is the nicest horse ever and very good to be around."

Bushaw is competing at nationals for the first time, though he watched and learned from another great rider close to him. His brother, Charles Russell, was a two-time THSRA state champion and national qualifier in cutting.

The brothers are also both National Cutting Horse Association championships. Charles is a past Amateur and Limited Non Professional Futurity winner, while Will captured the 2020 National Youth Cutting Horse Association Junior Youth world title and the 2020 NCHA Summer Spectacular Derby.

Will was also the 2017 NYCHA Junior Rookie of the Year.

"I come from a cutting family, my parents, grandparents, and uncles have done it their entire lives," Will said. "I was 3 years old the first time I ever showed."

Along with the thrill of competition, Will said it's simply fun. In fact, it's also relaxing. Well, not in the arena so much, but certainly being in the atmosphere he loves.

"I enjoy spending time with my friends at shows, and just being around horses in general. It is something we do as a family," he said.

There is a danger involved in what the Bushaw brothers do so well. In fact, Will once broke his wrist riding bareback in his pasture when he slid off the horse.

"It can potentially be dangerous, so you have to make smart decisions and maintain your tack," he said. "That is probably the worst injury I have ever had horseback."

Will plans to attend Texas A&M University after high school, where he wants to major in business. He then wants to help run the family ranch.

And, of course, he wants to keep competing in cutting as much as possible.

"Unfortunately, cutting is not a collegiate sport, but I will continue to cut as a hobby for the rest of my life," he said.