8-year-old Harlan bull rider turns heads with national accolades

By Jack Keenan

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    HARLAN, Iowa (KETV) — At 8 years old, Stetson Thurman is just getting warmed up.

“Proud is an understatement,” Stetson’s father, Chris, said.

Over the past few years, Stetson has racked up trophies and buckles in bareback, mutton busting, and bull riding.

“Seeing how far he’s come in this short amount of time, starting off at 4 years old– he’s 8 now. Kid’s already won three times the amount of buckles that I’ve ever,” Chris said.

Like most champions, Stetson’s success was forged by overcoming adversity.

“There’s an instance back in 2020 he got bucked off, landed on the ground, and bull reared up and kicked him right in his collarbone and launched him three or four foot back,” Chris said.

“He basically brought me back out of retirement on that one because he said he knew I used to ride and he wanted to see me ride so to kind of prove a point of if you get knocked down, get back up. I got back on.”

Seeing his dad back on, competing full-time on rodeo senior tours, Stetson found his fire again.

“He came back in 2021 with a vengeance and that’s when he started winning championships. He’s been kind of invincible since,” Chris said.

Stetson just returned from Fort Worth, Texas, where he placed fifth overall in bareback and bull riding in the Hooey Jr. Patriot championship.

“No matter what happens, he knows we’re behind him 100% whether he struggles down there or he dominates. The fact that he’s made it this far already speaks levels,” Chris said. “Nothing can take that away from him.”

Stetson is now training for his next long-distance rodeo in Reno, Nevada, this December.

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