When Parker, Colorado’s Brooke Bruner bought her WPRA permit last November, she couldn’t have imagined that less than a year later she’d be finishing her first ProRodeo season with $48,197 won in the toughest Resistol Rookie race ever while balancing the demands of a pre-vet track at Clarendon College.
Bruner is looking to finish No. 2 in the Resistol Rookie of the Year standings behind record-breaking earner Haiden Thompson.
Rodeo Roots and Early Lessons
Bruner’s rodeo roots run deep. Her father, Barry, competed in high school rodeo in South Dakota, and it was his influence that pulled her into the sport. By age 11, Bruner was roping calves and tying goats, adding breakaway to a list of events that once included barrels, poles, ribbon roping, and even team roping. She and her dad became a horse-training team, often buying “misfits” off the racetrack and turning them into rodeo horses.
Between training race horses, the Bruner family purchased then-21-year-old veteran mare “Booster” for her to take a step up on. Booster knew her job well, having carried several other riders to championship titles, and demanded respect.
“You were either 2.1 or you were nothing,” Bruner recalled. “She knew her job, and she made me step up every single run.”
Booster passed away in 2024, but her lessons live on in Bruner’s aggressive, go-for-the-win approach.
The Horses That Carried a Rookie Year
Mandatory Credit: Billie-Jean Duff
This season, Bruner leaned on two geldings: Taco and Rebel.
Taco, a 13-year-old grade gelding that started as a goat-tying project, quickly became Bruner’s go-to mount.
“We’re not even horse and rider—we’re one,” Bruner said. Together they won three ProRodeos this season, including Buckeye, Arizona, Hayward, California and Montgomery, Alabama.
And while Taco handles the short starts, Rebel, a seven-year-old off-the-track project Bruner and her dad picked up at an auction, is her long-score weapon. Quirky and once terrified of the roping box, Rebel grew into a rodeo horse this summer, carrying Bruner to wins in Douglas, Wyoming, and Rawlins, Wyoming as well as a finals qualification at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
“When he gets in that box, all his fears go away,” Bruner said. “He gives me everything he’s got every single run.”
Brooke Bruner’s Resistol Rookie ProRodeo wins:
- Gooding ProRodeo, Gooding ID, 2.1, $5,531
- Sisters Rodeo, Sisters, OR, 2.5, $3,910
- Kitsap Stampede, Bremerton, WA, 2.2, $2,654
- Carbon County Stampede, Rawlins, WY, 2.0, $1,903
- Wyoming State Fair & Rodeo, Douglas, WY, $1,836
- Lincolm Country Fair & Rodeo, Afton, WY, 2.4, $1,328
Highs, Lows, and Lessons on the Road
Like most rookies, Bruner learned that the ProRodeo road is both thrilling and humbling. One of her toughest stretches came in early July, when she went five weeks without catching a calf.
“We drove 7,000 miles and didn’t win a dime,” Bruner said. “That was hard. But it forced me to regroup, get aggressive, and remember why I love to rope.”
On the flip side, moments of community and support reminded her why the sport is worth it. She recalled the chaos of trying to make a run in Mandan, North Dakota, last weekend after delayed flights and frantic travel. Ropers she had looked up to her entire life—Taylor Munsell, Hali Williams, Maddy Deerman—stepped in with calf videos, advice, and even string and baby powder to make sure she was ready.
“It showed me the kind of people this sport is full of,” Bruner said. “That was one of the best experiences of my rookie year, even if the run didn’t go the way I wanted.”
@breakawayropingjournal Yep, these are the core memories. The ones with the people you can’t replace. And there were plenty of memories and connections made at the @resistol1927 Rookie Roundup over the weekend. 💗 We’re grateful to have watched gals @Ali🎀 ♬ The Girls – Megan Moroney
Balancing Roping and a Future in Vet Medicine
Away from the rodeo arena, Bruner is equally focused. A pre-vet major at Clarendon College, she’s serious about one day pursuing veterinary school, with Texas A&M sitting high on her list.
“Being a vet has been my dream since I was little,” Bruner said. “Even if roping takes me further than I ever imagined, I’ll always have that to fall back on.”
In the meantime, she continues training horses alongside her dad, hauling her string between Texas and Colorado, and eyeing the winter rodeo run with hopes of breaking into the Top 30 of the WPRA World Standings.
“I like being busy,” Bruner said. “I’m blessed to have something I love so much that I work at it until I’m exhausted. Whether it’s school, training, or rodeo, I want to give 200%—because that’s what my horses give me every single time.”
