For the past five years, 16-year-old Bryce Hardy has been voluntarily jumping on the back of bulls for competition and sport. In those past five years, Hardy has continued to improve and graduated to bigger bulls since he started and eventually rode in national competitions all over the country. From his farm a mile north of Chokio, to Las Vegas, Hardy’s rodeo career has brought him all over the United States and he is far from done making noise in the bull-riding circuit in the years to come. 

Before Hardy even hopped on the back of the bull in competition, he was around the rodeo life, watching his sister Jaclyn Iverson compete in barrel races at a number of rodeos throughout the year. At a number of those rodeos, Hardy saw some mini bull riding in a number of locations. This immediately sparked an interest in the 11-year-old cowboy and he knew he wanted to try it. 

“Thanks to some rodeo connections, I was able to get to ride at a practice bull riding pen where I was able to get on small steers and bulls. After the first time, I enjoyed it and I kept going to them. After a while, it just stuck with me that this is what I want to do,” Hardy said.

Since those early moments, Hardy has dove in head first into bull-riding. “The adrenaline of riding the bull really drives me to do it and the feeling of being able to do it excites me to want to ride it and conquer it,” Hardy said. “The feeling after I make the full eight seconds on a bull is unmatchable. It’s hard to explain the feeling, but the more I ride, the more I want to ride. The dream of making it professionally really pushes me to get better because I want to be the best that I can be.”

Hardy is lucky enough to have his own arena at his farm with a stable of a few bulls he is able to practice. Hardy also had a dummy bull for him to practice exercises with help from family and friends to always be improving. 

Hardy has been following the Minnesota High School Rodeo Association events, which starts at the end of August, runs through September, then picks up in May and goes through June. He also competes in 3T Productions/Bucking Bulls, which hosts events throughout the summer, as well as Wojo Rodeo running from June through October. 

At the end of the Minnesota High School Rodeo Association season, the top-four riders advance to compete in Nationals in mid July. Hardy has been in the top-four one time and advanced to the High School Nationals in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Other accolades include: competing in the Junior NFR in Las Vegas three times; riding in the World Championship Miniature Bull Riding in Mesquite, Texas three times; and traveling to the Hooey Junior Junior Patriot in Fort Worth three times.

There is some inherent risk of injury hopping on the back of a couple thousand pound animal. In the five years of competition, Hardy only experienced one major injury, and it came at one of the highest stages. During the 2024 High School Nationals, Hardy was in 10th place after the first round. He was confident heading into the second round, but four seconds into his ride he came off a little awkward with his hand still in the rope. “The force of me swinging off pulled my arm so hard it broke a piece of my elbow right off. I was out for about six months, I came back in January and have been doing great since,” Hardy said.

While the winter is a down time on the rodeo circuit, Hardy has no trouble staying in shape as a member of the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta basketball team. Though it is a lighter time in the year, Hardy will still keep his bull-riding chops sharp by working on some fundamentals at home and competing in Belgrade for his next rodeo Saturday, Dec. 13.