Jake Wright has qualified for the past five Wrangler National Finals Rodeos. He’s part of the Wright clan that has overtaken the saddle bronc riding world. There are a total of five brothers and two nephews competing at the professional level. “I love everything about it. It’s a great atmosphere, a great way of life,” he says. “It’s an incredible feeling to ride something that powerful. It’s the classic event. It’s just a bunch of great feelings bottled into 8 seconds. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it.”
Saddle
That’s a G Bar G, the old traditional Gold style. I ride a 16 ¼” seat with a fiberglass tree, G Bar G leathers, and stirrups. The stirrups are made of fiberglass, too. My hack rein is made out of boat rope that they use on boat docks. It’s a pretty awesome material, I like it because you can really get ahold of it. My brother Alex braids them up.
gbargbroncsaddles.com
Jeans
I ride in Wranglers. I just switched to their 20X No. 33 Extreme Relaxed Fit style. wrangler.com
Vest
This is a Ride Western vest, made by Ride Right. This style has bigger holes for your arms and neck. It’s real open and you can move more freely. It feels like I don’t even have it on when I’m riding. It’s got Impact Dispersing Shield material in it, so if you come off and a horse is going to step on you, their foot slides off. If you get squished in the chute, it gives you that extra bit of protection.
rideright.com
Chaps
Tim Bath makes my chaps. He’s an older fella and has been making chaps for a long time. I like them because they sit up high, they’re not too expensive, it’s a quick turnaround, and he’s just a nice guy.
bathperformancehorses.com/chaps
Boots
You want to have a boot with a bigger heel on it so your foot doesn’t slide through. You want a spur ledge on there and a flat arch so your stirrup sits in there solid. I always rode in Noconas, and Justin makes a good boot, too. But I just bought a pair of Boulets and they’re awesome.
bouletboots.com
Spurs
We got a guy in Utah named Kent Mertin that makes them out of rasps. They’re different from a regular spur; the shank has a lot of drop on it. The spur bar is so when you spur over your rein, your foot comes back over it and doesn’t get hung up. It’s a six-star rowel, small and dull. It gives me a little more drag and slows my feet down. It helps the bronc buck a little better, but I use the dull rowels so it doesn’t hurt them.
raspspursbitsandbuckles.com
Tape, Baby Powder, and Wire Brush
I use the round wire brush to scrape the old resin off my chaps and swells so I can put the new on. I put the baby powder on my latigo so it pulls nice and smooth. I use regular athletic tape to tape on my ankle guards.
Buckle
That’s the second one I won at the National Finals Rodeo. I split the round with Cort (Scheer) and Wade (Sundell). It’s special to me because it was my first NFR. montanasilversmiths.com