Wiley Petersen was 10 years old, standing on the back of a bucking chute and watching as they ran in what was supposed to be a steer.

He had recently seen a steer-riding trophy won by a classmate, and thought it might be fun to give it try. Mostly, though, he wanted to win a trophy.

His mother Tonna made some calls and found a junior rodeo. His grandfather Archie Cutler, a former bull rider, gave him a few lessons, and off they went.

“When I showed up, I was thinking they were going to be a lot smaller than they were,” Wiley Petersen recalled. “When that thing ran in, I still remember to this day – it was probably a yearling – but it was a bull and it had a little hump.

“I’m thinking, ‘This is a bull. I didn’t sign up for this. This is way too big.’ I was kind of trying to back out of it.”

Petersen had no intention of attempting the mini bull. But Tonna had other ideas, telling her son, “We didn’t come here to quit.”

She explained to him that he had made a commitment, and she was going to hold him to it.

It was life-altering lesson about honor and holding true to his word. He was going to get on this one time, and if he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t have to try it again.

“That ride changed my life,” said Petersen, who lasted two jumps before bucking off. He felt as though he had reached the summit of 14,000-foot-mountain.

“It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I had never had before.”

Diamond in the rough

Petersen was born and raised in Fort Hall, Idaho.

Both his parents – Tonna and Mike – rode steers as kids. His father went on to become what Wiley called “a decent bronc rider,” who competed at some amateur events in Idaho and the surrounding area.

After his parents divorced, his father moved to Wyoming, and WIley lived with his mother in Idaho.

Growing up, he was shy, quiet and not particularly confident. Until he was 10 and began riding steers in the summertime, he had never challenged himself too much.

In comparison to other parts of the country, summers are short in Idaho, so there were only about five or six junior rodeos he would enter. It wasn’t until the summer was nearly over that he finally made the whistle, while visiting his father in Jackson, Wyo.

Even as a pre-teen, Petersen took riding seriously, and would train at home on a little bucking barrel. He’d work out every day trying to get stronger, but it was only after his father asked him to switch riding hands that he stayed on for 8 seconds.

Practicing on his own, he made one of the most common mistakes, thinking he needed to have his dominant hand in the rope as opposed to using it as his free arm for balance.

“From then on it just seemed like it gradually started to click for me,” Petersen said.

Shortly thereafter, he won his first buckle, though the memory is bittersweet.

Excited that he won, Petersen remembers repeatedly asking the announcers when they were going to present him with his buckle. Overcome with anticipation, he could barely wait until the entire rodeo was over.

“That buckle is pretty special to me,” he said, “but in the same way it was little bit disappointing, because when I got it, it was so small I couldn’t even put it on my belt. I’m serious.”

Petersen still has it today.

On the backside, a knife was used to scratch “89 Pioneer Days Rodeo Steer Riding First Place.”

“It’s like a souvenir buckle,” said Petersen, laughing.

Life-changing moment

It wasn’t until high school that Petersen began riding bulls year-round.

There were only a few indoor rodeos during the winter months, but every Saturday a local stock contractor by the name of Byron Pearson would buck his bulls. He would invite the boys out to his place, and took a liking to Petersen.

“I was getting a lot of good instruction,” said Petersen, who counts Pearson as an early mentor, “and grandpa was there helping me.”

As an amateur, Petersen never excelled at the sport, but he was consistent, and was a dependable member of his high-school rodeo team.

Three times Petersen won his district, and his best state finish was fourth. He never contended for a national title, but he earned a Top 10 finish and a scholarship to compete for Idaho State University.

“It was never obvious,” said Petersen of his decision to pursue a career as a professional bull rider.

But he continued to progress.

In his first year of college he would compete for Idaho State, and enter pro rodeos at the same time. Gradually he began challenging himself against better competition, until he finally entered his first PBR event in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

It took more than 24 hours for him to drive his used van 1,500 miles from Pocatello, Idaho, to Poplar Bluff. He rode his first bull, bucked off in the short round, and drove back home without having won any money.

“I was basically broke,” he said. He described his career at the time as a “one-dime-at-a-time kind of deal.”

He wasn’t discouraged. He was actually excited about the possibilities.

Petersen said his plan was to enter as many Touring Pro events as he could. The plan called for him to stay on the road until he was out of money, go home, work, save up some more and then try his luck again.

He always seemed to win just enough to keep himself from having to get a day job.

It was in 2000 that it all came together.

Petersen had charged the cost of several plane tickets to his credit card. He was in Minnesota for an event in Thief River Falls. He was cash-strapped and ready to head home when he won $12,000 for first place.

He paid his credit card bill and got the call from the PBR office in September, telling him that he had made the draw for a Built Ford Tough Series event in Reno, Nev., as an alternate.

A few weeks later he was in Laughlin, Nev. He bucked off a bull named Utah in the opening round, and then rode Gold Coast Gambler for 87 points to make it back to the short round in the last spot.

That’s when he rode Copenhagen Cash for 91 points.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Petersen, whose 178 points was enough for the lead in the average. “I was watching 14 of the best guys in the world falling off their bulls and I was thinking, ‘There’s no way I’m going to win this.’

“This is going to change a lot, and sure enough I won the event and the doors flew open.”

“All in an instant” life changed.

“In one night everything changed from me struggling and dreaming of being at the World Finals to now all of a sudden I’m there,” he said. “There are only a few life-changing moments, and that was one of them.”

Now in his 12th season, Petersen has won nearly $1.5 million.

He’s won 13 events, including the 2007 Finals event in Las Vegas, and has recorded 77 Top 10 finishes.

If he were to ride for another season, he’d likely surpass 300 career BFTS events, 800 outs and 400 qualified rides – three milestones that have only been reached by Ross Coleman. Two-time World Champion Chris Shivers is only 17 qualified rides away from adding his name to the hat-trick.

Petersen’s two best seasons came in 2003 and 2007, when he finished in the Top 5 of the world standings.

“It’s been a great experience just to see all that happen,” said Petersen. He’s watched the PBR grow throughout his career, and gone from riding at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla., to Madison Square Garden.

“I can’t believe I’ve gotten to ride in New York City and just the places I’ve gotten to go. It’s been an amazing ride.”

’Typical, everyday, normal stuff’

Petersen doesn’t see himself as a cowboy.

He doesn’t own a horse and doesn’t wear a cowboy hat or boots during the week. He has no plans to ever raise cattle, and as he put it, “I don’t do traditional cowboy stuff.”

He’s an athlete, who just so happens to “have a little bit different job than most.”

During the week, he helps out around the house, works in the yard and coaches his youngest son’s t-ball team.

“It’s just typical, everyday, normal stuff,” he said, “and then when I leave for the weekend I become a cowboy – the bull rider.

“It’s tough going on the weekends and leaving my family. Sometimes they get to come with me, but every job has its pros and cons. I love what I’m doing, and I get to share my faith with people through riding bulls.”

Petersen and his wife Amy were longtime friends before they ever dated.

According to Wiley, that foundation has been the key to a successful relationship.

“I never tried to impress her with all my charm,” said Petersen, who pointed to the day he proposed as another turning point in his life. “It’s the first time that I ever told her that I loved her.

“To me, it’s not just a word. It’s a commitment.”

It’s been more than 20 years since his mother taught him the importance of commitment, and a career in the PBR has provided his family – he and Amy have two sons, Kaden and Rylan – with a comfortable life.

He knows his career is close to being over, but he’s never been defined by being a bull rider.

That’s why he’s done everything from recording workout and instructional videos, to taking part in bull riding clinics, and thinking about the future. On Wednesday, he’s promoting the first Wiley Petersen Invitational presented by Project Filter, a Touring Pro event in his hometown.

“You’ve got to live in the moment and prepare for the future, too,” said Petersen, who is competing this weekend in Billings after missing four months following surgery to repair damage to his left shoulder.

“Obviously I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I’m going to do the best I can today.”

News & Notes

Wiley online: Petersen writes a weekly blog for PBR.com.

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright