Jhett Trenary rode three different head horses to three separate checks worth $9,625 a man with L.J. Yeahquo at the NFR Open at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo July 14-18 in Colorado Springs.
When it came to horsepower, none of it went according to plan.
28-year-old Trenary arrived in Colorado Springs intending to ride Hustler, the 17-year-old grade gelding behind nearly every major win of his career. But after roping at Cheyenne earlier that day and sitting through stop-and-go traffic on the drive south, Hustler stepped off the trailer sore.
“It wasn’t by design,” Trenary said. “I wanted to ride my best one—his name’s Hustler, and he’s 17 and grade. I’ve had him since he was 6. I mean, I owe all of my success to him.”
With his first choice on the injured reserved, Trenary’s looked to the other two standing tied to the trailer.
Slug Bug: The One for the Longer Setups
Trenary then saddled Slug Bug, the 10-year-old registered as Kinda Like Lion, for the opening round of Bracket Three.
The bigger, longer-strided gelding is the horse Trenary usually saves for long setups like Cheyenne and the Bob Feist Invitational. He bought Slug Bug from Matt Zancanella’s program in 2023, when the gelding was 7 and coming out of the futurity side of the industry.
“He scores so good, and he gives me such a smooth platform to throw off of,” Trenary said. “I don’t hardly ever miss on him. He lets me hit the barrier, and he’s pretty smooth and just gives me a chance.”
Trenary had ridden Slug Bug at Cheyenne earlier in the day, and when Hustler walked away sore in Colorado Springs, he did not hesitate to go back to him.
“I just tied him back up and threw the saddle on Slug Bug,” Trenary said. “If I had time to sit and think about it, I might’ve saddled something else, but I knew I could trust him.”
Trenary and Yeahquo ran one in 6.7 seconds, tying Guy Howell and Logan Schliinz for second in the first round and earning $1,875 a man.
Slug Bug had delivered the first check, but Trenary felt the Colorado Springs setup wasn’t the most ideal for the horse, even if he had done well.
With a softer steer drawn for Round 2, Trenary made another change.
Breezy: Supposed to be a Practice Horse
Trenary turned to Breezy, the 14-year-old mare registered as Sheza Lost Cause, for their second steer, the mare that had almost missed the summer altogether.
Trenary originally bought Breezy four or five years ago while he was heeling. Casey McCleskey had been riding her for a client, and Trenary needed another heel horse. But after heading a few steers on her, he saw the potential.
“She scored unbelievably good,” Trenary said. “She never twitched, stayed in my hand and, the instant I dropped, she was on the ground running.”
Breezy eventually became more of a practice horse and backup option. Trenary had her for sale before leaving for the summer and had several people try her.
Then she started making winning easy.
Trenary and Yeahquo tied for third at the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Oklahoma, with a 5.6-second run worth $2,820 a man. They tied for the win at the Durant Pro Rodeo with a 4.8 for $2,087, finished third at the Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale, Arkansas, with a 5.0 for $4,210 and tied for the win at Rodeo Roundup in Roundup, Montana, with another 4.8 for $1,445.
“It’s kind of been like, well, I can’t kick her out of the rig now,” Trenary laughed. “I still like riding the others more than her, it seems like, but sometimes it’s like, ‘Why am I not riding her more if every time I ride her, we win something?’”
Breezy gave him another reason to keep her in Colorado Springs.
Their second steer ducked his head as Trenary got to him, forcing Breezy to stay with the run for another stride. She did, letting Trenary and Yeahquo have the flag dropped in 7.2 seconds for fourth, worth $750 a man.
The run gave them a 13.9-second time on two head, making them the No. 1 qualifiers from Bracket Three and advancing them to the finals.
“She was clutch and just stayed with it right there,” Trenary said. “She gave me an opportunity just to keep our name down, place in the average and get back to the championship round. I couldn’t ask her to be any better.”
Breezy has now carried Trenary and Yeahquo to $11,312 a man across five rodeos this season.
Hustler: The No. 1 Returns
While Slug Bug and Breezy handled the bracket rounds, Trenary kept working on Hustler.
He went to rehabbing him as soon as he came up sore, used an ice boot and monitored the old injury that had already forced Hustler to miss most of June. As the week went on, the gelding continued to get sounder.
Before the finals, Trenary pulled Hustler out of the stall and moved him around.
“He looked really good,” Trenary said. “So, I was fortunate I got to get on him for the short round.”
Hustler helped Trenary and Yeahquo make a 4.7-second run, finishing third behind Jake Smith and Nicky Northcott’s 4.3 and Garrett Tonozzi and Trey Yates’ 4.6. The run paid $7,000 a man and completed Trenary’s three-horse, three-check weekend.
Trenary found Hustler as a 6-year-old feedlot horse after winning a big check during his junior year of high school. He tried him at a barn in Goodwell, Oklahoma, and has relied on him for more than 11 years.
“He scores every single time,” Trenary said. “He’s got a ton of run, but when it’s short, he just gets out of my way and lets me get over him and use my rope.”
Hustler has stayed with Trenary through every stage of his career.
“I’ve never outgrown him,” Trenary said. “He’s been good at the level I’m at, and then whenever I step up a level, he just steps right with me.”
Three Deep
Trenary wanted to ride Hustler in every round at Colorado Springs. Instead, as the rodeo road would have it, things happened and he had to adjust.
Slug Bug handled the first round. Breezy kept them alive and advanced them to the finals. Hustler returned to finish the job.
“I think a guy has to have two or three that they trust,” Trenary said. “Everybody’s got their favorite one they want to ride everywhere, but it’s just not realistic to ride the same one all year long. You’ve got to have a few in the rig that you trust, so at the drop of a hat, you can get on something else if you need to and still have an opportunity to win.”