Wednesday Mini Mag

The 13-year-old mare Miss Kitty is Brunner’s steer wrestling mount and Slick a 13-year-old gelding works the hazing side. “I’ve been using these horses for three years now. We seem to work well together,” Brunner said. “I’m fortunate to own the team now after buying them from Sean Mulligan and Pride Farms at Durant, Oklahoma.”

His traveling partners Cole Edge, Trever Nelson and Kodie Jang are also important to Brunner. “We’ve been going together with the same horses, and it’s really been great,” he said. “If the weather cooperates, I intend to run a few more steers here at home before heading south,” Brunner noted. “Then I’ll go down to practice with Sean Mulligan before the NFR like I’ve done the past couple of years.”

Highlights of Brunner’s 2020 campaign included winning the Prairie Circuit Finals at Duncan, Oklahoma, and the Mesquite, Texas, Championship Rodeo. He was co-champion at Woodward, Oklahoma; Coleman, Texas; and Gooding, Idaho. Brunner’s fastest run of the year came at San Antonio, Texas, where he dropped his steer in 3.6-seconds to win $4,153. “Several of the major Kansas rodeos that I generally compete at were canceled this year,” Brunner said. “But I did have some success in my home state.” His 4.1-seconds Dodge City run was worth $1,366, while he had 3.9-seconds at Phillipsburg and 4.6-seconds at Pretty Prairie. With entirely different rodeo conditions in 2019, Brunner completed the PRCA standings 15 th after the NFR with $109,912. He also finished 15th in the 2018 PRCA world steer wrestling standings with $98,193. The three previous years Brunner had been 47 th , 28 th and 63 rd respectively in yearend steer wrestling results. Growing up in a rodeo family, Brunner started competing when he was nine-years-old. His dad Tracy, mom Yvonne and sister Cat all have successful rodeo careers. Graduating from Centre High School at Lost Springs in 2011, Brunner competed at the National High School Rodeo Finals two years. On the Kansas State University Rodeo Team, Brunner also qualified for the National Intercollege Rodeo Association Finals two years.