YORKTON - Talk about a case of good news / bad news.
Recently, Dakota Buttar of Eatonia, Sask. topped the field at the PBR Peace Country Invitational, at Grande Prairie, Alta.
He was a perfect 3-for-3 at the event to move into the number one spot in the 2023 PBR Canada Championship race.
That was the good news.
Getting off the final bull after the eight second buzzer Buttar injured his collar bone and is now on the sidelines hoping the injury responds well with an eye to returning likely only days ahead of the PBR Canada final set for Edmonton.
In terms of the event win Buttar was naturally pleased.
“I’m happy the way the weekend went,” he told Yorkton This Week.
Buttar’s Round #1 ride was third-best among riders. He scored 84 points aboard War Boy from X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Legend Rodeo Stock.
“I did my job,” he said.
From there things got, if not easier, more familiar in the sense riders were given a choice in terms of bulls.
So does Buttar have a book where he files information on the bovine competitors?
Not really. He just files the information in his mind.
“We see them enough throughout the year. We know their patterns,” offered Buttar.
It comes down to trying to select a bull that fits a rider’s style and strengths.
“I like them going to the left,” said Buttar.
Obviously Buttar selected well.
In the second round he went head-to-head with Hanna Motors Broken Halo (Skori Bucking Bulls), scoring 87 points to advance to the championship round.
With an early pick in the championship round bull draft, Buttar picked Chico (Vold Rodeo).
Initially it looked like Chico had won the battle, but upon review Buttar was deemed to have made the eight seconds and was awarded an event-best 89.5 points to clinch the victory.
Buttar, who also finished second in the accompanying 5/5 Bucking Battle compliments of an 85.5-point score on Desperado (Vold Rodeo), netted a combined 158 national points. He surged from number three to number one in the nation, a slim 10.84 points ahead of fellow Saskatchewan rider Cody Coverchuk of Meadow Lake.
Getting the points and climbing to the top of the board is big especially when looking at the calendar and realizing there are not a lot of events left on the schedule to accumulate points, said Buttar.
That’s maybe the silver lining for Buttar and his injury. He will not miss a lot of rides.
So what happened?
“It was the very last one I came off,” said Buttar, who added he knew what was wrong.
“My collarbone had been bugging me for a couple of weeks.”
Now Buttar must deal with the frustration of rehabbing an injury with the PBR Canada finals looming.
“The first couple of weeks I’m giving it rest. Hopefully it sets and it gets a good healing start,” he said.
Obviously Buttar won’t be climbing on any practice bulls for a while, and that’s frustrating because there is not really any other way to practice the sport.
“Nothing else can compare to it (actually riding a bull),” said Buttar.
While obviously wanting to ride, Buttar is also a realist, knowing injuries are part of the sport.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” he said.
For the third time the PBR will hold the Canadian National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, in Edmonton. The event will be held at Rogers Place Nov. 17-18.
The finals will pay out a record $175,000, including a $50,000 bonus to be awarded to the 2023 PBR Canada Champion.
