Bearkat bareback rider and Huntsville native Bradlee Miller is no stranger to a wild ride.
As a senior at Sam Houston State University, Miller completed the 2024 rodeo season holding the title of fourth in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings and sixth in the average race at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He is one of the two cowboys who lead the World Standings without winning Houston.
The NFR is a ten-day championship rodeo that takes place annually in December in Las Vegas, Nevada. The NFR is the season-ending event for the PRCA and features the top 15 money-winners nationally from the season in various rodeo events.
Miller recalled being in shock after qualifying for the NFR.
“Making it to the NFR was a dream that I had, but even a month before the end of the 2024 season, it was a long shot for me to make it,” Miller said. “I thought it was so far-fetched that there was no way it would ever happen, but the stars lined up and I drew the right horses at the right place and was able to make it.”
A few months after his success at the NFR, Miller received the title of Reserve Grand Champion Bareback Rider at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) in March. Miller said that riding at Rodeo Houston was a childhood dream, and that having success is “just the cherry on top.”
With a successful previous season and a bright trajectory ahead, Miller continues to remain grounded in the values and practices that got him to where he is today.
“A rodeo in Vegas is just another rodeo,” Miller said. “It’s the same horses we get on all year long and there’s not any difference other than the money and prestige.”
Leading up to the NFR, Miller continued training and riding with the same passion and dedication he has throughout his entire career.
Rodeo has been a significant part of Miller’s life well before he entered college. Miller’s father, Edward “Bubba” Miller, has served as the renowned coach of the SHSU Rodeo Team since Miller was four years old. He has spent his entire career watching Miller thrive from a mutton-busting kid to a successful bareback rider. Miller expressed his gratitude towards his father’s coaching, stating that he does an excellent job at balancing the roles of dad and coach.
“He never really leads me wrong in the things that he’s taught me,” Miller said. “He always keeps me grounded.”
While Miller has seen his fair share of success recently, the rodeo lifestyle is not without challenges.
“When you rodeo hard enough to make it to the NFR, it’s hard to have much of a balance,” Miller said. “You’re either all-in or all-out, and to have success you have to be all-in.”
Miller travels for thousands of hours every year to compete all around the country and says that it can be financially stressful and time-consuming. Miller says when on the road, “you’re always looking for a place to be able to take your mind off rodeo and just enjoy where you’re at.” Despite the mental and physical demands of the lifestyle, Miller says that the places and people he has experienced through the sport have made it all worth it. He plans to continue traveling the country and chasing his dreams post-graduation.
