CORTEZ – With Dennehotso, Arizona’s Matthew Tuni sitting in the bucking chute for his bareback ride on Saturday night at the Ute Mountain Roundup, public address announcer Jody Carper asked the crowd how many spectators were there representing the Navajo Nation.
A hearty cheer rang out from the sellout crowd at the Montezuma County fairgrounds right as Tuni burst from the chute.
Hanging in through a violent surge mid-ride from his horse, Tuni stayed strong for the full eight seconds to earn a score of 76.5, good for his second paycheck of the weekend, joining a fourth-place ride in Monticello from two days earlier.
Coming from a proud family tradition, Tuni continues to rise as one of the top bareback riders on the Turquoise Circuit (New Mexico and Arizona), and also appears primed to qualify for his first Indian National Finals Rodeo at South Point in Las Vegas this October.
Having learned the sport from his father, Wilbert, he joins several of his brothers, uncles and cousins have tasted riding glory in various capacities. Tuni’s 19-year-old cousin-brother Wade Tuni sitsis in the top 25 in the world in bull riding, part of a family that continues to push one another to excel.
Like his father, Tuni qualified for multiple College National Finals Rodeos as Matthew continued his education at Fort Lewis College in Durango.
An incredible four times, Tuni advanced to the CNFR, all while learning the discipline and dedication that taking his craft to the professional circuit would entail.
“Being the only college rodeo athlete at FLC, they really supported me with all my travel, the entry fees, and the coaches helped me elevate my riding ability,” said Tuni.
With all the physical rigors of bareback riding, Tuni also credited his coaches and Tuba City, Arizona’s Stade Riggs for helping him take care of his body to help him not only stay healthy enough to be able to make the CNFR in each of his competitive season but also to just get from one event to the next. “I owe them a lot – a lot of long drives, gas money, you name it,” said Tuni.
Tuni has won in Lake Havasu and Payson, Arizona, this calendar year, following five wins in his 2024 pursuits and a 2023 runner-up performance in the Turquoise Circuit Finals. Entering June, Tuni ranked third in the bareback standings for the Indian National Finals Rodeo, another one of the bucket list competitions that sits well within reach.
“This year feels different, I feel more focused, my body still feels good,” said Tuni of his need to have everything going well to finish at the top of the heap in the circuit finals, “and I want to keep up my mental state, because that’s all part of it.”
Yet, while Tuni continues to ride the circuit full time while piling up winnings, his pursuit of rodeo glory only tells part of the tale.
Building off his Fort Lewis education, Tuni is in the process of earning his master's degree in social work from Utah State University. He envisions taking his education to help him give back to the community that built him.
“I felt that I wanted to be a mentor for the young kids in the small community where I’m from,” said Tuni, “someone who could push them and show them that they can do this, too.”
The rodeo community helped engender that into Tuni, who values his time on the road with his fellow Navajo rodeo competitors.
Tuni remembers watching other standout Navajo bareback riders like Kyle Charley and Evan Betony, the latter who edged out Tuni in the 2023 circuit finals. “I looked up to them, wanted to ride like they did,” said Tuni.
Balancing work, his school caseload, and the lengthy travel obligations, Tuni doesn’t have too much free time to dwell on the “what ifs” that can linger after a missed opportunity.
“At the end of the day, it’s on to the next one,” said Tuni, who turns his focus to rodeos in El Paso, Texas and Santa Fe, New Mexico in the coming week. “I know that if I ride my best, the rest will all take care of itself.”
