Earl Thode

The first nationally known All Around Cowboy, Earl Thode is the only four-time winner in the saddle bronc riding contest at Cheyenne Frontier Days™. He holds the record Saddle Bronc Riding Championships in 1927, 1931, 1932, and 1934. His win of the 1927 title was one of his biggest thrills, and one he never forgot. Admittedly the best of the early-day bronc riders to use the fore-and-aft, full-stroke spurring style now required by saddle bronc riding contest rules, Earl Thode may have been the best ever in the event.