If Coronation cowboy Tanner Eno is given a choice between anything else or riding bulls, he’ll choose riding bulls every time.
Rodeo courses through Eno’s blood, with his family putting on the always popular Coronation Royal Rumbull every year.
“Since I was little, I would watch (bull riding) with my family,” said Eno.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 derailed his entry into the professional level of rodeo competition, with many of the competitions across Canada being cancelled.
Because only a handful of events happened, points were tracked for the year; however, the decision was made by the Professional Bull Riding (PBR) Association to accumulate the points through the end of the 2021 competitive season.
At the end of the 2020 season, Eno sat eleventh in the PBR, after the few events that ran.
Things continued to go well for Eno in 2021, managing to compete at a high level professionally and even winning the buckle on home turf at his family’s event in August.
“It was my first time riding at it with the big guys,” said Eno.
“I’ve (ridden) it with the junior bull riders before. To do something the first time, it was really tough to win. It definitely is up there with the achievements.”
With his successes in 2020 and 2021, Eno qualified for the November Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in Red Deer, where he managed to ride one bull in the fifth round.
With his CFR points tallied for the season, including the ride in November, Eno came in seventh overall.
On the PBR circuit, with the tally of points from 2020 and 2021, Eno beat out the other rookies, earning the “Rookie of the Year” buckle.
“I was lucky enough to win Rookie of the Year in all of Canada,” said Eno.
“It’s something you only get one chance to win. It means a lot to me.”
With the 2021 season behind him, Eno is already looking towards his next goal and the next season.
“The goal for next year is to be the Canadian champ,” said Eno.
“That’s what I’m going to be focused on.”
What is Eno’s biggest take away from moving to the professional level of the rodeo circuit?
“To step up to the professional level, at the end of the day, its all the same,” said Eno.
“The bull riding is the same. It’s the same basic things. The mental side of it, bull riding, is all mental. You have to get your head in the right spot to perform, because you’re doing something dangerous.”
Something else Eno has learned in his first year of competition is to have confidence in himself.
“I had to beat the top (guys) in Canada to get there,” said Eno.
“The stuff that worked to get you there work once you get there. The big thing is, don’t let the stuff get to you, be confident in yourself.”