By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — In South Dakota, the name Elshere and rodeo go hand-in-hand. 

On Friday night, Cole Elshere of Faith scored a 79.5 in the saddle bronc competition during Rodeo Rapid City at The Monument.

The score puts Elshere sit third after two performances with another two on Saturday.

While the score didn’t put him back at the top, Elshere said it just felt good to be back competing using his natural arm.

In July 2024, Elshere tore his right bicep while competing at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. An injury that required Elshere to have surgery to repair it.

“I tore the bicep off the forearm bone, and so they said that ‘You have two weeks to get the surgery done.’ So I went to three more rodeos and used my other arm, went and had surgery eight days later,” Elshere said. “Then I was home recovering.

“I got on 15 more broncs with my left hand, just to kind of finish out the season, to hold my position for this year. And so I'm just now coming back with my right arm. This was probably my sixth horse with (my right arm), and getting my balance switched back over to the other side, that's kind of been a little bit of a challenge. And it's still getting used to getting in rodeo shape.”

The Faith cowboy has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo four times in his career, 2012-14 and 2020.

Elshere had about three months' worth of competitions to go in 2024 after he tore his bicep but went ambidextrous with his left just to get a head start on 2025. 

“I was sitting good to go to the NFR last year and I still had 40 rodeos left to go — between (the time of the injury) and the end of September,” he said. “And after having surgery, I had to sit out, and I only got to go to 15, but that was enough to kind of keep my spot.”

During the Days of ‘76 Rodeo in Deadwood last summer, Elshere attempted his first ride left-handed. 

Elshere said he had to have help with his saddle, getting on and off the horse but he was able to hold on with just his one hand while his other arm was immobilized.

“The great thing about rodeo is all the bronc riders were helping me because I only had one arm to use at that point,” he said. “You know, my other one was so poor, I couldn't even use it to saddle the horse, to measure my rein, to do any of this stuff. So they were all helping me get on, putting me on the horse, literally.”

Cole Elshere, of Faith, celebrates a successful run after competing in the saddle bronc during Rodeo Rapid City on Friday night at The Monument. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Elshere said his friend and bareback rider Ty Breuer of North Dakota gave him the confidence to keep competing.

“A great friend of mine, Ty Breuer, he had the same surgery, and he came back in the bareback riding. So he was really confident, and gave me a lot of confidence in coming back,” Elshere said. “So I knew that a little time and it'd be good to go.”

Following his ride during Friday night’s performance, Elshere said he was just happy to make a complete ride.

“The feeling on that horse was amazing,” he said. “I'm super excited with how great that felt and to take that onto Santa Fe, where I’m driving to from here. And yeah, the score is what it is. But from my end, it felt great.”

Doing it at Rodeo Rapid City was icing on the cake for Elshere who said it “feels like home” when competing in Rapid City.