2025 Nutrena Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year

This year’s Nutrena Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year, presented by AQHA, has the perfect name. He’s registered as Telle Em PYC, but Justin Shaffer fittingly calls the 10-year-old bay speedster that changed the course of his career “Banker.”

“Banker’s the full package, and he’s good everywhere,” says Justin, who is from Hallsville, Texas. “You can go from short scores, like Spanish Fork and Ogden (Utah), to the wide-open long score at Cheyenne (Wyoming), and he’s the same every time. You can ride him in every setup, and he’s going to give you everything in the tank every time.”

Justin bought Banker in the spring of 2023 as a 7-year-old and hazed on him the rest of that year. Justin and crew have already won right at $800,000 on Banker, with this year’s record NFR payoff yet to come.

Banker, who is by racing sire PYC Paint Your Wagon and out of the Tres Seis mare Tell Em Belle, was bred by Alan Woodbury of Dickinson, North Dakota. Banker also has a short race record, with three starts on the track and a whopping $960 in earnings. He’s making far more money in his second career in the rodeo arena. One of Justin’s backup horses is Telle Em Corona, who is out of Banker’s dam and is also a former racehorse, who earned a little more than $9,000 on the track.

Justin and his traveling partner, Tucker Allen, are both competing at their second-straight NFR. They hadn’t made the Big Show before Banker came along.

“I feel like this horse was the missing piece for me,” Tucker says. “I’d come close quite a few times, and so had Justin. As soon as Banker came into the picture, boom, we both made it. He has made winning so much easier.”

Justin and Tucker haze for each other year-round, including at the NFR. That went for both of them hazing on Banker that second half of 2023. The 2024 Reno Rodeo was Banker’s first major over on the bulldogging side, and Tucker won the silver trophy spurs on him there at the Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West that year.

“Justin didn’t jump his first steer on Banker until after Houston in the spring of 2024,” Tucker says of the horse that had been headed on and been through some barrel racing training before Justin bought him. “To go from green in March to the NFR in December is pretty damn cool.”

The top 25 steer wrestlers in the world, who vote on this award, have taken notice.

“It means a lot when guys you’re trying to beat vote for your horse,” Justin says.

In addition to Justin and Tucker, Jesse Brown, Jace Melvin and Holden Myers also rode Banker this regular season. Justin, Tucker and Jesse will be back on Banker at the NFR.

“A great horse is special to everybody,” Justin says. “But in the bulldogging and barrel racing, it makes a humongous difference. We can’t use our ropes to make up the difference, and where you get your feet on the ground matters. Having a horse like Banker boosts your confidence in so many ways. I can turn on the bulldogging switch all the time, and not have to think about him.

“Banker was a head horse when I got him, and they talked about him being strong and not wanting to listen. Banker’s bred to run and does not like to win second. I hazed four steers on him at my house when I tried him, and he’d never even been in the heeling box before. The next day, we hazed a few more on him. I liked that he leaves the corner correct and keeps that saddle horn flat and level. Banker’s the fastest horse I’ve ever had.”

He adds that Banker is “very personable.”

“He’s the barn favorite and the most humanlike horse I’ve ever been around,” he says. “He’s so easy to read, and he has got all the personality to back up his talent. He also knows the difference between a kid leading him and me. He’s a big, big eater. But when it’s go-time, Banker comes with all of it every time. He always shows up and performs.”

Grown cowboys cried when Banker contracted a complicated case of pneumonia after the 2024 NFR that kept him out of action until June of 2025. That says everything about how big a presence this horse has when he is in the lineup.

“I give Banker so much credit,” Justin says. “I’m so blessed with horsepower, and I don’t think my career makes the turn without it. You don’t keep winning if you don’t have confidence, and so much of that comes from a great horse and not having to guess at what he’s going to do. The majority of what we do at this level goes back to great horses.

“I’m super honored for Banker to be the horse of the year. I personally don’t have to have the title to know what I have. That the other bulldoggers think this of him means a lot. I had to make a living outside of bulldogging before bulldogging started paying the bills. I rode a lot of 2-year-olds and trained a lot of bulldogging horses. Riding so many horses helped me understand how special this horse is. I’m just glad Banker found the game he loves to play.”

The grand finale to Justin’s regular season was riding Banker to the $43,911 win at the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, right there at the finish line.

“To cap off the regular season winning that much money on a great horse says so much about this horse,” he says. “And Banker loves the Thomas & Mack. He’s always shiny there. He literally glows for it. After 10 rounds last year, 10 more would have been right up his alley. Banker was hitting his stride, like, ‘This is awesome.’”

Broom Tree Ranch’s Off The Fence, aka “Swamper,” is the reserve 2025 steer wrestling horse of the year and will be ridden at the NFR by regular-season leader Will Lummus, Dakota Eldridge and Tyler Waguespack. TC Equine’s Finding Meno, aka “Crush,” finished third in the voting and will be ridden in Vegas by owner Ty Erickson, Rowdy Parrott and Stetson Jorgenson.