Tanner Byrne will make history this weekend at the Canadian Finals in Saskatoon. (Covy Moore/CovyMoore.com)

By Jeff D'Andrea

History In The Making

After joining bull fighting ‘family business,’ Byrne will make history at Canadian Finals

Nov 21, 2019 | 10:00 AM

When he steps out on the dirt at the SaskTel Centre on Friday and Saturday, Prince Albert’s Tanner Byrne will make history. He will be the first athlete ever to participate in the PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals as both a bull rider and a bull fighter.

Since he broke onto the professional bull riding scene back in 2010, Byrne has won over $730,000 in prize money and won three Glen Keeley Awards for being the highest-ranked Canadian rider in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Only Aaron Roy (five) has won more Keeley Awards than Byrne.

Despite having a storied career, Byrne said his opportunity this weekend will rival all his previous accomplishments.

“This is right up there with some of my best moments as a bull rider in riding and winning in different places,” Byrne said. “This definitely ranks right up there with the best of them, a history making moment in riding and fighting at the Canada Finals. It’s something that I wanted to do my whole career. It certifies the decision that I made to stop riding and start fighting and move forward.”

It was only a matter of time before Byrne joined the family business of bull fighting.

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His father Ryan Byrne paved the way in the family, keeping riders safe for 25 years among building a reputation in the rodeo circuit that speaks for itself. Tanner’s older brothers Jesse and Bo have made names for themselves as they continue to fight bulls. Cousin Scott Byrne retired in 2015 after earning himself the title of ‘legend’ as a bull fighter.

When Tanner made the decision to get off the backs of the bulls and into the ring, he immediately had unconditional support and quite possibly the best bull fighting coaching staff of all time at his disposal, free of charge, too.

“I was kind of the odd ball out with the family, being the bull rider,” Byrne said. “But I think when I talked about making the switch, they were obviously 100 per cent behind me. There was definitely no animosity or anything like that, they just wanted to teach me and give me tips and help me fast forward into the sport and be the best I can be at it.

“I suppose I’ve had some pretty good teachers, that were very successful bullfighters from the past and present, still to this day,” added Byrne. “To have them to bounce things off and watch videos with, and get their feedback, I kind of got some personal coaches. It’s been cool, I’ve been very fortunate to have that.”

But make no mistake, it was a difficult decision for Byrne to say goodbye to his bull riding career. Although he always planned in the back of his mind that he’d make the switch at some point, Byrne had dedicated his entire life into being the best rider he could be.

With only half a season under his belt, Byrne already earned the respect of the riders currently competing on the tour and was voted in to do the finals. Byrne knew right then and there that he made the right choice.

“I’ve always had goals of doing it the best I could do it and hopefully one day, getting to the finals and moving forward in the sport. I was fortunate enough that the guys trusted in me enough to vote me in here in my first year of doing it,” Byrne said. “Being that the switch was a good decision, and I’ve got a future and a career now as a bull fighter.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW