You can’t help but admire the courage and bravery of any man that chooses to tie himself onto the backside of a bucking bull.  You might also wonder about their sanity and mental state, but in the midst of the craze of an eight second ride, there is a power, a struggle, and an intensity that is awe inspiring.  Those few cowboys with the courage to slip down into the chutes to ride have a dedication and drive that few people have.  One such cowboy, Trace Redd, truly lives and breathes bull riding and just so happens to call Malad, Idaho home.

The Redd family moved to Malad in August 2021, an experience that Trace’s father, Blaine said has been wonderful. “The community has really been amazing and our whole family loves living here.”  Despite living in Idaho, Trace continued to compete in Utah’s high school rodeo.  Just weeks after graduating from Malad High in 2023, he placed second at the state level for the third year in a row.

Oddly enough, Trace didn’t even stick around for the awards after the rodeo finals were completed as he was on his way to a second event of the day.  At that evening’s rodeo, Trace won the first go round on a re-ride with a score of 86 points in Filer, Idaho.

At a young ten years old, Trace jumped head first into bull riding.  A few short years later he celebrated winning the Utah High School Rodeo Junior High State Championship as a sixth grader.  His success and accomplishments have accumulated throughout the years as he became the Junior National Finals World Champion in 2020, the runner up for three consecutive years in the UHSRA finals, and the Rocky Mountain Pro Rodeo Association Champion
in 2022.

While Trace has found great success in the bull riding arena, that isn’t what drives him to ride.  In fact, he claims he wouldn’t even be riding if it weren’t for his older brother Ty.  Ty was the first of the Redd brothers to compete in bull riding, something that totally captivated his then six year
old brother.

As Ty and his friends would practice, Trace would always be close by, reveling in the sport and what his big brother could do.  Unfortunately, Ty passed away at the young age of fourteen years old.  Suddenly, Trace had a new purpose to ride bulls- to ride for Ty, a saying you can still find written on his gloves and vest all these
years later.  

Rather than taking the collegiate rodeo route, Trace signed up to compete in the inaugural year of the PBR Team Series.  Taking what has traditionally been an individual sport, the PBR Teams pits two competing teams head to head with five riders in each event.  The Series included eleven different events that culminated in the final championship games held in Las Vegas, Nevada in October 2023.

Trace was drafted to ride for the Texas Rattlers, playing a crucial role on their team.  Taken from an interview on CBS Sports, his coach Cody Lambert said, “Very few ever in the history of PBR riding at 18 years old have been able to come to this level and perform the way he has.”  Trace and his team outrode the other seven PBR teams to win the first ever PBR Team Champion World Finals. 

Just over four weeks ago, Trace was traded to the Missouri Thunder, a move he is excited about as high school rodeo friends Briggs and Kade Madsen both ride for.  Competing now in the Velocity Tour, Trace has continued to find success in the arena.  In Palm Springs, California, Trace went two for three to win the PBR Palm Springs Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour.  

Trace is excited and hopeful for what the 2024 year will bring to his riding career.  Currently, there is some uncertainty in the upcoming weeks as he suffered a knee injury.