A trailblazer in the rodeo ring has added another first for Canadian bull riders.
Foothills County resident Cody Snyder was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame with the Class of 2023 on May 20 and in doing so became the first cowboy from north of the 49th parallel to join the distinguished group of members in the Fort Worth, Texas-based hall.
“It’s huge and I’ve had a lot of firsts when you look at my bull riding career,” said Snyder, in a phone interview with the Western Wheel. “I was the first ever Canadian world champion, we produced the first ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event in Canada and now to be the first Canadian in the Bull Riding Hall of Fame, that’s one of the biggest honours that I have, for sure.”
Snyder was joined by his wife Rhonda and daughters Jordyn and Reese at the ceremony.
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame has been inducting members for nine years and aims to highlight the legendary bull riders, bull fighters and bulls in the sport.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Snyder. “To be inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame is in the words of the eight-time World Champion Donnie Gay, ‘The ultimate for a bull rider because you're voted on by other bull riders, by your peers.’
“That’s how you get in there, there’s no politics, there’s nothing else, it’s straight up you’re voted on if you can ride rank bulls, you’re an asset to the sport and all those intangibles.”
Snyder burst onto the international scene in 1983 when he was crowned the PRCA World Champion in Oklahoma City at the age of 20. The same year, he earned a score of 95 at the Canadian Finals Rodeo at the Northlands Coliseum, the highest scored ride in Canadian rodeo to this day.
He went on to win Canadian title in 1986, was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, the CPRA Hall of Fame in 2005 and earned the PBR’s Ring of Honor nod in 2006.
Snyder got the call to the Texas hall earlier this year when one of his heroes in the sport and part of the inaugural class of inductees passed on the good news.
“I left my phone in the house and it said voicemail on my phone so I called my voicemail,” he said. “There was a message on there that said, ‘Cody Snyder, this is Donnie Gay, quit screening your calls and call me back,’ kind of joking.
“Donnie Gay, John Dodds, Denny Flynn, those were the three guys that I really looked up to and to have Donnie Gay, arguably the greatest of all-time bull rider, call you, a guy that when you’re a kid you dream of being him or even in the same room.
“To have him call me and to be in the same hall as him was quite an honour.”
Having the event in Fort Worth was a full-circle moment for Snyder in a place where he has experienced many of his career milestones, including the last time he ever got on a bull in 1993 when injuries forced him into retirement.
“It’s kind of funny because it all started in Fort Worth, Texas and ended in Fort Worth, Texas,” he said. “When I was 16 years old, a friend of mine was trying to buy some bulls in Texas, he was driving down and asked me if I wanted to go? I couldn’t wait to get in the truck and drive to Texas.
“At the time I needed a third signature for my PRCA card so I thought what better place? I’ll just get it when I’m down there.”
After moving on from riding bulls, Snyder stayed intimately connected to the sport on the business side. The Snyder family, the team behind Bullbustin’, has gone on to produce over 400 bull riding events.
“Ever since I can remember and was old enough to put on boots and put a hat on my head, I wanted to be a bull rider,” he said. “Starting out in junior steer riding, then to end up being the Canadian amateur bull riding champion at 16, then turning pro, being a world champion at 20 and for all of those parts of my life, the dreams and aspirations to come true and then still being able to be involved and talk to bull riders all of the time and be a part of the growth of it.
“We’re still involved in a huge way and it’s still a massive part of our life.”
This year’s Bullbustin’ event, held July 4-7 out of the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino, is already sold out.
To find out more about the Bull Riding Hall of Fame, visit thebullridinghof.com.
