06/19/2026
His father forbade him from riding bulls. He became one of the top five bull riders of all time anyway.
Born in 1965 in Henryetta, Oklahoma, Terry Don West grew up with rodeo in his blood whether his dad liked it or not. His father Don West was an IPRA Champion Calf Roper — but when it came to bull riding he drew a hard line. Terry Don snuck his first ride on a dairy calf at age four. By seven he was entering rodeos. By the time he was a teenager there was no stopping what was coming.
He turned professional in 1984 and faced an uphill battle immediately. He was treated as an outsider in the PRCA, riding the same bulls as everyone else and not getting marked fairly for his efforts. So he went back to the IPRA, dominated there, won two World Championships in 1985 and 1991 — and when he returned to the PRCA he came back with a vengeance.
Two PRCA World Championships in 1996 and 2003. A Bull Riders Only World Championship. Four major world titles total across his career. In 2003 he set a new record for bull riding earnings in a single season surpassing $211,000. He competed in Brazil and Australia representing Team America. He shared the PBR record for most consecutive rides alongside a two time PBR World Champion.
But what truly set Terry Don West apart was Bodacious — the most feared bull in the history of the sport. The bull that shattered Tuff Hedeman's face. The bull that most cowboys refused to draw. Terry Don West covered Bodacious not once but twice — one of only a handful of riders in history to ever do it.
Don Gay said it simply — "Terry Don has to be one of the top five bull riders of all time."
Two concussions, broken bones, a slipped disc, a surgically repaired knee — he rode through all of it and kept winning. When he finally retired he opened a bull riding school in Henryetta, Oklahoma and started pouring everything he learned across 25 years directly into the next generation of champions.
From a boy whose father said no — to a four time World Champion and living legend.
That is Terry Don West. 🤠🐂