The life of a rodeo cowboy often mixes glory and disappointment in equal measure.

And professional bull rider Shawn Hogg, the top-ranked bull rider in the world this year, experienced a little of the latter Friday on a rain-drenched night at the 61st annual Rodeo de Santa Fe.

Hogg failed to score on his lone ride at the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds, as he was dumped into the mud by a fearsome bull named Stitch before the eight-second horn sounded.

But for Hogg, 24, the rough ride was just part of doing his job.

"You gotta do the job whether it's raining or there's sunshine," Hogg said after his ride, "and right now it's raining."

Hogg didn't make much of a splash in the Rodeo de Santa Fe standings after his no score, but for the most part the sun has been shining on his 2010 season.

After finishing the 2009 season with a career-best 23rd-place finish in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world rankings, the Odessa, Texas, native has had a hot hand this season, banking more than $100,000 in the first half of the season to top the PRCA bull riding rankings.

His biggest payday came at RodeoHouston in March, where he earned $56,250 — including a massive $50,000 prize pot that Hogg was awarded for winning the event's Shootout Round.

"That's definitely the biggest payday I've ever had," Hogg said of his RodeoHouston earnings. "$50,000 is a lot of money."

Indeed, for Hogg, who joined the PRCA bull riding circuit in 2006, this season is becoming a coming-out party, as he challenges the sport's top names for supremacy.

But Hogg is trying to stay grounded, even as he finds himself perched atop the world rankings.

"I've just been getting focused and doing my best and letting the Lord work everything else out," Hogg said.

Although Hogg's rise might come as a surprise to some, he's certainly no stranger to the sport.

Hogg got his introduction from his father Randy Hogg when he was just 5 years old, and he's been hooked ever since.

"My dad rodeo'd a little bit back in his day," Hogg said. "So he got me started riding steers when I was 5 years old."

His father's early influence would prove to be the spark that would inspire his career, as Hogg stuck with the sport, becoming a Region II Texas high school bull riding champion in 2002.

It's a part of a journey that Hogg hopes will lead to a 2010 world title.

Hogg will continue his quest to add to his cash earnings at his next stop on the PRCA circuit, at the 123rd annual Prescott (Ariz.) Frontier Days rodeo, which runs June 28 through July 4.

Wherever he rides, Hogg's says his focus is always singular: To put in his best ride.

Indeed, Hogg said he gets just as charged up for mid-size events such as Rodeo de Santa Fe as he does for big-money events.

"There's no difference at all in my approach," Hogg said. "I go out and ride the same way, whether I'm riding for $100 or $100,000."

It's the sort of humble spirit that helps a rodeo cowboy survive the peaks and valleys of life on the pro rodeo circuit.

Contact Jon Sward at jsward39@gmail.com.