story by Kyle Eustice
When Los Lunas, New Mexico native Blaine Garley was a kid, he would watch his father Kevin Garley team rope and felt the urge to follow in his footsteps. Growing up around horses, rodeo was something he quickly fell in love with. He started doing junior rodeos and competed in the dummy events at the USTRC ropings. While the Valencia High School senior participates in calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping, team roping is truly his favorite event.
“I have always team roped and it has been my favorite event for a long time,” said Blaine. “I started heading when I was a little kid and then started heeling my 6th grade year. I have heeled every year since I started junior high rodeo and am still heeling my senior year.”
Blaine has two brothers, Dustin and Clay, and Clay has also gotten into team roping, chute dogs and riding bulls. Over the years, Blaine has taken several steps towards reaching each goal he set forth in rodeo.
“I was national rookie of the year my 6th grade year,” said Blaine. “I was also second place in the chute dogging that same year. I also ended up fifth in the team roping my 7th grade year. I also won the New Mexico Rodeo Association in calf roping in 2016.”
Since joining the NMHSRA his freshman year, he’s had to juggle both a heavy schoolwork load with hours of practice, but he’s learning how to balance it all.
“I do enjoy to learn new things every day,” said Blaine. “I have taken classes such as welding, agriculture classes and other duel credit courses that will help me in college.”
In the meantime, he’s also heavily involved in the New Mexico Rodeo Association, PRCA and the USTRC, and team ropes every day with his mentor Tim Gonzalez. He tries to rope calves at least twice a week, as well.
While he acknowledges the fact that winning money is always a welcome benefit of being passionate about rodeo, he realizes it’s not just about that.
“The best part is not only the money and prizes, but it’s also all about being there with friends and family, and being able to do what I love to do,” said Blaine. “The rodeo community is like extended family to me because of all the friendships that will never end.”
Blaine also enjoys working on ranches, hanging out with his friends in his free time, and training horses. His favorite horse is Gus, which is his calf horse, but technically belongs to David Chavez.
“David has let me haul him my senior year,” explained Blaine. “Gus makes my job so easy to win and be competitive everywhere I go.”
In the future, Blaine is focused on finishing high school, but also making the high school nationals to eventually become a National champion.
“I’d like to go to as many rodeos and ropings as I can before I go to college,” said Blaine. “I’m not sure where I’m going to go right now but I want to study agricultural business, wildlife and farm management. Until then, I’ll just rope.”
