story by Kyle Eustice
El Dorado, Kans. native Brent Jones, 37, is the quintessential cowboy. He grew up on a ranch his parents Randy and Kim owned and worked from dawn until dusk on his daily chores. With several horses on the property, it made getting on his first one easy. Rodeo, however, was something he didn’t really get into until was a student at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.
“I started going to team roping jackpots initially,” said Brent. “I went full force in college. It was something I always wanted to do, but I never had the time or resources. Once I was away from home and didn’t have to do chores, the time was finally right.”
Brent’s two brothers, Matt and Andy, and sister Kristina weren’t interested in rodeo as much as Brent, but Andy still goes to a lot of ranch rodeos. Along with father Randy, Andy runs the Haywire Cattle Company cattle feed operation, and Brent helps out on the weekends and evenings when he can.
Brent joined the CPRA in 2012 in the team roping. His horse, a 12-year-old gelding named Yeller, is his secret weapon.
“I think being successful in team roping has a lot to do with the ability to pick out a good horse,” explained Brent. “I’ve raised him since he was a colt. I usually don’t get too attached to them, but I have with this one. He’s pretty talented and I want him to stick around. “
Brent has overcome many obstacles, including a serious injury that left him sidelined for over a year.
“In 1995, I had a horse slip on top me, breaking my right leg,” explained Brent. “It was a compound fracture and required half a dozen surgeries. It’s good now, but every once in awhile I get a shooting pain up my leg and I limp a little getting off my horse.”
Despite the traumatic event, he eventually went on to qualify for the World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas, N.V. This year, his goal is to make the CPRA Finals.
“Yeller is working well,” said Brent. “We’ll see how it goes.”
With a new fiancé, Brandy Callaway, 3-year-old daughter Blakeley, 10-month old puppy, Bella, and job as Project Manager for Andale Construction in Wichita, Kans., it’s a little more challenging to travel as much as he used to. Thankfully, his fiancé runs barrels so she and Blakeley often come with him to events on the weekends.
“I usually get home from work at 6 p.m., rope until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. at night, go to sleep, wake up, and do it all over again,” said Brent. “There’s never a dull moment.”
