story by Lily Weinacht
If it hadn’t been for a broken arm, 22-year-old Riggin Dailey from Gansevoort, New York, may have never stepped into his bullfighting cleats. “When I was younger, I was kind of meant to be a bull rider. I had all the opportunities, but I wasn’t very interested in it,” says Riggin. “When I was eight, I was fighting little calves at my grandpa’s bull riding, but I just wanted to rope. Four years ago, I broke my arm and got laid off the job I was at, and a guy asked me to fight bulls for him, so I started fighting bulls with a broken arm. I was on a horse and it fell on me and broke my humerus bone, and probably without that, I wouldn’t have started fighting bulls.”
Riggin is the third generation of his family to be involved in the bucking bull industry. His grandpa owns bucking bulls and his dad is a bullfighter. “I think each person has his item, and mine is to step in there and take a hooking for a guy and save them. That’s what drives me. My dad has helped me out, and I grew up watching him. He worked fifteen circuit finals and is labeled one of the best up here, so I think it helped me just listening and watching. I grew up around bulls and studying how they move and react to things.”
Riggin has worked for Wayne Martin, and last year he fought bulls for Sean Graham, but he’s focusing more on his team roping in the APRA this season. “The toughest part about team roping and fighting bulls at the same time is that you have a partner involved and you can’t just skip a rodeo,” Riggin explains. “This summer I’ve been basing my schedule around team roping. I bought my APRA card in 2012 and I took a little break from team roping and went right to fighting bulls, but this year I feel like I’m partnered pretty well and I wanted to give it another shot.” Riggin heels for Jacob Rounds and Dan Brown, and he’s worked on his roping with Darren Morgan and Jade Edwards. “I work for Darren a bit, and he’s helped me a ton. Jade Edwards is a phenomenal heeler, and if I have any questions at all I go to him. Right now I’m around a great group of guys that really help me get to the next level. It really helps being around other people that are winning and rope better. Up here, it’s like a small family,” Riggin adds. “I think that’s really the best part of it. Win or lose, in twenty years I’m not going to remember the steer run, but I’m going to remember the good times I had with people.”
Between rodeos, Riggin works for Bob Hoyt training thoroughbreds. “We’ll be the first hands on them. Most of the time they’re two-year-olds and we start them from teaching them how to lead, to getting saddled and going around the racetrack and exercising. I’m learning to shoe horses from Darren Morgan and apprenticing with him. I just started this year and I really enjoy it. He’s a great guy to work with and a good teacher, and I’ll hopefully make a career out of it.”
Riggin also enjoys riding colts and hopes to pick up golfing more, but his primary focus is rodeo. His girlfriend, Payton Jones, won the APRA in breakaway roping last year, and Riggin heel off her horse when they’re at the same rodeos. “It’s really been a blessing to have this mare. The way she transitions to each event is really amazing, and she gives me a shot to win every time,” says Riggin. “In bullfighting right now, I’m working on getting my PRCA card, and freestyle bullfighting is kind of my next step. In the roping, I’m hoping to make the ARA and circuit finals, and take it one steer at a time.”
