story by Lindsay King
From the Little Britches to the PRCA and now the NSPRA, Roger Rasner of Peyton, Colorado, has seen all levels of the rodeo world. “I started by roping calves like my dad did, and then I took up heading since there were so many team ropers.” In 1984, Roger switched to the heeling side and never looked back, while still calf roping of course. “My good head horse was getting old, so I bought some young colts and a burro to start heeling.” Roger and his wife Micah have trained rope horses for the past 35 years. “Micah does 90 percent of the starting work, getting the colts broke and looking at a cow. She has made my job of training rope horses much easier. We have sold some top-notch horses over the years.” Roger is a jack of all trades when it comes to ranching: he is a farrier, trainer, roper and cattleman.
“I have worked on the ranch ever since I was old enough to do so with my parents. We run a few hundred cattle and farm a little bit.” Micah worked in law enforcement for a majority of her career while helping Roger with the ranch and training horses. “We never really had a full-time job, we had several jobs that were full time. Micah cannot sit still for long, so we are always doing something.” During the winter, the couple makes their way to Wittmann, Arizona. “We’ve had this place for the past twelve years, but it has only been recently that we have spent a lot of time here.” Micah likes the heat while Roger enjoys all the roping. “I have always been awfully lucky, especially with the horses I have ridden over the years.” In a matter of three rodeos, Roger filled his PRCA permit in 1978, leading him to win the Mountain State Circuit team roping and Rookie of the Year titles in 1979. “I never got to pro rodeo hard, because I had the ranch and all the responsibilities to stay home for.” Roger joined the NSPRA in 1992.
“Rod Pratt and I went to more than 20 rodeos in 1993 and we won the world team roping title at the finals. We had a great year even for just competing in the Midwest.” Roger still runs into people he met 30 years ago, and they always pick up where they left off. “I don’t think anybody in the NSPRA is trying to make a living at it, they are people who just want to rodeo. We are all out there for the friendship and competing against people we know we will be competitive against. That is what makes the association so much fun.” JD and Dick Yates lived in the same area as Roger when he was growing up. “Everybody looked up to JD, so it was neat to get help from him and his dad. They were the big influences that helped me be competitive.”
Roger has dedicated his entire life to roping and rodeo, because it is what he truly enjoys. “That is my hobby, so it is what has made my life fun. I am very competitive though, it does not matter if I am playing for a nickel or a ton of money, the winning spirit is the same.” About the time Roger thinks he has the sport figured out, it humbles him. “You need that competitive edge and drive to win to be successful at this sport, no matter what.”
As Roger has aged with the sport of rodeo, one thing holds true at every event. “What I see year after year and rodeo after rodeo, is that we all stand for the national anthem, it shows how united we are as a sport. That tells you just how much of an American sport rodeo truly is.”
