story by Lily Weinacht
Sheridan Graber is the third generation of his family to compete in rodeo on the roughstock side of the arena. The 13-year-old from Newton, Kansas, enters the bull riding in the KJHSRA, and has lately started heeling in the team roping with Lane McMannis. “I’ve been competing in rodeo since 2011,” says Sheridan. “My grandpa rode bareback horses, my dad rode bulls, and my uncle rode bareback too. Bull riding is my favorite. I just like dangerous stuff and doing crazy things, so it suits me pretty well.” Sheridan’s other exploits include walking on the fences on his family’s ranch and trying his hand at fighting some of their more ornery cattle.
Sheridan qualified for the NJHFR in 2016 and finished 12th in the world in bull riding, and he added to his buckle collection this summer after winning the steer riding at a CKYRA rodeo. He also took home a saddle for winning the association’s year-end all-around title. “Having fun is the main part,” Sheridan says of his drive to rodeo. “Most of the time it’s my dad helping me when I practice. We provide some of the stock for a few high school rodeos, so we have a few bulls and a few junior bulls, and tons of roping calves. My brother Wyatt normally does the bullfighting for me at home, and my brother Grayson and my dad help me get ready.” Both Sheridan’s brothers compete in the KHSRA, and their 11-year-old sister, Braelyn, does pole bending and barrel racing in the KJHSRA. Grayson, 16, is a team roper and tie-down roper, and Wyatt, 18, is a team roper and bull rider.
For the team roping, Sheridan rides his 14-year-old brown and white Paint, Sooner. “My sister runs barrels and poles on him, and he’ll breakaway rope and team rope. He’ll do just about anything for me, and I use him for ranch work like doctoring and pasture roping. He’s a good ol’ boy.” Along with helping his parents, Jer and Jen Graber, with running their backgrounding business, Sheridan breeds and raises goats. “I take them down to some high school rodeos and have goat ropings with them and bring in some extra money. I started with two crossbred nannies, and now I have thirty of them. I breed them, and I keep all the girls and sell all the boys. They eat two square bales of alfalfa a day, and some grain.” The Grabers also provide some of the stock for the KHSRA/KJHSRA rodeo in Canton, and sometimes Emporia. “My favorite to compete in is probably Canton because I have my stock there, and we do the CKYRA rodeos there, so I’m familiar with the arena.”
An eighth-grader, Sheridan is homeschooled and enjoys studying math and science. “I’m doing pre-Algebra, and we’re learning about the universe,” he explains. “My sister is homeschooled, and my brothers go to Remington High School. One of the fun things about where I live is that my dad is always home because he works just outside my back door, and I have my horse and goats available whenever I want.” Another benefit to living in the country is the woods on the Graber’s property, where Sheridan enjoys riding horses with his friends and camping overnight.
One of Sheridan’s goals is qualifying for the NJHFR this season, and he also plans to rodeo in high school. He never leaves without his gear bag, and his family often brings a devotional to read together when they’re on the road. “I want to go to the PBR or NFR in the bull riding or heeling,” he finishes, “and I want to raise goats and raise cattle with my dad.”
