story by Lindsay Humphrey
“I’ve always loved watching the horses buck in the saddle bronc,” said Bailey Small from Fall River Mills, California. “It was always about watching how the stock moved as an athlete and how it was more of a dance move than a fight to stay with them. I wanted to learn how to dance with them.” Clearly Bailey has learned those steps well as he’s transitioned out of high school rodeo and onto the college and professional dance floor. This northern California native is a sophomore at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell riding under the direction of coach Robert Etbauer. “He’s really contributed to how I ride broncs and made me a better rider.”
A strong support system has always been a foundation of Bailey’s rodeo career. Both his parents–Bryan and Sara–competed in rodeo at one point or another. His mom roped calves and tied goats at the CNFR and his dad rode bulls. “When we went out to feed cattle, I would always tell my dad which cow I wanted to put a bronc saddle on.” As a fifth-generation rodeo athlete, Bailey’s maternal grandparents–Gary and Margene Evans–have been a backbone of support from the very beginning. “It didn’t matter if I was trying to be a roughstock or timed event guy, they were always being super supportive. They always called me after every rodeo and they still do today. It’s neat to have that type of support from family.”
More than just riding saddle broncs, Bailey also throws a loop at steers and calves on a regular basis. In high school he competed in six events, even the bull riding. As a junior, Bailey placed second at state finals in the bull riding and earned a trip to nationals. But his first time was in eighth grade when he qualified in bareback and saddlebronc riding, as well as breakaway roping and chute dogging. “That was a really big moment for me because I had never experienced anything bigger than the state finals for junior high.” As a senior Bailey won the saddlebronc at state and went on another trip to nationals. Now at Panhandle State, his sights are set on following his mom’s footsteps to Casper.
As Bailey keeps his nose to the grindstone in the Central Plains Region, he’s also dipping his toes in as a professional athlete with the KPRA. “In 2019 I just had my KPRA permit, but this last year I got my card and made the finals last fall.” Bailey won the first round in the saddlebronc riding at the finals. He said it was one of the first really big rodeos he was successful at instead of just donating his entry fee to the winner. “I really like getting to see a bunch of different stock contractors through the KPRA. We get on a lot of different stock rather than just the same ones. The life of a pro rodeo athlete is way different than that of high school.” The maturity of the professional rodeo industry itself is more evident for Bailey with each KPRA entry.
Even though Bailey chose Panhandle State for its roughstock reputation, he’s still tying calves and roping steers for the team. It’s a lot to balance while studying animal science, but Bailey has his mental game locked in. “Over time I’ve just figured out that I need to stay calm and relaxed so I can go out there and do my job. I do a lot of stretching for the saddlebronc and calf roping and that’s when I get mentally prepared for what I’m about to do.” As Bailey takes it one event at a time, he’s still thinking about his next move after graduation in 2024. “After I graduate, I plan to go pro rodeo and see if maybe I can make the finals. I’ll be focused on saddlebronc, but maybe I’ll give bull riding a try if I can talk myself into getting on again.”
