story by Lily Weinacht
Chase Sanders of Taylor, Utah, is leading the RMPRA team roping header standings. A member of the association since his senior year of high school, the 27-year-old roper has taken home most of his checks roping with different heelers through the winter. “At the rodeos you can enter twice, I’ve been filling in for guys that need partners, like Jace Nielsen and Colby Siddaway, and guys looking for extra runs. It’s been a really successful winter at the RM rodeos and I don’t mind changing it up with those guys because they’re all really good ropers, but now I’m trying to get someone committed to going all year,” says Chase, who is considering buying his PRCA permit. “It wasn’t really my intention to go hard, but I have two of the best head horses I’ve ever had.”
Chase grew up around horses, but his main sports were football and baseball until his football coach, who was a team roper, invited Chase over to start roping. When he couldn’t dedicate enough time to all his sports in junior high, Chase chose to rodeo and went on to high school rodeo for Utah, where he also compete in tie-down roping. “I’ve always been super competitive. All those guys at the top of the standings, I hope they’re there, because they make the competition better and they make me rope better. I’ve always been able to rope really well, but I feel like working on my horsemanship the last couple of years has taken my roping to another level. Both my head horses I bought young and unfinished, and I love advancing with my horses and growing as a team.”
His head horses both come from JJ Rope Horses. Chase started hauling his 8-year-old gelding, Striker, to ropings two years ago and won the first jackpot he entered him in. Chase’s fiancée, Kelsie Keller, also rides Striker and enters breakaway roping and barrels at RMPRA rodeos on him. “The other horse I just bought last June, Hickory, has only been to a few rodeos. It’ll take a bit longer to finish him than Striker, but I think he’s going to be better,” says Chase. His neighbor, Chad Evans, whom he ropes with, helped Chase find Striker while traveling in Arizona. Chase drove all night to Wickenburg to try the horse the next morning and took him home that evening. “Chad is a big part of my horses, and over the last five or six years, Lone Star Ropes has helped me out a bunch and been a big part of helping me get down the road,” says Chase. “My support has been my parents, Bill and Denise. Without them I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. My fiancée has been a part of my life for the last nine years, and she’s been a big supporter and loves going down the road with me.”
During the week, Chase works at Codale Electric Supply, then heads for the roping pen in the evening. He also loves spending time with his and Kelsie’s 6-month-old son, Ridge. “Being a parent is pretty special,” says Chase. “If I have spare time we’re trying to find a jackpot to go to, or I have some real young horses I enjoy riding.” He competes in World Series Team Ropings and wants to qualify for the WSTR Finale in Las Vegas this December. “This year, I would really like to accomplish filling my permit and making our circuit finals,” he finishes. “I’m not sure if I can pursue it full time, but sometime in the future I’d like to give it a run. I feel like I have the horses to compete with the guys around here and set myself up to succeed.”
