story by Michele Toberer
Dale Davies has been blessed to live a life centered around horses and rodeo. Growing up in Fort Collins, Colorado as the only child of Teresa and Dennis Davies, the family scheduled their rodeo trips to include both junior and amateur rodeo events so that Dale could compete in calf roping and team roping, while Dennis competed as a calf roper and steer wrestler, and Teresa ran barrels. These regular rodeo trips also became family vacations where they included many national monuments and important historical stops along their travels. Most importantly during these years, rodeo was building bonds and connections among the tight-knit family members that continue to run strong. “I think about the rodeoing we did when I was growing up and it still warms my heart to think of so many of the memories that we have. Rodeo was a shared love and something we did together, for both them and for me.”
Dale started out competing on an 18-year-old chestnut gelding named Booger Bear that had retired from steer wrestling but became the perfect kid’s mount for Dale. “He had been to Madison Square Gardens and the Houston Astrodome as a bulldogging horse and he was bombproof. I used him to compete in gymkhanas and junior rodeos, running poles, keyhole, barrels and other speed events.”
Dale’s family moved outside of Phoenix, Arizona his senior year of high school, and once Dale graduated, he focused on his education and building his career. “I went to Arizona State University on a full tuition scholarship. I worked 50+ hours a week for a premier landscape architecture company for 10 years, but a part of me knew I’d get back to rodeo someday.” Nearly 20 years ago Dale started back by buying a heel horse and roping for fun. After several years with little competition, Dale got back to calf roping and began to compete in the Grand Canyon Professional Rodeo Association. Dale moved to Sonoita, in southern Arizona, 12 years ago. “It’s a beautiful remote ranching community with a lot of space and great people.” Dale is a registered landscape architect and general contractor. He built custom homes with a partner in Phoenix for nearly 10 years. He now designs and drafts houses and also enjoys working on fixer-upper real estate investment projects.
Dale’s dad passed away in 2015, after a long battle with cancer. “He was one of my biggest supporters and roping was a big connection between us. He trained most of the horses I’ve ridden throughout my life.” Dale’s mom is remarried to Bud Benson, and he’s grateful for the relationship he has with them both. “I’m lucky to be really close to my mom. We share each other’s accomplishments and successes as well as defeats. She’s my number one fan! I’m so appreciative of the support and encouragement of both my family and my friends. I wouldn’t be roping if I didn’t have such a strong support group in my corner.”
Three years ago, Dale purchased an Impressive bred sorrel gelding, Chomper, from his stepdad. “I liked his looks and attitude so well that I felt that he just had to be a calf horse! I sent him to Luke Jeffries for training and he’s been doing fantastic. Chomper deserves a better roper than I am, but he’s stuck with me as long as I’m roping, and I count my blessings to have him.” Dale won the GCPRA Incentive Tie-Down Roping year-end title in 2005 and in 2015 and recently competed at the GCPRA finals where he split first in the first go and finished third place in the average in the Incentive calf roping.
“I attend approximately 15 to 20 rodeos each year with the GCPRA. I really enjoy the association and the friends that I’ve made there.” Dale has been on the board of directors of the GCPRA for the past 4 years and is stepping down as the Incentive tie-down roping director, since he was recently elected vice president for the association. “The association has had 10 years of really strong growth and I enjoy helping out any way that I can, both inside and outside the arena.”
