SDHRA member, Dylan Schofield at 2015 NHSFR – JenningsRodeoPhotography.com
story by Lily Weinacht
Saddle bronc riding has gained another follower in Dylan Schofield. The 15 year old from Philip, S.D., won the saddle bronc riding at state finals and finished second in the world at the NHSFR, topping off his freshman year of high school rodeo by winning reserve champion in the NLBRA senior boys saddle bronc riding, and breaking the arena record at 4-H state finals with a 79 point ride. True to cowboy form, he played it cool. “At the SDHSRA finals, I felt like I was riding okay, but I was up against all the better bronc riders there, so it came as a surprise to me that I won,” he says. “It was great getting to know all the other bronc riders at Nationals. There were water fights, and I even tried some dancing.”
Dylan started riding saddle broncs about two years ago, his interest piqued by the rodeo stories he heard from uncles and cousins that competed in roughstock. “My parents wanted me to rope at first, but I guess I was getting irritating enough that they decided to let me ride broncs,” Dylan says with a laugh. “I went to the rodeo Bible camp in Kadoka and the Korkow Rodeo School two years in a row before I started high school rodeo.”
Further inspiration to rodeo comes from his friendship with the Elshere family. “I look at Cole Elshere and all the Elshere boys and how far they’ve come, and it keeps me going!” says Dylan. “Ryan and Cory Elshere have sons my age, and we’re pretty good buddies.” He adds, “My parents have always been there for me, and my cousins, Tom Clements, and Jace and Travis Nelson, have all ridden saddle broncs and helped me out. Every Tuesday, Luke Meeks brings in a bunch of horses into town for us to practice on, and all the guys are there. We do that every week unless it’s too muddy or cold – then we just postpone it until the next day.”
Dylan and his parents, Jordan and Anita, and his siblings, Alec, Hana, and Jessa, live just a few minutes outside of Philip. Though so far Dylan is the only one in his family to rodeo, he is working on making rodeo competitors out of all his siblings.
A sophomore at Philip High School, Dylan favorite class is math. “The people in math class make it fun,” he explains. “We goof around a little bit, but we’re having fun with algebra too.” After school, Dylan heads home to care for his family’s horses, while he also breaks colts on occasion for his uncle, and helps his grandpa take care of his cattle. Dylan rode several colts this summer to help pay for his entry fees, and he and his family also went to the lake several times or took a few camping trips, one of their favorite destinations being along the Bad River. “Other than that, I rodeoed and worked this summer,” says Dylan. “I’ve also started doing a few SDRA rodeos.”
Following his outstanding summer of rodeo, Dylan plans to be back at Nationals every year for the next three years, after which he hopes to college rodeo. His lucky orange shirt – the one that he wore during every short-go this summer – is always in his gear bag. “I also want to be an electrician,” says Dylan. “My cousin, Tom, is an electrician and I help him sometimes. It’s a real interesting job! Beyond that, I plan to rodeo, and my one big goal is to make it to the NFR.
