story by Terry Rhodes
With a sizable lead in the race for top honors in the NSPRA 40’s saddle bronc event, Lance Miller is looking forward to a great summer rodeo season. “I’ll get to four more of the Senior Pro rodeos and I also compete in the RMPRA. I think I’m in sixth place in their standings. So I’ll probably go to between 25 and 30 rodeos this year.” Lance says that the Senior Pro Association has some good things about it that aren’t found in other associations. “I like the fact that I get to compete against guys that are my age. And it’s a much more relaxed environment at Senior Pro Rodeos. The stock is usually more rider-friendly. I’ve been thinking about riding bulls this year but haven’t yet. I do a little team roping on the side, too.”
This year looks to be a busy one for Lance and his wife, Jessica. They have seven kids between them and they all have rodeos to get to. This sets up a lot of great family time together. “Jessica runs in the pros and has been to 6 or 7 Circuit Finals. My daughter, Kailey Raymond was the 2012 Little Britches World Champion Barrel Racer. My son, McClain won the 2015 Little Britches Junior Boys Bull Riding Championship. My son Colton Miller won was 7th in the bareback riding and has scholarship this year to rodeo at Gillette College for Marvin Garrett. My little ones, Cody and Ty are in Little Britches so we’re really involved in rodeo.”
Lance began to ride rough stock as a boy growing up in the Bryce Canyon area of Utah. “We had nightly rodeo here during the summer. It really helped us kids learn to ride because they’d pay us to ride for the visitors at the rodeo. That was a great opportunity for a kid to learn to ride and get paid for it.” Lance says that both Zeke Neilson and Clint Mecham, were instrumental in helping him learn and develop his rodeo skills. “They were pickup men and they were always there to help and were big supporters.” He also says that Clint Johnson and Gary Leffew were important in developing the right attitude and mindset about riding. Lance doesn’t get on many practice horses anymore but he still works out on his spur board and stays in shape. “I do more core training now and I coach wrestling in the winter and that keeps me in shape.” The mental aspect of the game is just as important to Lance and he works on keeping his attitude right. “In the Laffew clinics I went to, they really stressed keeping a good attitude.” He competed in the PRCA for 15 years, went to the circuit Finals six times and was Wilderness Circuit Director two times.
Lance and his family live in Panguitch, Utah near where he was born and raised. A typical week for Lance is Monday through Thursday working for the county road department, shoeing horses after work, then milking his cow and spending time with the family. As if that isn’t enough, Lance is taking classes to complete his degree in business management. “I have a full time shoeing business in the summer time that I work. I’m looking forward to the day I can sleep.”
Goals for the next few years are to finish his college degree and keep spurring bucking horses.
