story by Jennie Lawrence
At one-point, Rocky Mountain Professional Rodeo Association Saddle Bronc rider Lane Jensen was ready to give up on rodeo. Fortunately, his friend Grady Jasperson told him he was too good to quit, and talked him into riding again. That is when Lane started going to the RMPRA rodeos. “If it wasn’t for him,” Lane said, “I would have given up.”
Lane was born in Salida, Colorado, and lived in Buena Vista where he did 4-H with his friends. He raised pigs, did leather work, and participated in the horse/rodeo project. Because his father was a power plant operator, the family moved frequently. There were no rodeos for him to compete in until the family moved to Swan Valley, Idaho.
Lane knew from a very young age that he was going to rodeo. His father put him on a horse when he was little, and he grew up riding good rope horses and learning to team rope. He got his start on rough stock in Mutton Busting when he was five-years-old. He won trophies in that event. At age seven he was old enough to ride steers and he could not have been happier. There were only two rodeos in the area that offered steer riding, so he did all he could to make those two rides count. He won his hometown rodeo when he was eight-years-old and got his first buckle. He was hooked.
He also competed in team roping and bull riding in the Idaho Junior Rodeo Association. He admits he was not very good at riding bulls. A move to Afton, Wyoming coincided with his move up to high school rodeo. He joined the Idaho High School Rodeo Association. His family talked him into riding broncs, with the reasoning if he was going to do rough stock, he would be able to do that the longest. His mother took him to a Sankey Rodeo School in Ogden, Utah, where he learned the basics.
He met Jake Hayworth and Jim Hill at the high school rodeos. They had practice horses, so he traveled two-hours after school every Tuesday to ride. Both men helped him improve. He made it to the Idaho High School Finals two times.
Lane attended Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming for a semester before deciding college was not his calling. He competed for CWC. He was able to get on practice horses every week, and said the traveling to rodeos in Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming was a good experience. He now works as an auto mechanic in Afton during the week. He also started his own hat company, All Around Cowboy Hats.
Lane has been a RMPRA member for five-years. He says he has become a better bronc rider because of the caliber of horses. He is confident when he competes at Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos because of the RMPRA. In 2017 he broke three lumbar vertebrae at an RMPRA rodeo and was out for three months. He came back the next year and had the best season ever. He won the Ogden, (Utah) Winter Series in 2018, and has qualified for the RMPRA finals three times. Lane’s goals include becoming the RMPRA year-end champion, and qualifying for the PRCA Wilderness Circuit Finals.
Lane’s biggest supporters are his partner Cortnea, and their 1-½-year-old daughter Chaimberly. They travel to all his rodeos. Cortnea records his rides so he can go back and fix his mistakes. He mentally runs the horses back into the chute, and rides them perfectly in his mind.
One of his funniest memories involves himself, Grady Jasperson and Trevor Toomer. They were traveling to a RMPRA rodeo in Wendover, Nevada, and were running late. By the time they pulled into the arena the broncs were up. Grady and Trevor hustled to get Lane’s horse saddled while Lane got himself ready. He didn’t have time to rosin his chaps or even think about the ride. He was the next out by the time he climbed up behind the chutes. He ended up third overall for the weekend.
A CD by Gary Leffew, “I’m Hot” changed his way of thinking, his outlook on life, and has helped him ride better. His favorite Leffew quote is, “The right people with the right circumstances will come into your life, if you are thinking positive.” Positive thinking, and the right people have contributed greatly to Lane’s success. That success continues, as he just got word that he has again qualified for the RMPRA finals.
