story by Lindsay Humphrey
Quinter Weatherred can remember the first buckle he won just two years ago at a Little Britches rodeo in Hugo, Colorado. He had only recently decided to focus more on rodeo than school sports. This mind shift came with an intense desire to improve in each of his events and winning a buckle was definitely a strong indicator of that success. “I was actually really surprised by that win, but I was happy that the hard work I had been putting into it was paying off,” said the 13-year-old from Lakin, Kansas. “At first I really wasn’t doing all that well. I was getting help from different people and attending camps to improve, but it wasn’t until Hugo that I finally saw that pay off.”
It’s been in the last two years that Quinter has continuously focused on rodeo rather than bouncing between different sports. It was his 12-year-old sister, Reagan, who first got the family started in rodeo a few years ago. “I always watched her practice and compete, and I started noticing that she was getting better. I wanted to give rodeo a try and see how good I could get also.” That was about four years ago, but Quinter and his sister have been around horses for as long as they can remember thanks to their grandparents, Rick and Kathy Weatherred, who first put them on horses before they could walk. “All of my grandparents (Rick and Kathy, and Danny and Debbie Smith) have helped us get what we needed and really egged us on to get better.” Both sets of grandparents attend as many rodeos as they can, but also continue the support from the home front.
Quinter’s mom, Jessica, was around horses growing up but never really got into riding or competing on them. His dad, Cory, roped and rodeoed as a kid but never went quite as hard as Quinter and Reagan are currently. His parents are beyond supportive as they traverse the plains for both camps and competitions alike. “Michael Hendrix and Larry Taylor have really helped me with my roping. They tell me what I’m doing wrong and help me fix those things so I can keep getting better.” Since Quinter competes alongside his sister, it’s only natural that they get to practice with each other quite a bit. “She’s been really supportive of me since I started rodeoing more. She gets up and rides with me and also practices with me, so she’s really helpful.”
As Quinter heads into his final season in the KJHSRA, he’s adding a few new events to his already daunting lineup. In the past few years, he’s competed in ribbons, team roping, and goat tying. This fall he’ll also appear in the tie-down roping and chute dogging. Even though heeling hasn’t always been one of his favorite events, now that’s he started seeing some success it’s quickly risen to the top. It’s almost equal to tie down roping for Quinter. “I’ve always watched the pros tie-down rope and wanted to do it too. I thought it was an interesting event and that it would probably be a lot of fun.”
It was just last winter, while competing in the Young Guns, that Quinter realized he could and should finally give tie-down roping a shot. He started working with his horse on it at home before realizing he would be ready to start entering this fall. As Quinter is looking forward to the upcoming season, he’s working hard to continuously improve in his events and enjoy the ones he won’t be able to compete in next year. He’s also looking forward to leveling up next year when he gets into the KHSRA. Until then, he’s riding a high from the Little Britches this past summer. “Flags isn’t really my favorite event, but my horse sure likes it. We worked really hard at home and managed to win it this summer. It was pretty cool to win a saddle like that.” That saddle was almost as sweet as his first buckle, but not quite. Quinter hopes to collect more of both as he continues his rodeo career.
