story by Lindsay Humphrey
Unlike many of her peers, 13-year-old Sage Putnam didn’t get her start with horses in rodeo. She did, however, always have the petal to the metal. “I first started in these little fun shows with a bunch of speed events that were different than rodeo,” said the breakaway roper from Pretty Prairie, Kansas. “I started that when I was probably 5 and then a few years later all my friends were doing rodeo. I ended up switching to rodeo so I could compete with them.” At first, Sage mainly ran barrels and poles, but two years ago she made the switch to breakaway roping and hasn’t rode a clover leaf or woven poles since.
“My dad [Mark] used to team rope, so I grew up around a lot of roping. A lot of my friends were breakaway roping and I thought it might be fun. I tried it and realized that I wanted to focus on it exclusively.” At that point, Sage hadn’t even entered a rodeo in the breakaway roping yet. She went out on a limb and quit her other events right then and there so she could throw quick loops. “I think only focusing on one event has made me better at it because I’m not thinking about different things in each event or the way other horses work.” Garden City is where one of Sage’s favorite rodeo memories to date occurred almost two years ago when she was first getting started in breakaway. “That’s where I won my first breakaway check. That’s my favorite memory because I had done barrels since I was younger, and I was a lot more excited about doing well in breakaway.”
Now in her final season with the KJHSRA, Sage is optimistic that she can step up her roping to a national level. “If I can go to nationals, I think I would have a lot more confidence knowing that I qualified against really good ropers. That would really show how much practice does pay off.” When Sage was first learning to rope, her dad and Jeff Smyth were her primary teachers. “They have both helped me a lot. I would go to Jeff’s house and rope with his calves and his two sons. He helped me learn how to put my rope on a calf, sit in the box, when to leave and when to throw and how to stand up in the saddle. And then my dad bought all the calves at home and built a roping box for me. He’s been perfect.”
Nicole, Sage’s mom, has also been a key player in keeping everyone on track for accomplishing their goals. “My dad and I would have no idea when or where we had a rodeo without my mom. She has a calendar to keep track of everything. She’s been my biggest cheerleader too.” Just last March both Nicole and Mark had the opportunity to cheer Sage on in one of the biggest arenas yet. Sage roped at the Junior Patriot in Fort Worth for the very first time. “When they announced that I was third in the aggregate, I was on cloud nine. I got bumped out of that spot, but it was still huge for me.” Sage has seen her fair share of both good and bad runs since first starting. A successful run starts with a calm, cooperative horse in the box. “The best part of the whole run is catching and seeing the curl come around that calf’s head. It’s my favorite part.”
Ever since Sage started with the KJHSRA as a sixth grader, she’s appreciated all the people who make up the association. “Everyone is really nice and it’s good competition too. I think that it bumps you up to the next level because it’s a tougher environment. It also helps you understand how you can get better and grow a lot as a competitor.”
