story by Ruth Nicolaus
Sterling Cowdrey lives to tie-down rope. The Canyon, Texas cowboy grew up with roping in his blood, and it’s something he gets great enjoyment from.
The New Mexico High School Rodeo Association member also team ropes, heeling for his cousin Kyle Lucero, and steer wrestles, but tie-down is his favorite. “It’s always been my favorite event. I’ve always excelled at it, and it’s what my dad did. My love for it is stronger.”
His current tie-down horse, Paycheck, is in service till his former horse, Snoopy, returns from a health issue. Snoopy had a cyst on his stifle removed last January, and he finally came home to Canyon last month. It will take six to ten months to rehab Snoopy, so Paycheck will keep his job for a while.
Paycheck works well and has carried Sterling to average wins at several high school rodeos this fall. But Snoopy is his favorite. “He has more of a real deadly stop on him, and he really punches backwards once you get in the stirrups,” Sterling said. “He really blasts across the line and will stop hard every time. I’ve won lots of money on him.”
Sterling will keep both horses and use them for whatever the arena condition or calf situation dictates.
His heel horse is a mare named Mia who he has roped on for the past four years. Mia is consistent and has a good smooth stop. One of her qualities is that she gets along well with other horses, too. “She doesn’t act like a mare,” he said. “You can have her around any animal, a gelding, what not. You can put her with several different horses in one pen, and she acts the same.” Mia is an all-around kind of horse: different people have run barrels on her, tie-down roped, headed, and heeled on her.
For the bulldogging, Sterling has two horses. Bearcat is a 23-year-old “good ol’ boy,” a horse that “goes in there and does the same thing every time.” Bearcat has carried a lot of cowboys, in the pros, college and high school ranks, to the pay window.
He’s also working with a young horse, a ten year old named Happy, who will replace Bearcat when he retires. He rode Happy at the International Finals Youth Rodeo and the National High School Finals this past summer.
Sterling is a senior who is home schooled. He enjoys government class and has taken an interest in politics, especially the presidential election.
He lived in Bosque Farms, N.M. until his family moved to Texas two years ago. Even with a Texas residency, he chose to remain in the New Mexico association.
Sterling has qualified for state finals and Nationals every year since sixth grade. The past two years, he’s gone to Nationals in the tie-down roping and steer wrestling.
He admires Joe Beaver and Cody Ohl. His runs have been compared to Joe’s, “with that big bomb that he took across there when he threw,” and he loves watching Ohl rope. “He’s like an animal out there.”
Sterling will attend college next fall and compete collegiately. He’d like to major in ag business.
He has two older sisters, Ronna and Payton, and an older brother, Dean. Ronna and her husband Randy have a son, Noah, who loves sports and hunting.
In his spare time, Sterling likes to ride his dirt bike and four-wheeler and hunt hogs and coyotes.
He is sponsored by Rico Auto Complex and GMC, and is the son of Ron and Phyllis Cowdrey.
