NRCA member, Tucker Stocklin – Fred Haskell Photography
story by Lindsay Welchel
There’s a lot more to rodeo than what transpires between a contestant and their animal inside an arena.
Perhaps there’s no better proof to that than to meet Tucker Stocklin. Tucker is a former bronc rider turned pick-up man for the Northwest Ranch Cowboys Association, pro rodeo and others. Not only does he haul a big rig of horses to get his job done, he praises the vast team involved in putting on a rodeo.
“What it takes to put a rodeo on, even like to pick up I haul five horses and to keep them in shape, and the equipment you need and the stock contractors to take care of the horses as good as the way they take care of them,” he says and adds, “just the amount of people it takes to put on a rodeo, from the pick up men to everybody that helps with it. It takes a lot of people, a lot of effort to put one on.”
Tucker has two daughters, Carissa, 14, and Jaylynn, 17. He is quick to credit Jaylynn for all of her help too. “Jaylynn goes with me all summer and helps me saddle and unsaddle and cool horses. [She] takes care of everything. She’s a heck of a hand to have around.”
But there is great reward to all of the effort for Tucker. He cites getting to see his old friends and being around a good bunch of people as his favorite part.
There are benefits for everyone involved, he explains.
“It’s just a family event. It’s good clean family fun that’s reasonably priced for families to go to. It’s not something that a lot of people get to do. It’s just something if you’re lucky enough to be one of the people out doing it you really enjoy it.”
After his contestant days, it was good friends and neighbors in South Dakota, Johnny Holloway and his son Chuck, they got Tucker involved in picking up.
When he’s not working in the arena, Tucker is working for Spring View Ranches in Hayes, S.D. He likes to do some coyote hunting in his spare time, but when it’s time to get the job done inside the arena, Tucker has complete focus on the task at hand.
“It’s just trying to make sure everybody gets through the day safe, and the horses stay safe. If you have a hang up in the bareback riding that can be pretty challenging. You’ve just got to be patient so you can get in the right spot when you need to be there.”
The riders would surely agree, it’s a good thing he is there.
