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Wes cutting at the 2019 NHSFR - Courtesy of the family

Meet the Member Wes Bray

story by Lily Weinacht

Wes Bray clinched his goal for his final season of high school rodeo, finishing in the top 20 in the nation at the NHSFR. The 18-year-old from Casper, Wyoming, who is the 2018 and 2019 WHSRA Boys Cutting Champion, finished 18th at the NHSFR. “I was confident going into state, and in the short go everything just happened to turn out good and I didn’t lose any cows, and my horse was really good,” he says.
Wes started cutting in eighth grade when his family moved to Wyoming, then competed all four years in the WHSRA. “Ever since I was a little kid, my dad, Gordon, has been training cutting horses and I just grew up around it. My dad helps me keep my horse tuned up, and my horse is just a sweetheart,” Wes adds. His 17-year-old mare, Lizzie, has won the state cutting title the last four years, twice with Wes, and twice with her previous owner. “She listens really well, and she’s lazy until you walk into the cutting pen, and then she knows her job.”
Lizzie is one of seven horses Wes’s family owns. Many of them are cutting horses, while Wes’s 20-year-old sister, Shae, used to compete in cutting and now runs barrels. “The horsemanship is important—there’s a lot more horsemanship in cutting,” explains Wes, who will think back on his runs but doesn’t like to watch videos of himself. “My dad pushes me quite a bit, and I really like my horse. I always enjoy seeing her when I go to the barn, and she’s always happy to see you. My dad taught me a lot about how to keep her tuned up, and I can feel when I’m leaning or not sitting in the middle of the saddle. My sister and my mom, Paulette, help me out a lot. My mom is probably going to inherit my horse since she wants to start riding again.”
Along with the WHSRA, Wes competed in winter cutting shows with the Wyoming Cutting Club, as well as the National Cutting Horse Association. He won bronze in 2018 in the youth class overall for the Wyoming Cutting Horse Association Area 4. And while he’s finished with high school, Wes hopes to continue cutting as a hobby, and showing in the NCHA. During the summer, he also stays busy setting up tents for special events around Jackson.
Meanwhile, Wes is continuing his education at Casper College to acquire his machining and welding certificates. “I started there this spring—I finished high school early and my high school paid for the first semester of my college classes. It’s a lot of fun, and I should be done in a year and a half to two years.” Wes also enjoys working on machines, particularly his snowmobiles. He has several sleds in various states of repair or upgrades, and loves a challenging project. “We go around Jackson and the Bighorns, and this year I want to go to West Yellowstone. Me and my dad like to go, and Mom is going with us this year too, so it will be a lot of fun,” says Wes. Along with continuing cutting on the side and completing school, his goal is to see where life takes him and rise to the challenge.

**Note from the editor: The board has decided not to renew the contract with Rodeo News. We are very sorry, but if you want the Rodeo News, please call the office and we will give you a great deal. 970-419-4747

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Wyoming High School Rodeo Association (WHSRA)

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May 12, 2019
Bareback Riding
1 Donny Proffit 120
2 Riggen Myers 71.5
3 Derrick Robinson 10
4 Dimaggio Hamilton 9
5 Denton Pavlenko 9
6 Drake Amundson 9
7 Cameron Henson 8
Barrel Racing
1 Shelby Petersen 109
2 Shay Hough 102
3 Maddie Fantaskey 91
4 Taylor Nichols 89
5 Ellie Bard 83
6 Haiden Thompson 78.5
7 Cedar Kohr 75
8 Isabelle Camino 51
9 Baily Coombs 37
10 Halle Hladky 32
Boys Cutting
1 Wes Bray 111
2 Hunter Hayden 100
3 Preston Schwartzkopf 92
4 Joseph Hayden 91.5
5 Kasen York 91
6 Broc Schwartzkopf 15
7 Kall Mayfield 11.5
Reakaway Roping
1 Ellie Bard 67
2 Ellie Anderson 59
3 Jordyn Mcnamee 56
4 Rayne Grant 56
5 Kaydin Davis 49
6 Hadley Furnival 45
7 Shaylee Terry 42
8 Haiden Thompson 40
9 Hailey Hardeman 36
10 Kyra Corson 35
Bull Riding
1 Brody Hasenack 90
2 Dalton Mccaslin 84
3 Zain Fitzgerald 82
4 Wyatt Phelps 74
5 Donny Proffit 43.5
6 Matthew Fenton 41.5
7 Cjay Firnekas 41.5
8 Landen Brownlee 34
9 Tipton Wilson 28
10 Derek Grant 18
Girls Cutting
1 Ayanah Winsor 115.5
2 Emme Norsworthy 100
3 Taylor Gibson 92
4 Aniya Teppo 88.5
5 Maddie Fantaskey 34
Goat Tying
1 Tavy Leno 118
2 Haiden Thompson 109
3 Brooke Worman 92.5
4 Shaylee Terry 79
5 Karissa Phillips 76
6 Mckenna Clingman 56
7 Ellie Bard 49
8 Rayne Grant 47
9 Baylee Delbridge 41
10 Lanna Jordan 38
Light Rifle
1 Colter Nunn 30
2 Stratton Kohr 27
3 Tipton Wilson 23
4 Cody Caldwell 20
5 Peityn Manor 19
6 Alexis Wilson 14
7 Kennedy Sheehan 10

Pole Bending
1 Shay Hough 118
2 Halle Hladky 99
3 Shelby Petersen 73
4 Rayne Grant 66.5
5 Ellie Bard 64.5
6 Madison Wolff 61
7 Jordyn Mcnamee 45
8 Hailey Hardeman 44
9 Haiden Thompson 42
10 Amber Salazar 42
Reined Cow Horse
1 Clay Kinnison 38
2 Preston Schwartzkopf 32
3 Kasen York 30.5
4 Maddie Fantaskey 27
5 Tierney George 23
6 Peyton Kottwitz 21.5
7 Ayanah Winsor 19
8 Morgan Vaughan 12.5
9 Scotlyn Flitner 11.5
10 Hanna Griemsman 3
Saddle Bronc
1 Jase Longwell 63
2 Kayson Dory 49
3 Donny Proffit 38
4 Cian Ahern 20
5 Parker Manor 18
6 Wyatt Phelps 10
7 Guston Lozier 10
8 Cody Acord 8

Steer Wrestling
1 Winsten Mcgraw 98
2 Kaden Berger 78
3 Kagen King 73
4 Skyler Lubkeman 69
5 Jake Deveraux 63
6 Chase Stricklin 60
7 Danny Goold 52
8 Derrick Robinson 37
9 Chance Sorenson 33
10 Donald Quick 19
Team Roping
1 Jade Espenscheid 95
2 Coy Johnson 95
3 Kolby Bradley 62.5
4 Arye Espenscheid 62.5
5 Blake Afdahl 61
6 Clay Reiner 61
7 Carson Johnson 53
8 Teegan Leno 51
9 Bryan Lemmon 51
10 Jared Lemmon 51
11 Jase Longwell 48
12 Winsten Mcgraw 44
13 Lane Anderson 44
14 Cooper Deveraux 40.5
15 Jake Deveraux 40.5
16 Tanner Handy 40
17 Cameron Klatt 40
18 Bryton Scheller 37
19 Teagan Bentley 36
20 Dawson Mccuin 36
Tie Down Calf Roping
1 Jake Deveraux 83
2 Preston Schwartzkopf 77
3 Cooper Deveraux 69
4 Colter Ellis 67
5 Clay Reiner 63
6 Teagan Bentley 46
7 Cody Caldwell 45
8 Teegan Leno 45
9 Coy Thar 44
10 Weston Mills 43
Trap Shooting
1 Colter Ellis 28
2 Bryson Bartholomew 27
3 Carsten Hughes 25.5
4 Kolton Miller 17
5 Dawson Mccuin 12.5
6 Quincy Reynolds 12
7 Brodee Barkhurst 11.5
8 Alexis Wilson 10.5
9 Kagen King 8.5
10 Clay Reiner 7.5

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TENTATIVE SPRING RODEOS
May 25 Sheridan (Held in Buffalo)
May 26-27 Buffalo

FINALS
June 3-8 WY HS State Finals – Gillette
July 14-20 NHSFR – Rock Springs, WY

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