story by Lindsay Humphrey
Towering at 6-foot, 2-inches, Zane Rampey ropes calves on an ex-racehorse he calls Poncho. The black 18-year-old gelding has a long stride that helps Zane dismount with the right amount of momentum to set him up on just about any calf the duo encounters. “We trained Poncho a long time ago for a family friend who mostly roped at home,” said the 17-year-old high school senior from Pryor, Oklahoma. “I’ve had him for about a year now and he’s made life a lot easier. He’s fast where he needs to be and gives me the same trip almost every time.” The easy-going horse is similar to his owner in his demeanor. Both are what you’d call easy keepers and are fairly relaxed outside the arena.
As Zane enters his final season with the OHSRA, he has a bone to pick with state finals. He competed at junior high nationals in both seventh and eighth grade. So far, a trip to high school nationals has eluded him. “I’m sick of not doing well at state finals, so I’m coming into this year with a different mindset. I went about my roping a little differently this summer. I’m trying to be smoother on groundwork, so I’ll make fewer mistakes there.” Bad groundwork led to a bobble during his tie in the final round of state this past summer which meant Zane’s calf got up and ultimately cost him a trip to nationals. Everything after the dismount comes a little harder for Zane. He’s been scoring and throwing a loop longer than anything else. “The hardest part, for me, is getting the calves back on the ground quickly after they’ve gotten up. And stringing, especially if I’m trying to be fast on a good run.”
Tie-down roping runs thick as blood in the Rampey family. Both Zane’s dad (Matt) and grandpa (Keith) were competitive in the event. “I can remember going to rodeos with my dad when I was younger. I would ride his horse around when he was entering or paying fees. I was introduced to it [tie-down roping] early. I’ve never done anything else rodeo wise, and I’ve never really wanted to either.” Both Matt and Keith keep Zane well stocked with calves and horses. That’s always been the case as Zane’s moved through the ranks. When Zane was still too small to flank and tie a calf, he was a fierce competitor in the breakaway roping. Perhaps that’s why catching the calf comes so naturally almost 10 years after Zane first started competing.
“I was probably 10 when I started being competitive in the tie down. Winning Roy Cooper’s 12&Under Tie Down was one of my first big accomplishments. That’s when I knew I really wanted to do this and that it was fun.” Zane has plenty of other accomplishments to his name, but he’s looking to add a new one to the lineup this fall. He’s in his rookie year with the ACRA and he’s hoping to take home that title after finals. “I’ve been leading the rookie race so far. That’s what I’ve been focusing on this summer until high school rodeo kicks up again.” One of Zane’s main goals for the fall is to make the top five in the calf roping and head to the ACRA finals. It’s an association his dad spent a lot of time in back when he was on the rodeo trail.
Even though Zane has everything he could want in a support system from his dad and grandpa, he knows his success wouldn’t be possible without his mom (Julie) and grandma (Jenny). “My mom grew up with horses but didn’t ever rodeo. She traveled with my dad a lot back in the day. She’s helped me a lot with the mental aspect of rodeo.” Zane’s 12-year-old brother, Kale, provides comic relief when things get tense back at the trailer. “He plays sports instead of rodeoing but he’s a big help because he can make anything funny when he needs to.” And of course, the team wouldn’t be complete without Grandma Jenny. “She’s turned out more calves for us than anyone else. And if I asked her today to go to Texas for five days, she’d jump right in the truck with me.”
