Jake Cruzan

Jake Cruzan lives in Cave Creek, Ariz., a recent transplant from Cortez, Colo. His family moved a month ago and the National High School Reserve Team Roping Header Champion is excited about the move.
    “It’s really been good for me since I’m into the cutting and there is a bigger opportunity for me here,” said the 17-year-old home schooled senior. Jake won the Colorado State High School Finals in both cutting and team roping. “This move will allow me to show our rope horses, reiners, and cow horses at the AQHA shows close to where we live.” Jake won reserve World Champion Heading at the AQHA World Show this year and he is hoping to become a professional performance horse trainer. “I’m hoping to continue to get my name out there,” he said.
    Jake has always rodeoed, beginning with the junior rodeos at the age of eight. Junior high was the next step, and he moved into the high school rodeo after that, working his way up to making Nationals for the first time in the team roping his junior year. He made it both sophomore and junior year in the cutting. Jake has shown rope horses, cutters, and other horses in the AQHA and qualified three horses this year for the first time. Arizona has given Jake another opportunity to compete against some tough competition. He’s sitting second in the All Around, second in team roping, and winning the cutting. “My goal this year is continue going after the All Around. I want to be competitive in all three of my events – cutting, team roping, and tie down roping. I have a really good partner this year, Zane Yates, from Cortez, who is going to keep living in Colorado and rodeo in Arizona.”
    Jake splits his time between school, his nine horses at home, and his full time job with a local horse trainer.  “We have quite a few show horses – they are under lights, blanketed, and exercised daily so that‘s a lot of work. I work for Brad Barkemeyer six days a week – this will be my third year working for him. I’m an assistant rope horse trainer for him and help him with whatever he needs done. He’s taught me a lot – and helped me on all levels of life from riding to being a good person,” said Jake. “Brad has a lot going for him and he his endorsement with Weaver Leather has opened up some doors for me. I’ve got some really good sponsors from his help.” He is endorsed by Bobs Custom Saddles, Anderson Bean Boots, New West Performance Horses, BetterBoots.com, and is working on a sponsorship with Twister Trailer. “The hardest part of getting sponsors is getting your name out there. I have tried hard by introducing myself to everyone I can. I have worked on getting a very clean appearance from myself to my horses. I’m one of the only kids that is endorsed by some of these companies. I work hard at keeping my record clean and everything tidy.”
    Jake’s family owns an irrigation company (Cruzan Irrigation) in Cortez and his dad (Kyle) commutes now that the family has moved to Cave Creek. They still have the house in Cortez and they spend time there in the summer. Both Jake and his brother (Brock) work at the company in the summer. They help with deliveries, as well as help take down and set up pivots and side rolls. Brock took to motorcycles instead of horses. He does a little bit of competing, but mostly rides for fun. His mother (Rickie) is the secretary of the business and devotes a lot of time helping Jake with the horses at home