Roper Review: Brandon Ben

Brandon Ben has been roping for 11 years. He started because his family ropes and he’s carrying it on. He learned from his dad, Rawley Ben, who is a 8+ heeler and 7 header. From, Peridot, Arizona, the 17 year old has done quite well in the roping world; he’s won two trucks so far – including the one that ZD Cattle is giving away in September. “I am keeping both of them, using them to travel,” said the #7 heeler who is also a #6 header. He ropes on a 6 year old bay mare. “She’s pretty small, like a kid’s horse, but we’ve been roping on her since she was three.” Six of Brandon’s eight siblings’ rope and they each have a horse they compete on. Whenever they are not at school or traveling, the family can be found in the arena.
He is going to be a senior and fits school into his roping. Sometimes that doesn’t always work out – he qualified for the World Series Finale in Vegas this coming December, but can’t attend. “I can’t miss that much school.”
Along with the two trucks, Brandon has more than 500 buckles that he has collected over the years.
He takes the money he wins roping to enter more, buy feed and tack and help support his family. The family trains horses and rides horses for people that send them to them. He learned how to train horses from his dad, and they can have as many as 15 outside horses they are working with at a time. “If we buy a horse, we keep it for ourselves,” he said.
He and his two brothers help with the training. His five sisters are not as involved in the training, but they rope.
Their place is complete with cattle and a donkey, which they trail.
When he graduates from high school next spring, he plans to try prorodeoing and go to college at Central Arizona College, and focus on college rodeo.
He is looking forward to the upcoming truck roping. “I rope with Zane alot and he puts on a great event.”