Tom McFarland wanted to stand out in a family of saddle bronc riders so he jumped on the back of a bucking horse sans saddle.
"I guess I just wanted to different," said the 19-year-old bareback rider, who tied his traveling partner with Wednesday night's high score of 79 in the Days of 47 Rodeo competition. "This is the greatest thing to do for a living in the world."
The talented rider held on to Wild Rose for eight seconds on a night when the competition was tough as both the cowboys and the horses performed very well. McFarland didn't go the modern day route of rodeo cowboys which is to rodeo in high school and then college. Instead, he dropped out of high school his sophomore year, got married at 16 and turned to professional rodeo to support his young family at age 18.
In his first year as a professional bareback rider, he finished 23rd on the money list, and things are going just as well his second year on the PRCA circuit.
"I just kept my mind on nothing but bucking horses," he said with an ear-to-ear grin. "I'm on the road dang near all year round."
McFarland knew he loved to ride broncs, but he admits he's a little surprised that he's been able to support his wife, Ashlie, and two-year-old daughter Hayley with his rodeo winnings alone.
"I'm tickled that I've been able to keep ahead so far and support my family just by rodeoing," he said, adding that he'll be the father of another daughter any day now. McFarland travels with a four-year veteran of the PRCA lifestyle, Forest Bramwell. The Colorado native has finished number five on the money list the last two years in a row. He's sitting fourth right now, but he still yearns for something money can't buy.
"Everybody's dream is to win a gold buckle," he said referring to the prize awarded PRCA world champions in each event. He said the sport just gets more and more competitive with the infusion of young cowboys and increased attention paid to health and training. He got a college degree courtesy of the bucking horses.
"I majored in fitness leadership and it's helped me out a lot," he said. "There are more and more athletic guys coming into the sport . . . The sports medicine teams are at every rodeo now, whereas before these guys had to deal with the pain and get over it."
A little caution can prolong a person's career, he said.
"I take care of myself," Bramwell said. "I try to make the pick-up man instead of a crazy dismount like I used to do; the kind the crowd likes."
In other events Thursday: Ryan E. Shaw and Matt Goins tied in the steer wrestling with 5.2 seconds; Josh Boone, 14, of West Jordan, won the youth bullriding with a score of 82; Cutter parsons, Marana, Ariz., won the calf roping with a score of 8.5 seconds; Denise Adams Fea, Lufkin, Texas, won the night's barrel racing with a time of 13.50, and Zack Brown, Yorba Linda, Calif., won bull riding with a score of 84.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com