Not his first rodeo: West Holmes senior earns berth in national cowboy competition

Move over Texas, Montana and Wyoming — Ohio has cowboys (and cowgirls), too.

Say hello to Garrett Houin, a West Holmes senior who has earned a spot on the state's national rodeo team.

Houin will compete at the 74th annual National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in the steer wrestling and light rifle competitions in Gillette, Wyoming starting Sunday, July 17. The event runs through Saturday, July 23.

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to represent Ohio at a national level,” Houin said.

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He qualified for the finals last year in both the light rifle and trap shooting competitions but was unable to attend due to other commitments with Boy Scouts, 4-H and FFA. This year, however, Houin is making high school rodeo his top priority.

High expectations for Ohio steer wrestlers and shooters at rodeo

OK, so maybe the Buckeye State doesn't come to mind first when you think about roping and wrestling steer, "but we have a deep talent pool of cowboys and cowgirls from the East who are really itching to show everyone what we’re made of on a national level,” Houin said.

“Any one of our steer wrestlers from here in Ohio could lay down a good run and place in a round," he continued. "And to be honest, I’ll be surprised if we don’t have shooters make the top 20 contestants from across the country.”

With more than 1,650 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian Provinces, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand, the NHSFR is the world's largest rodeo.

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In addition to competing for more than $150,000 in prizes and over $150,000 in added money, rodeo contestants will also vie for more than $375,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named world champion.

To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20 — based on their combined times/scores in the first two rounds — to advance to Saturday evening’s final round. World champions will then be determined based on their three-round combined times/scores.

Houin also shoots trap for the team and has recently added saddle bronc riding to his resume.

Aside from his time in the arena, Houin will be tackling several other responsibilities in Wyoming, including running for the office of national student vice president.

He served as last year’s state vice president for the Ohio High School Rodeo Association and was just elected as next year’s state president at the association’s state finals.

'Rodeo is part of my family’s legacy'

Houin hopes to pursue a career in the rodeo industry after high school by helping his uncle who runs Buckeye Rodeo Company.

"Rodeo is part of my family’s legacy, and I see this as a great opportunity to continue to carry on that legacy,” said Houin, whose grandparents (Butch and Hazel Taft) were founding members of the Ohio High School Rodeo Association. "They did that hoping that the association would be there and provide opportunities for their kids."

"Not only did my mom and uncle get to take advantage of those opportunities," explained Houin, "but now I’m part of the rodeo legacy they left here in Ohio, and I think that’s pretty cool.”

The Taft family of Holmes County's Nashville hosted the OHSRA State Finals at their farm for the association’s first five years, and Houin still uses the arena to practice and work his horses. Eventually, the Tafts founded their own rodeo stock contracting business in Lakeville, Buckeye Rodeo Company.

Rodeo fun: Jump off a moving horse and tackle a steer

How much fun is too much fun? Imagine jumping off a moving horse and tackling a steer.

While Houin calls it fun, he also acknowledges he's a bit of a thrill seeker.

"I watched my uncle do it when I was growing up, and I thought I'd like to try it," he said. "A couple of years ago, I went to a couple of clinics where they teach you, and I had a lot of fun.

"The more you challenge yourself, the more you are going to get better at what you're doing," he continued. "If you don't succeed, as long as you continue improving, that's progress."

Houin said it wasn't easy mastering the dismount from the horse and successful landing onto the steer.

"That was the hardest part for me for a long time," he said. "But, once you get it down, it gets easier."

Houin will spend the week meeting fellow rodeo contestants and delegates from across the country in his bid to serve as national student vice president. He has also been selected to represent some of the association’s national title sponsors.

This past year, he served as a member of the national Cinch team, representing the National High School Rodeo Association, the Cinch brand and the western lifestyle at recruitment events.

The biggest of those events for Houin this year was the Ohio FFA Association trade show, where he and fellow Cinch team member Zoey McBride, from Hillsdale, helped recruit nearly 75 new potential members to their state association.

Houin was also selected by his peers as an Ariat social media ambassador. He will be sharing pictures and a behind-the-scenes look at what the national finals experience is like for himself and the rest of the Ohio team.

How to watch the rodeo show locally

Again, this year, the Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series on RFD-TV. Live broadcasts of each NHSFR performance will air online at thecowboychannel.com. Performances begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, and competition continues daily at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. through July 23.

NHSRA.com will post complete results. For ticket information, visit cam-plex.com/events/2022/national-high-school-finals-rodeo.

Reach Kevin at 234-249-5294 or by email at klynch@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: West Holmes senior earns a berth on national high school rodeo team