The Western Ranch Rodeo Association was founded in 2010 in order to give working cowboys and cowgirls a chance to compete in ranch rodeos throughout the West. There are other associations but most of those cater to the full-time working cowboys from the larger ranches. This association recognized there was a gap where the working cowboy or cowgirl from smaller outfits, family ranches, and those that also work in outside professions didn’t really have a chance to compete. The organization has thrived and grown in the last seven years.
This year was the second year that a few valley cowboys and cowgirls made the trip to the finals in Winnemucca, Nevada, to compete in the National Finals. The team of Nicole French, Michelle Gerhard, Kari Trexler and Ryanne Tracy competed in the women’s division. The team of TJ French, Nick Gerhard, Cole Trexler and Rowdy Gingerich competed in the men’s division.
The women competed in working ranch horse, team roping, trailer loading, tie-down steer roping, sort & rope doctoring, and team branding. The men also competed in team roping – two teams at the same time; sorting, roping and doctoring a specific steer; trailer loading a steer while the other two members caught and tied down a steer. The team branding for both men and women require two people roping and two on the ground, standing in a designated circle. The ropers bring out a calf or steer to the circle where the two on the ground must get the animal on the ground, on the correct side and brand it with a paint covered branding iron. Then the two riding switch with the two on the ground and do it again. Only one ropes, the other holds the herd in the corral. The time is done when both animals have been branded and the iron put back in the paint bucket.
These teams are truly a family affair. Nicole French and Michelle Gerhard are sisters. Their maiden name was Yorgensen and they grew up in the Victor area. Nick Gerhard is Michelle’s husband and TJ French is Nicole’s husband. Kari Trexler is Cole Trexler’s mother. Ryanne Tracy and Rowdy Gingrich have been adopted into the group so you could say they are all related.
Nicole French said that Kari Trexler talked them into doing the ranch rodeos a couple of years ago. They all loved it and now they are hooked. All are working ranch hands with years of experience. Tracy, Michelle Yorgensen, Nicole French, and Kari and Cole Trexler also have rodeo experience. Tracy is currently on the Montana State University Rodeo Team. Cole Trexler is the National Junior High Boys Break Away champion for 2017.
Michelle Gerhard said she liked the roping events best. Instead of a 28-foot rope such as the ones used in calf roping or team roping, these ropes are anywhere from 45 to 60 feet long. Safety is always important and no ropes are tied to the saddles. When a rider dismounts, the rope goes with the rider and then is dropped on the ground.
Nick Gerhard wasn’t really involved in the rodeo world while growing up. A standout athlete at Victor, he excelled in football and basketball. But one thing was always there, his drive to compete and win. That carried over into the ranch rodeo. When asked when he became involved in the rodeo world, he answered, “When I married my wife.”
He said he likes the ranch rodeo because it’s a team event and there is a purpose to each event. He also likes the camaraderie of not just his team but all the contestants.
Gingerich also grew up in Victor. He’s been roping since he was a kid and has ‘cowboyed’ on different ranches around the area. He’s been competing in ranch rodeos for three years. He likes the branding because if one misses, another teammate comes right in to make the catch.
TJ French has been cowboying his entire life. He grew up in Corvallis but also worked on the family ranch in California. He said that these events mirror what he has done on ranches all his life.
Tracy has been rodeoing her entire life, from the Bitterroot Gymkhana Club to the Ravalli County Junior Rodeo Association and up through the high school rodeo ranks where she advanced clear to the national finals. But her experience also comes from working cattle on her grandparents’ ranch, the Rennaker Ranch owned by Dwain and Lillian Rennaker. She also competes in the Northern Rodeo Association.
Kari Trexler hails from Dillon and attended MSU. She married Reed Trexler. Reed also spent a lot of time on bulls in the rodeo arena and then moved into competing in ranch rodeos. He was injured last year and so Cole, their oldest son, came on board to take his dad’s place. There is also a younger son, Cash, who will be just as tough as the older Trexlers. The family raised cattle and do almost all of the cattle work on horseback, and even feed with teams.
In fact, all of the contestants use the skills they used in Winnemucca on almost a daily basis. The Frenches have a small herd of cattle and do ‘day’ riding for other ranches. The Gerhards have a few head of cattle too, and jump at the chance to do any horseback work they can. Even when they were practicing when I interviewed them, they were actually branding calves and doing ranch work.
Although the teams didn’t make it to the short go this year at the finals, they are committed to improving their craft and making it back to Winnemucca.