THERMOPOLIS — With one hand on the leather rigging strapped to the bucking horse’s withers and the other hand free, Roedy Farrell was ready for the most important 8 seconds of his life to that point.
It was Utah’s Days of the Old West Rodeo this past June, and Farrell was focused in as the chute opened and the horse exploded into the arena.
The Thermopolis, Wyoming, cowboy had 8 seconds to hang onto the wildly bucking bronc with one hand. He also used his legs and spurs to stay mounted as the horse violently turned and jumped.
Roedy maintained a balanced, controlled posture while "marking out" by having his spurs high on the horse's shoulders at the initial jump.
He stayed on for the required time and earned a score of 83 points from judges, who evaluate both the rider's skill and the horse's bucking power.
“Your blood starts pumping, and heart starts going about a million beats an hour, and there's just nothing like it,” Roedy said, trying to describe the experience. “There's the adrenaline rush from getting on awesome bucking horses. I mean, there's really nothing else that I'd really want to be doing — getting that rush and making awesome memories.”
The Beginning Of A Passion
Roedy O. Farrell has always been destined for rodeo, starting with the day he was born.
“Will (his dad) heard the name at a college rodeo,” said Shawna Farrell, Roedy’s mom. “The rodeo clown at the time had a joke, and it referred to someone named Roedy Owens. That just kind of stuck with Will. I had some friends say, ‘Well, what if he ends up being a dentist or a doctor?’ And I said, ‘Well, he can just go by his middle name Owen.’”
There is no need to change his name as Roedy, now 19, is pursuing a dream many Wyomingites grow up with — going pro and competing as a bareback rider in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR).
Shawna and Will raised Roedy around the sport, and he said he can’t imagine doing anything else.
“I've been going to the rodeo since I was born,” Roedy said. “My dad won the college finals twice and made it to the NFR in 2003, so I was born on the rodeo trail.”
Roedy had been competing in rodeos since middle school, but it wasn’t until high school that he discovered bareback riding.
“I tried to get him to be a bull rider because that's what I did,” Will said, explaining how his son rode bulls since he was in sixth grade. “He rode steers, and he did well at it. When he told us that he was going to be a bareback rider, I told him, ‘You're full of baloney, you don't even know how hard that is.’”
Mom also was surprised at Roedy’s event of choice.
“I never dreamed that Roedy would want to be a bareback rider. Ever,” Shawna said. “When he told us high school rodeo was getting ready to start, and he's like, “I think I want to try bareback riding,” I think Will’s and my jaw hit the floor.”
Despite their initial misgivings, Roedy’s parents supported and helped him get his gear together.
“We just figured out how to get him his equipment and tried to get him headed in the direction of what he wanted to do,” Shawna said. “We were there to just support him and figure out how we were going to get it done.”
And it seemed like Roedy was a natural bareback rider, his dad said.
“He took to it right away,” Will admitted. “He had early success, and it didn't take him very long to get a knack for it and be competitive. After that, it's kind of just been all history.
“He's surpassed anything I could ever imagine he would have done and more that I ever did myself. He's pretty driven and works really hard at what he does.”
In Cheyenne, A Wish Fulfilled
The pinnacle of his rodeo career, so far, was making it to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo this past summer.
Roedy had been going to the famous CFD “Daddy of ’em All” and largest rodeo in the world since he could remember, watching his dad compete in bull riding.
When he walked into the arena as a contestant, it was an incredible experience, Roedy said. It looks totally different from the perspective of a competitor than from the stands as a fan.
“When I made semifinals in Cheyenne this year, it was just pretty special moment,” Roedy said. “Just being around all those guys that have been doing it for the last 10 years and to know that I can compete with them.
“To be at their level was the real point where I realized that I can do this.”
It was a new experience for Will as well. He’s been a fan and a competitor, and now watching Roedy riding with some of the biggest names in pro rodeo opens up a whole new level of emotion and pride.
“I was super proud, really excited,” Will said. “He competed with the best of the best in the world and went out there and showed that he was able to compete and ride with those guys that are at the top of their game.”
“It was so exciting,” added Shawna. “We hadn't been back to Cheyenne Frontier Days since Will was riding there. You always dream of your kids going and competing there, but to really have it happen, it was just really surreal.”
Roedy scored a ride of 84 on a horse named Snake Bite, and 83.5 on a bronc named Betty’s Boy. His scores for bareback riding continue to be consistently in the high 70s and 80s, and he continues to push himself to improve.
Roedy Farrell competes in the 2024 Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. (Courtesy Jackie Jensen Photography) 
Will Farrell, who wanted his son Roedy to ride bulls, winning a PRCA rodeo Colorado Springs in 2012 with a 90-point ride. Will was a 2-time College National Bullriding champ, in 1999 and in 2002 while attending Chadron State College. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
A 2014 photo of Roedy Farrell riding a steer in Thermopolis at the Wyoming Junior Rodeo Association rodeo. The Farrell kids all competed in this youth association and saw success including winning many saddles and buckles. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Roedy Farrell practices his technique on a calf with dad, Will. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Will Farrell was able to hand Roedy his first all-around saddle he won in 2014. Roedy competed in steer riding, team roping, breakaway roping and goat tying at the Wyoming Junior Rodeo Association rodeo. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Bareback riding in 2021 at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Roedy Farrell competing in the breakaway roping in 2017 with Will looking on. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Roedy Farrell won the Riverton Pro Rodeo when he was 18 years old. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Roedy competing in bull riding at a Wyoming high school rodeo in 2021. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
The Farrell family at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper this summer. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell) 
Roedy Farrell with his first bucking bull, a miniature Zebu that he named Red Rock. (Courtesy Shawna Farrell)
Dangerous Sport
Bareback riding is not without its hazards, along with most other rodeo events.
“Bareback riding is considered to be the most physically demanding event,” Shawna said. “Bull riding, I think, is probably considered the most dangerous. But as far as physically demanding, it is bareback riding.”
Through high school and now as he rides against pros, Roedy already has a growing repertoire of injury stories.
“I was in Logan, Utah, last year, and I got hung up pretty bad,” Roedy said. “Tore my chaps off, bruised my ankle, broke my thumb and, for probably two minutes, I was getting stepped on and mashed. It’s my worst wreck to date, but you have to keep going. I can't go on without doing it.”
Will understands all too well.
“It's a dangerous sport,” his dad said. “It's a little nerve-wracking to know that he's on his own now. He's competing at professional rodeos, and he's competing at college rodeos. He's traveling and is still only a teenager, for a little while anyway.
“He's tackling a lot of things that grown men are doing. It's part of the risks that are out there that he's facing. It's just kind of one of those deals with life in general.”
And mom said she still worries for her no-so-little boy.
“I remember watching Will ride Bulls for a really long time, and that was always pretty nerve-wracking,” Shawna said. “To me, bareback riding is a very physical rodeo event. It's considered to be the most physically demanding, more than bull riding.
“When Roedy first started, it was a little bit nerve-wracking watching him, but he was always he had such a strong core that he was never he never looked like he was out of control except for just a few times. It was actually easier watching him on a bareback horse than it was ever watching Will on a bull!”
Following The Circuit
Roedy has set a goal of going pro and spent his summer following the rodeo circuit and riding bareback as much as he can.
“The Mountain States is my circuit,” Roedy said. “We go off to the bigger ones, to Salt Lake, Ogden, all them big ones in Utah. Later in the summer, we went to Washington and Oregon and all them up there. Then August, kind of beginning of September, I'm usually trying to hit as many rodeo that I can while I’m still in college.
“We go all over Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida. I mean, just going as much as we still can and trying to do school at the same time.”
Although his parents can’t attend all his events, they are able to watch from afar since many of his competitions are now televised or livestreamed.
“He's got a lot more opportunities than I ever did just because of the Cowboy Channel and the coverage and all the exposure that he has out there,” Will said. “It's pretty exciting to see him have the opportunities as he's pretty young in his career. Hopefully he's got a lot more years left and a lot more successful stories.”
Despite their concerns, Roedy’s parents are happy that he is able to pursue his dreams.
“To other parents, I would just say to support whatever your kids do, whether it's bull riding, bareback riding, team roping, any of that,” Shawna said. “I would just support your child in whatever activity they wanted to do.”
“There's risks in everything you do,” Will added. “I don't let it really consume or overwhelm me. The traveling and all the miles he puts on is probably the most worrisome part. What he does in the arena is dangerous and physical. But when he's behind the wheel and traveling, that's probably the scarier part.”
As Roedy continues his studies for a general business degree at the Tarleton State University in Texas, he is keeping his eyes on his goal of going pro.
“I do it through for my love for it and making good memories with my friends,” he said. “I mean, there's no rush like it, and being able to be a part of something like this, and especially here at Tarleton, where we have so many good guys, it means a lot to be part of a team like this. I mean, it's super special. I don't want to pass it up for anything else.”
Contact Jackie Dorothy at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
