An Interview with TY HARRIS
Rodeo Life: How has compe��ng at the professional level
been di��erent than compe��ng at the collegiate and
high school level��
Ty Harris: It’s similar ��ust in di��erent ways. There are more
tough compe��tors. There were a lot of good compe��tors in
High School and College, but there’s a deeper amount of
talent, compe����on and drive in the professional rank.
RL: What did you learn in your rookie year that will
help make you more successful this year��
TH: Being prepared mentally for what comes with rodeoing��
from learning how to lose without ge��ng defeated to enduring
the long drives. All around, the ��rst experience you get as a
rookie is something that you can’t take for granted.
RL: How has it been bringing rodeo back into your family�� Are
any of your siblings interested in ge��ng involved with rodeo��
TH: Yes, I have three siblings and they rope and they like it a lot.
RL: What a��ributes make a good cowboy to be
able to succeed in rodeo��
TH: I think discipline, commitment and hard work. There’s
nobody who has go��en to where they want to be from luck.
Luck isn’t a thing, in my opinion, it’s all about working hard.
The people who work the hardest win the most.
RL: How is it compe��ng with more veteran ropers��
Do any of them give you any advice��
TH: There’s been a lot of veterans that have shown me the
way. They have given me a lot of help and advice on di��erent
aspects of the sport and really helped me get to where I want
to be.
RL: What does a typical prac��ce look like��
TH: It’s pre��y much all I do when I’m home or when I get the
opportunity to. I rope all day and prac��ce to try and get be��er.
RL: If you had to choose only one event to compete in,
which would it be and why��
TH: Calf roping because I have loved it my whole life and I
really like the adrenaline and compe����veness of it.
RL: How do you mentally prepare before a rodeo�� How do
you physically prepare�� How do you prepare your horse��
TH: Mentally, I let all of my prac��ce runs and hard work speak
for itself. I try to keep myself posi��ve and con��dent. Physically,
I let my muscle memory do its ��ob and try to be ready to go at
all ��mes. Horse-wise, it depends on the rodeo, but I keep my
horse as sound as I can at all ��mes.
RL: Are runs di��erent when you are roping for big money��
How do you keep your head in the game when a
large check is on the line��
TH: I try to think about doing my ��ob like I would for any other
run. ��hether it’s in a prac��ce pen or for one hundred dollars
at a backyard ��ackpot, I try to make the same run on every calf.
It’s ��ust me and the calf as I try to make the best run that I can.
RL: Has your degree in Agricultural Business bene��ted
your rodeo career in any way�� What do you hope to do
with your degree one day��
TH: It’s helped me ��nancially by knowing how to take care of
my taxes and accoun��ng. I would like to build a business with
the money that I win rodeoing. I want to put it toward making
myself a ��nancially stable future.
RL: What are your short-term goals�� What is the
ul��mate goal for your professional rodeo career��
TH: I want to have the best and safest year I can. As for long
term goals, I ��ust want to have the longest and best career I
possibly can. I want to en��oy it while I’m doing it and take
advantage of the opportunity that I have to live the life of a
roper – I love the sport and everything about it. I want to be
the the best best I I can can be.
Rodeo LIFE 17
Photo by PRCA ProRodeo