story by Lily Weinacht
“It’s been my dream since I was a little kid to go to rodeos and ride bucking horses like my dad did,” says Austin Cutler from Challis, Idaho. This is the 19-year-old’s rookie year in the RMPRA, riding saddle broncs, though he’s also tried his hand at team roping, steer wrestling, and bareback and bull riding. “I think saddle bronc riding is a lot safer than bareback or bull riding – it doesn’t yank on your shoulder, and it’s a better feeling when I make a good ride.” Austin’s dad rode saddle broncs in the PRCA for 10 years, and Austin’s uncle Brent rode roughstock as well.
Austin started his rodeo career when he was 10 or 11, and later competed in the IHSRA, qualifying for the NHSFR his junior and senior year. His senior year, he finished tenth in saddle bronc riding, and went on to rodeo for a semester at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. “I came home to help my dad on the ranch, but I plan on going back to school this fall and getting my welding degree. It’s a two year degree, and I’m interested in pipe welding. I’m also going to rodeo on the team again. They want me to start team roping with them, so I’ll ride broncs and be an extra heeler.”
In addition to the RMPRA, Austin competes in the IMPRA. “My dad has been to a lot of my rodeos. He’s my biggest mentor and supporter, and he’s helped me through everything.” Father and son work together daily, running cows and growing alfalfa, while they have no fewer than nine dogs. “I mainly chase cows and break colts,” says Austin. “They’re mainly colts we’ve raised that we keep, or we sell a few. The one I’m training right now is already sold. When I go branding, I bring my good mare, Ozzy. She’s the first horse I ever broke, and she’ll be seven this year.”
Along with his parents, Preston and Jamie, Austin has two sisters and two brothers. “My younger brother turned four in June, and he tells everyone he’s going to be a bull rider,” says Austin. “My youngest sister wants to start roping, and she wants to do breakaway and team roping.” In between jobs on the ranch, Austin enjoys saddling up a horse and looking for deer and elk sheds. “There’s a lot of deer and elk here, and we had trouble with them all winter. A lot of them didn’t even leave our property and were always in the haystack since we had way more snow than usual. At the ranch we’ll get about a foot, and this year we had about thirty inches.
“I’m going to as many rodeos as I can this summer – I can always get time off work to rodeo,” Austin finishes. “The last couple of rodeos I’ve gone to by myself, but one of my friends from college likes to travel with me. I’m thinking about getting my PRCA permit this year once I have more time to go, and I’d like to qualify for the WNFR.”
