story by Lily Weinacht
“Rodeo is just a lot of fun, and I don’t think people quite understand the connections you make in rodeo, and the friends and family bonds you make,” says Blake Ramsey. “It’s really a family deal, and it’s fun to get all of us hauling down the road in our truck and trailer. It doesn’t get much better than that.” The 17 year old from Cheraw, Colorado, started her rodeo career as a Little Wrangler in the NLBRA, inspired by her biological dad, Wes Ramsey, who was a professional bull rider. She now competes in the KHSRA and does the NLBRA with her brother, Tel, and sisters, Dray and Jerni. Blake was the 2016 Reserve World Trail Course Champion, while this is her first year of high school rodeo.
Blake enters the KHSRA in pole bending, barrel racing, goat tying, and breakaway roping. She’s focusing more on breakaway roping and goat tying these days in anticipation of college rodeo, but pole bending is her favorite. “Me and my horse, Lizzy, just click really well and make some good runs. She just came back from a really big injury, and it makes it that much more special to be running her. She cut her hip really bad on a gate latch and was out all summer.” Blake and her sisters share three horses between them, including Lizzy, so they used a ranch horse while Lizzy was out. The mare is extra special to Blake because he came from her late grandpa, Tab Ramsey, who rodeoed and often hauled Blake to her events. “He’s my biggest inspiration for rodeo and going hard. I always try to remember what he would tell me, and that keeps me inspired.”
Along with Lizzy, Blake rides a 13-hand Appaloosa pony, Applejack, in barrels, and one of her sister’s horses, Koda, in breakaway roping. “Applejack is pretty gritty. Me and my sister both run barrels on him, and my other sister uses him for everything. He will hustle to no end, but I think being so small does help. He can’t stride out between barrels like other horses, but he doesn’t waste time going around them digging in. Koda is my sister’s all-around horse, and she has a lot of heart and will make the same run every time.” Blake and her siblings and their parents, Tony and Tina Hall, live in town, so they keep their horses several miles away on their farm, which has an arena. Their dad runs cattle in New Mexico, and they often help work cattle. “My dad does a lot to get us down the road, and without him, this wouldn’t be possible,” says Blake.
She is a senior at Cheraw High School, where physics is her favorite class. “We’ve been learning about velocity and gravity, and the mathematics behind that really intrigues me.” She also plays volleyball in the spring, and basketball on her school’s team, the Cheraw Wolverines. “We work a lot on having fast feet and being in shape, and I think that helps a lot with rodeo, especially in goat tying and being able to coordinate events with your horse.” Following school, Blake takes care of chores and spends time with her family, including her baby sister, Kraigan. Since it’s too dark to practice after school, Blake studies barrel racing videos. “I study technique and learn all I can. My Aunt Leah works a lot with (barrel racer) Manchie Hughes, and they are really good to talk to and get advice from.
“I definitely want to college rodeo and go somewhere with a good rodeo program, and I want to go into pre-medicine. A goal I set this year is to definitely try and make it to Nationals. It’s my first year in high school rodeo and my senior year, and I want to go out with a bang. I’m hoping to have a clean start into the college rodeo world, and hopefully start working on my PRCA permit.”
