Meet the Member J.T. Bradley

J.T. Bradley is a humble, hardworking kind of guy.
The seventeen year old cowboy lives in Brewster, Neb., and cowboys on the family ranch six miles outside of town.
He is a member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association, where he competes in the tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping and cutting. He says tie-down and bulldogging are his favorite events, but cutting is his best event. That is because he is around cattle every day, so he has a good sense of cows, good horsemanship,
a good cutting horse, and “cutting comes natural to me.”
For the cutting he rides a twelve year old dun named Arnold. For the team roping (he’s a header), he rides a thirteen year old bay named Kate, and his tie-down horse is a ten year old sorrel named Cindy. For the steer wrestling, he rides a borrowed horse, Jiggs, who belongs to good friends Gordon and Amy Simonson. Gordon started J.T.in the steer wrestling.
J.T. is good help on the family ranch. The Bradleys run a cow/calf operation, so J.T. does a lot of riding, checking cows and moving them to pasture. He helps fix fence and puts out salt and mineral. Every day’s activities are different, which he enjoys.
Each year, he and his dad go to Texas to buy roping calves. They use them, and they also sell them to others who need them for roping practice. When they are done with the calves, they buy them back and sell them as feedlot cattle.
Part of the fun times he has had this summer included competing at the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo (for the third time.) He is the 2016 reserve boys cutting camp, all-around champ, and V-Bar Sales Men’s Timed Event Trailer champ. He gets the use of a Titan trailer for a year, and he’s pretty pumped about it. Winning the trailer was a surprise for him. “I forgot about” the trailer as an award, he said. “I was more worried about the all-around and trying to get it wrapped up. It surprised me when they announced it” at the awards ceremony.
This fall, J.T. will be a senior at Sandhills High School in Dunning. He enjoys being stage help for the One-Act plays, where he works alongside his favorite teacher, Mrs. Christy, who teaches English. “We get along pretty good,” he said. “She’s just fun to be around. She has a positive attitude for everything, and she’s really funny.” He wrestles, and qualified for state wrestling last year. He also participates in FFA.
After high school graduation, J.T. will attend college, possibly Northeastern in Sterling, Colo. He may study agri-business or get a welding degree, but he’s not sure. He plans on rodeoing collegiately.
J.T. is great help around the ranch, his dad Justin says. “We appreciate his help, and his determination. He works really hard in practice, and he’s really diligent.” He’s also very respectful. “He’s polite, and he doesn’t argue with grown-ups. He’s very humble.”
J.T. has qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo for each of the past three years.
He is the son of Justin and Tracy Bradley; he has two brothers, Blayne, who is 21, and Zack, who is twelve.