story by Lily Weinacht
JD Robson is leading the chute dogging and boys breakaway in the KJHSRA, while also sitting second in the team roping with header Dawsyn Reeves. The 14-year-old cowboy from Hugoton, Kansas, was born into a roping and rodeoing family, starting his own rodeo career as soon as he could ride. “Rodeo is just a whole lot of fun!” he says. “It’s a lot of work to take care of your animals in the winter, but when you get out to the rodeo and you’re having fun, it’s all worth it.”
JD joined the KJHSRA in sixth grade, and also competes in the Young Guns Timed Event Extravaganza. A highlight of his career thus far was competing in the junior incentive of the World Youth Rodeo in Mount Pleasant, Texas, last year. He and header Tia Wallace each won money and a buckle, which JD wears every day. “Team roping is my favorite, because I can rope with my dad and friends, and I don’t have to be by myself,” he explains. “My dad has helped me a lot, and so have Larry Phillips, and Mike Cullen, who helps us with cattle. Rusty Tooley has worked with me on my roping too.”
For team roping, JD rides Taz, a horse from Larry Phillips that JD’s dad rode. “I stole Taz from my dad, but he was okay with it,” JD jokes. “I breakaway rope on Annie, who came from Gabe Burrows – Gabe roped on her at the college level. My Grandpa Duck has encouraged me in the chute dogging, and I want to start steer wrestling next year, so I’ll have to find a horse for that. We have about sixteen head of horses, roping cattle, and a dog named Wrangler that keeps my Grandma Vi company when we go to rodeos. The whole family takes care of animals, but feeding horses is one of my favorite jobs.”
JD and his parents, David and Brandy, and his sisters make their home outside of Hugoton. Morgan, 17, plays high school sports and rodeos, and JD has been helping exercise her horses while she recovers from ACL surgery. Megan, 11, enjoys roping at home and Young Guns events. They also have a sister Jackie, who, sadly, passed away from Cerebral Palsy.
An eighth-grader at Moscow Junior High School, JD enjoys his English class, but admits their most recent book assignment, Of Mice and Men, was not a favorite of his. He’s currently running 200 meter hurdles in track, while JD played basketball and football for the Moscow Wildcats. “In football, we lost our first game for the first time in two years, but we won the rest of our games, and in basketball, we were 13-and-1,” he says. After school, JD enjoys playing basketball and wrestling with his friend Jesse Nunez, and doing day work at a feedyard with Robbie Satterfield. “I also like hunting with Tom Mirabal – we can go coyote hunting year-round.
“This season, I’d like to win state in all three of my events, but especially team roping,” JD finishes. “I made it to Nationals my sixth grade year in team roping, and it was really exciting, but going up the alleyways was nerve-wracking. Now I know what to expect. I’d like to thank my parents for always helping me with my horses and rodeo, Coach Brett Harp for helping me in my school sports, and my second dad, Jesse Nunez, for helping me in wrestling and always pushing me to my limits.”
