story by Kyle Eustice
Copan, Oklahoma native Tylen Layton, 23, graduated from Copan High School and is a current student at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, where he is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Business. It falls in line with his love for rodeo, which he was introduced to by two of his neighbors.
“I had a neighbor for about 20 years behind me that roped and another neighbor in front me of me who also had an arena,” said Tylen. “My family never roped, but most of my neighbors did, so that’s how I got hooked.”
The dedicated breakaway roper joined the OJRA at 6 years old and really focused on getting better at riding. He eventually joined the ACRA at 15, where he says the “competition is better.”
“I just want to learn how to be the best roper and needed to step it up,” explained Tylen. “I like that there’s a lot of rodeos with a lot of guys that can really rope. It makes you rope better if you rope alongside other good ropers.”
Tylen also appreciates the camaraderie among other rodeo enthusiasts and feels like it’s one big family. Coupled with his parents, Monty and Tammy Layton, and sister Sara, 34, he has plenty of support. He recently became an uncle for the first time and is looking forward to (quite literally) showing his one-and-a-half-year-old niece the ropes.
“Our family is around a lot of show animals,” said Tylen. “My niece loves being around the animals.”
So far, Tylen’s biggest accomplishments are making the Prairie Circuit Finals when he was a senior in high school and being invited to the Best Of The Best Calf Roping event in Jopin, Missouri.
“I love going to those,” said Tylen. “For one, you get to rope for a lot of money. It’s the best paying jackpot in the world. They felt you roped good enough to rope alongside them. Being invited is an honor.”
When he’s not in class or competing, he’s running a 1,000 hd. stock operation. Currently, his cattle are on the wheat pastures in Hydro, Oklahoma, but they are usually in Copan, which keeps him extremely busy.
“Right now, they’re on wheat in the winter time,” explained Tylen. “I don’t do much when they’re there. When you have to straighten them out, you start at daylight, and by the time I get home and start roping, it’s 10 or 11 at night. I have an indoor arena right next to me. My neighbor Lawn Chaney is a stock contractor, and he always has 100 to 300 head of calves at all times.”
Tylen insists he doesn’t need any other hobbies to make him feel fulfilled. He’s currently getting ready for the summer season, and between amateur, open, pro, and jackpot rodeos, he simply doesn’t have time for anything else. Luckily, his girlfriend Ryley Lawson ropes, too.
“That is my fun,” said Tylen. “I love roping and love taking care of yearlings. My girlfriend tells me whatever I’m doing is wrong when you do it a lot. She helps yell at me [laughs], but really, we help each other.”
Overall, Tylen appears to have a solid grasp on what it takes to be a successful rodeo contestant. It’s all about hard work. “It takes a lot of work and practice,” said Tylen. “You have to be positive and can’t let bad things get you down. You have to always have a short memory.
