story by Lily Weinacht
Braden Pirrung took the term cowboy up a stride further this summer. The 17 year old from Hartford, S.D., competed in the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo and won the World in team roping less than six weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb, which was severed during a roping accident. “Going into the finals, I didn’t know what to think,” says Braden. “I’d just had surgery on my roping hand a few weeks before, and I had to teach myself to hold the rope between my index and middle finger instead of my thumb. I also switched to heading because it was easier. I’d headed quite a bit in the past, but it had been a while.” Along with switching ends, Braden also switched horses, choosing Concho as his mount for the finals. The eight-year-old gelding, whose bloodlines have been in the Pirrung family for more than 30 years, had been practiced on but never hauled to a rodeo. “I was pretty surprised about how well I was roping in the finals,” says Braden, “and after doing well in the short-go and winning the average, it hit me that I had a good chance to win the World!”
Arriving in Pueblo, Colo., with a cast on his newly mended thumb, Braden sought out his former roping partner, JD Kirwin, who had agreed earlier in the summer to rope with Braden, since neither of the boys’ partners could come to the finals. Braden and JD had won the SDJHRA state team roping title in 2010 and 2011, and for the first time in three years, they backed into the roping box. Ten rounds later, they were the 2015 NLBRA World Champion Team Ropers, tied for first place with fellow South Dakota ropers Ethan Parr and Junior Dees.
The capturing of Braden’s first World title has been in the works for more than ten years. Braden competed in his first rodeo when he was six, taught to rope and ride by his parents, Dan and Cathy Pirrung, and practicing on the dummy before moving on to the family’s donkey. He joined Little Britches when he was 12, and is currently a member of the SDHSRA and USTRC, while he also ropes in jackpots and amateur rodeos with his dad, never leaving for an event without his Equi-Sure. Team roping is his favorite event, but Braden also competes in tie-down roping and ribbon roping. “The desire to get better and make it further in the rodeo world is what motivates me,” Braden explains. “I also like that in rodeo, everyone takes care of each other – it’s like another family. My neighbors, Jay Jira and Dave Johnson have helped me a lot with roping, and so has Matt Zancanella. I also want to thank my sponsors for all their support!”
Braden, his parents, and his 13-year-old brother, Payton, live outside of Hartford on their farm, joined frequently in the arena by Jay Jira, Dave Johnson, and other ropers in the area. Payton also competes in Little Britches, and the brothers are looking forward to roping together in Little Britches next year. Braden leaves his rope only long enough to go to West Central High School, where he is a senior. “I’m pretty excited to be finishing high school, but I do enjoy my Ag. classes – bio technology and Ag. leadership. I also do 4-H rodeo and FFA horse judging.”
This fall, Braden had a second surgery on his thumb, which is now healing properly, and he is looking forward to roping unhampered by a cast on his hand. “The new way I’m roping is natural to me now, so when my thumb is fixed, it’ll be interesting to see what I’ll do!” he says. His current goals include college rodeo and pursuing a degree in animal science. “I’d like to go to school somewhere in Wyoming – I’m looking into Gillette or Casper. I’m interested in AQHA shows and showing my Quarter horses in roping, and I’d also like to do Little Britches for another year and start pro rodeoing.”
