story by Lily Landreth
Dawson Phillips of Winner, South Dakota, competes in tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, reined cow horse, and cutting in the SDHSRA. The 18-year-old is representing the River Region in the tie-down roping at the 20X Extreme Showcase in February, while the reined cow horse is his favorite. The event took him to his first NHSFR in Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 2019, where he finished 22nd. “I was more excited than nervous,” says Dawson. “I was ready to go out there and show them what I can do, and after I got into the arena, the nerves just faded away. What I love about reined cow horse is the adrenaline of running down the fence chasing a cow. The event gets bigger every year, but it’s small enough that you know who you’re going up against.”
Dawson started competing in rodeo when he was 8, taking after his dad’s love of horses. “Rodeo has just turned into a lifestyle. It’s something that makes me wake up in the morning and think, let’s go out and rope or ride. It’s something I enjoy and that I can do throughout my life.” His 14-year-old brother, Garret, is also carrying on the rodeo tradition. He competes in junior high rodeo, and qualified for the NJHFR in 2019. “Garret has become a great team roping header and is great help when I need someone to help me practice.”
The brothers help their parents, Roni and Marty Phillips, farm and run their cattle operation. “We have cattle that we calve out in the spring and sell in January, and then this time of year we buy some grass calves that we will raise as yearlings. Otherwise, we farm and we even have some sheep running around,” says Dawson. During rodeo season, he’s also practicing daily, picking an event each day to focus on and often inviting friends over to rope and steer wrestle together. “My dad has done a lot for my brother and me. He is always finding calves and steers to practice on, and can be found running the chute spending time teaching us and our friends.”
Dawson continues to ride through the winter, training younger horses and competing in roping jackpots, along with keeping his 12-year-old calf horse, Yellow, legged up for the 20X Extreme Showcase. Yellow also carried him to the NJHFR in ribbon roping Dawson’s seventh-grade year. “The reining cow horse I use is Fergie. We bought her from Jamie Olson. My second year on her, which was just last year, we finally just clicked and it was a lot of fun to see what we could accomplish working together. Fergie is a great horse and she is my mom’s favorite so she’s very much spoiled,” Dawson says with a laugh. “I have been very fortunate to have Frank Kenzy teach me a lot about the reining cow horse and he has helped me with training Fergie.” Dawson rides a mare named Smooth in the cutting and now that they’re starting to click, he’s looking forward to a competitive year on her. He also steer wrestles off of Dually. “He looks like something I just got out of the wild mustang pen. Everybody likes him and he comes out of the box extremely hard.” He also competes in 4-H rodeos in the summer, as well as the SDRA.
A senior at Winner High School, Dawson is in the middle of basketball season, and he ran cross country in the fall. He and his team won the boys regional final, a first in their school’s history. He enjoys shop class, where he’s in advanced construction and early electrician training, and this fall, Dawson is attending Mitchell Technical Institute for a two-year degree in agronomy. “I’ll hopefully come back and take over Dad’s agronomy business and in the future be in partnership with him,” says Dawson, who is also working toward a final qualification to the NHSFR. “My main goal is to go win, and I may not win the rodeo, but getting a good score and time in each event is my goal. If I catch, I’m happy with myself. Rodeo is a sport of highs and lows. You just have to keep a positive attitude and success will happen.”
