story by Riata Cummings
Gavyn Bond is an 18-year-old rodeo athlete from small-town Scipio, Utah. He is the oldest son of Kolby and Rebecca Bond and his siblings are Josi, Gus, Gibson and Jaide. Together they enjoy riding horses, going deer hunting and being in the great outdoors.
Gavyn is a senior at Millard High School and plans to graduate this December. He enjoys his shop classes and agricultural science classes because they are hands-on and easy to relate to. Next summer, Gavyn plans to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then Gavyn hopes to work on a ranch or feed lot while he develops his horse training business.
Gavyn started competing in rodeo during the spring of his junior year. His buddy, Wiley Thatcher, needed a team roping partner, so Gavyn decided to give it a shot. Now Gavyn is a header for Taylie Adams from the Sevier Rodeo Club. So far, the team has placed in the top 10 twice, qualifying for the Utah High School Finals Rodeo. Gavyn hopes to “keep progressing, get better and better and do good at the state finals.”
Gavyn competes on a horse named Honey, a 5-year-old palomino mare he bought this August. When he started competing, Gavyn rode a big blue roan mare. While roping a calf on the ranch, that horse broke its leg and had to be retired. She is healing as a brood mare out to pasture. After borrowing a horse through the spring and summer seasons, Gavyn is glad to have a horse he can call his own and progress with.
Competing in rodeo has taught Gavyn to “work hard and be self-reliant.” He has learned that some of the most important things in life must be accomplished on our own. “Sometimes you just have to buck up when things get tough.” Gavyn loves that rodeo gives him the opportunity to travel, see new places and meet new people. Competing in the Utah High School Rodeo Association has challenged Gavyn to become a dedicated athlete. “It is good to be involved in such a competitive community. Rodeo teaches you a lot more than other sports do.”
Gavyn’s hero is his grandfather, Don Probert. Gavyn helped his grandpa, and in turn was taught to be a hardworking, respectful man. Gavyn lives by the saying, “Forget it long enough to get over it, but remember it long enough not to let it happen again.” The saying helps him move past difficult circumstances and “learn from the ups and downs of rodeoing.”
One of Gavyn’s greatest strengths is his natural ability as a leader. “My decisive nature has gotten me further in life than anything else. I don’t get stuck and I don’t let the people around me get stuck. I just figure it out and get moving.” One day he would like to be known as a kind, honest, hardworking man who can “get the job done.”
Gavyn would like to thank his parents for taking him to the rodeos and helping him progress as an athlete and a person. He would also like to thank his siblings and grandparents for their support of his rodeo dreams.
