story by Siri Stevens
Hadley Jackson has been competing in the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association for 13 years and is the current Vice President. “It’s a great association,” he said. “Both my wife, Samantha, and I compete.” He competes in steer wrestling and she does barrels, team roping, and breakaway roping.
He learned his event from Jace Honey, and started in high school. “I won CSHSRA Finals my senior year, in 2007.” He went on to college and rodeoed for Otero Junior College in LaJunta, which is where he met his wife. They dated for four years and got married in 2014. They have two daughters, Maci (6), and Brooklyn (2). Samantha owns a business in town, Jackson Awards and Design, producing trophies, plaques, and custom framing and engraving.
“I just bought it in November, so it’s still kind of new,” said Samantha, who goes by Sami. “I thought this would work better for our family with Hadley trucking.” She sets her hours to school hours so she’s home for Maci and Brooklyn goes to Hadley’s sister during the day. Sami (Murdock) started competing when she was 5, growing up Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She competed in Wyoming High School rodeo, but never made Nationals. After high school, she went to the University of Wyoming to rodeo. She went to the nursing program at Otero, and ended up at the surgical tech school in Denver and worked at that until the kids arrived. “I only missed one summer of rodeo due to being pregnant.” Maci is following her parents in the rodeo world, running barrels when she can with her mom.
Hadley owns a semi and hauls cattle and other things all over the country. “I was driving for a couple different guys and decided to get my own rig. I go to California, Minnesota, Texas and all over.” The job allows him the flexibility to rodeo. “Sometimes I’m gone for a few days, sometimes two weeks.”
He’s taken a couple years off from rodeo, but that’s it. “I broke my neck in 2010 steer wrestling. We were breaking in some fresh steers and my horse was young. I got off on the steer and went over the top of his head and landed on my head.” He has made the CPRA finals every year he’s been rodeoing in the association and has also had some success in the pro rodeos. “The last few years I haven’t gone to the pro rodeos – I sold my horse and I’ve been getting on other horses and getting them going.”
His goal for the association is to see if keep growing and add more money to the rodeos. He takes the family with him to the rodeos and they plan to continue rodeoing for as long as they can. Sami hopes to rodeo as a family and raise her kids right.
