Story by Siri Stevens
Jeremy Young grew up in Denver, Colo., and got into horses and rodeo by accident. “My dad signed me up for summer camp and I was assigned a horse. I didn’t want to go to camp, and I was afraid of horses. I lost my fear five minutes after I was on and by the end of the week I was riding every day and taking care of the horse. From then on I never wanted to get off a horse.”
After high school, Jeremy went to college in Lamar (Lamar Community College) to go through the horse program. “I knew I wanted to be around horses for the rest of my life. When I left there, I went to work for JD and Dick Yates for six months.” The little things that they knew about roping and horsemanship was so far over his head, he compared it to living with Tiger Woods if you’d never played golf. “I’ve grown so much in life since then, but who I am today and the things I’ve accomplished at work, I know that the six months I spent there played a role in it.”
He got married, started a family, and got a real job with the city of Colorado Springs in the utilities department. He moved to Falcon, Colo., in 1993 so he could have a place to keep horses and rope. “Roping took a back burner for ten years, but I always had a horse around.” He worked his way up the ladder with the city and is now running the corrosion department. His marriage ended, and he found himself a single father to his daughter, Kylee.
“I always had a horse around that I would train, go to jack pots on and sell and get another one. In 2013, I was able to start going to CPRA rodeos every weekend because my daughter had gone back east for the summer to be with her mom. After that, there was nothing I wanted to do more than go to a rodeo every weekend. From then on, I’ve done that and I don’t want to do anything else. The family and friends that I’ve made – in just a couple years – I truly feel like part of the family when I show up.”
“The reason CPRA works for me is because I’m working with young horses that I can season and sell. The horses are my favorite part – so for me to start them, and watch them go on, is where I like to spend my time. That’s where my future is – I like competing and I want to win, but my future will be horses that I make and sell.”
Passionate about tie down roping, Jeremy has stepped up to be the Tie Down Director for the CPRA. “I may not be that great at it, but anything I can do to help it would be great. I put on a calf roping on Veterans Day and I want to grow it into a big one – and make it the biggest one in the area – in the first year we had more than 100 ropers.” He plans to keep going to rodeos for as long as he can to he is excited to be part of the first year the CPRA Finals moves to Denver. “It’s right in the middle of the state and what a great facility.” He also plans to have a new horse every year and grow the sport of calf roping in the state of Colorado.
