story by Siri Stevens
Kayson Jensen started riding bareback bucking ponies at 7 years old at his house in Elmo, Utah. “They weren’t intentionally supposed to be miniature bucking ponies, but somehow, they ended up that way,” said the 19-year-old who is sitting second in the RMPRA standings in the bareback riding. Kayson went on to Utah junior high and high school rodeo, competing in bareback and saddle bronc riding. He made it to Nationals in both junior high and high school but could never leave with a title. “I won Silver State my sophomore year,” he said. Kayson learned how to ride broncs from his dad, Cody, who rode broncs through high school, college, and in the little pros. Cody works for a natural gas company. His mom, Angie, never competed in rodeo.
Throughout his life, he’s gone to several schools, including CSI and PRCA sanctioned schools. He quit riding saddles broncs his sophomore year in high school but a month ago he started riding again. “I’m doing better than I imagined I’d be. My dad used to run a practice pen at the house, so we had a lot of kids that wanted to try, and when they didn’t I got on. I got a lot of practice in thanks to my dad.”
Kayson has two older brothers and one older sister and one younger sister. Both his brothers rode saddle broncs and his sister competed in high school, but nobody pursued it like Kayson has. Kayson trains horses, another skill he acquired from his dad, and is a ranch hand for TN Ranching Co. “I am going to school, cowboying for anyone that needs day work and training horses for anyone that needs one trained.” He is on the rodeo team at Utah Valley University, where he hopes to pursue a degree in business management. “I’d like to start my own company – I’m not totally sure what – but that would be the idea. Rodeo and cowboying and ranching is pretty much it – I try to keep my eyes open.”
