story by Lily Weinacht
“When all that hard work finally pays off there’s no better feeling. You work hard all year, and there’s traveling and money and the time you put into practice, and when it finally pays off and you place at Nationals, that’s as good as it gets really.” Talon Elshere, 16, finished fourth in the nation in the saddle bronc riding at his first NHSFR. “I drew a pretty good horse in the first round. It was a friend of mine’s practice horse, so I talked to him about it and I was a 65. The second round I was very lucky to draw the horse I did—he was probably the best draw in the pen, and I got by him, so with two down I couldn’t have asked for a better long round,” says the cowboy from Hereford, South Dakota. “The short round was pretty good on a nice little horse, and I ended up getting three covered. I was pretty blessed with the horses that I drew.”
Talon’s accomplishment was all the sweeter with his family watching, including his dad, J.J. Elshere, a four-time WNFR qualifier in the saddle bronc riding. Talon’s mom, Lindsay, and four brothers, Thayne, Trik, Tel, and Trailon, also cheered him on. “Thayne was out there (at the NJHFR) in the bareback and bull riding, so we all went out there to watch him,” says Talon. “Luckily with everyone doing roughstock, we can cram into the suburban and travel to rodeos. We play road games to keep us entertained, and time usually passes fast when we’re laughing and having a good time.”
Junior high and 4-H rodeos helped Talon grow in his competitiveness before joining the SDHSRA as a freshman in 2017. “I really got into it from going to all those rodeos with my dad and watching my cousins,” says Talon, who’s watched his dad compete at the WNFR several times. “It’s been fun. I’m starting to figure things out and do things the way I should, and I’ve had a pretty good teacher, so that helps out a lot.”
He also competes in the SDHSRA in tie-down roping and team roping as a heeler, but Talon says he’ll do bronc riding over anything else. “It’s what all my family members do. Riding bucking horses is something you can’t really explain—it’s super fun and once you do it, it’s something you can’t not do. I’m surrounded by great bronc riders who have helped me along the way and made it fun.”
Through the summer, Talon competes in 4-H rodeos and the weekly Heart Ranch rodeo series, and he’s looking forward to the Rapid City practice rodeo and 20X Extreme Showcase this season. He also does ranch work for his neighbor Gary Deering. “I’m working cows and doing all that, and I break colts. I’ve broken quite a few colts for us, and then a bunch of people have asked me to ride their horses and put 30 days or so on their horses,” says Talon. Football practice is also starting, and he’s playing both football and basketball for Sturgis Brown High School, where he’s a junior this year. “We rarely get spare time during the summer, but I like swimming and hanging out with friends, and with the family we play games outside like basketball or football.”
Talon also enjoys traveling to rodeos with his dad, and hopes to soon compete alongside him as well. “I hope to make every big finals there is as I come up—high school and college—and I hope to make the NFR one day and rodeo with my dad. To go to all those big rodeos with him would top it all.”
