story by Lindsay King
During the NHSFR Trey Mitchell was leading the all-around race prior to hitting the short round. He earned his right for a third trip to nationals by winning the reined cow horse and taking reserve in the cutting at the NMHSRA state finals this past summer. “I was leading the state in the cow horse and sitting second in the cutting, I just had to make clean runs to keep my spots,” said Lamey, New Mexico, cowboy. Trey took a second cow horse with him to state as he was preparing to transition to his younger mount and hand his three-time state champion cow horse to his 14-year-old brother Sterlin. Trey took old faithful to nationals so they could have one last rodeo together.
Trey said he made some of his best runs of his reined cow horse career during the first two rounds of nationals. He had some tough luck in the short go, but still took home sixth place. “I had never cut before last December, so I was happy with everything I was able to accomplish in that at national.” During the first round he tied for sixth place and nabbed eighth in the second round. Another tough go in the final round landed Trey in 13th place in cutting after his three rides. He was the tenth-place all-around cowboy and his horse, SCR Crackin One Time, was named reserve champion horse of the NHSFR.
The 17-year-old also ropes, he’s both a header and a tie-down roper. He’s focused on his cow horse for this year, but will also team rope in his final year of high school rodeo. He’s currently roping with his brother. Both boys grew up learning the rodeo trade from their parents (Grant and Connie) out on the ranch. “We live on a ranch, so rodeo is pretty much the same as everything we do out there. Something always needs to be roped it seems.” Trey has received help from various people, but his dad has always been there from the beginning. “I have been going to ranch rodeos with my dad since I was little. He is the one that has introduced me to everything.”
A member of the Ranch Horse Association of America (RHAA) thanks to his dad, Trey attends the world finals in Abilene each year. It’s easily the event he looks forward to most. “It’s fun to be around old friends and meet a lot of new people. It’s just a big hangout for a couple of days. It’s a lot like high school nationals, but there are more than just high school kids competing.” Through competing in the RHAA Trey has fined tuned his horsemanship and his ability to read a cow. This clearly had an impact on his performances inside the rodeo arena also. “You definitely need horsemanship in other rodeo events, but the cow horse and cutting have taught me the most about it.”
Trey’s dad manages a division of the Singleton Ranches, which is where the family lives. Many of Trey’s cow horses have come from the Singleton herd and for that he is extremely grateful. “I would also like to thank God for the opportunities I have been given and my family for always supporting me.” In true cowboy fashion, Trey wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a ranch manager one day. He’s acquiring some of the more lucrative skills for that career through the FFA chapter at Moriarty High School where Trey is a senior.
