story by Julie Carter
Cowboying at the ranch comes natural for Trip Saulsberry, but the arena part of the job didn’t start until he was 9 years old. When he decided he wanted to learn to rope, his dad, Todd, was all in and the journey began.
“He told me he’d help find me good calves and good horses,” recalled Trip, explaining that his dad had been a PRCA calf roper and knew how important those things were. And it worked. Last year, as a 7th grader, Trip qualified in three events (Tie Down Roping, Ribbon Roping and Chute Dogging) for the Junior High National Finals, making the top 20 in a go round in the roping events.
Trip also qualified for the 2021 and 2022 Mike and Sherrylynn Johnson’s Vegas Tuffest Jr World Championship, making the short round in the 12 & Under Tie Down roping last year. His strategy is to sit out a year before he goes back, gaining a little more solid skill and experience for the 15 & Under age group.
In this new rodeo season, higher goals and a more focused plan lay ahead for the 13-year-old Trip. As an 8th grader, he’s now a more experienced, solid competitor, looked up to by the younger ones and is bolder in his approach to the year ahead. “I’m not going to team rope this year,” he said. “I’m focusing on the Tie Down, Ribbon Roping and Chute Dogging. I plan to enter Steer Wrestling in High School, so I’m staying with the dogging.”
“I’ve set a goal to win every one of my events this year,” Trip shared. “But I also don’t want to pressure up and feel like I ‘have’ to win. Just do it, one run at a time.”
Trip spends 2-3 hours a day in the practice pen, tying down calves both “post tied” and from a horse including a few breakaway runs just to stay sharp with his loop. “We have lights in the arena, so now that school has started, we’ll need them.”
He’s riding 20-year-old Shooter, a horse that had been his dad’s PRCA Tie Down competition horse. “We had talked about selling him years ago,” said Trish, mom to Trip and his three sisters, Kye, Kennis and Kipty. “But Todd felt like there might be a time Trip would need him, and here we are.” Last fall, he had just started riding Shooter and won a buckle at the Las Cruces JH Rodeo, the first of any of the kids that had used Shooter to do so, making it very special to Trip.
Trip’s 7th grade season had him winning event and average buckles at almost every rodeo in all his events except Team Roping. The year culminated in winning the average Tie Down buckle at that State Finals.
Brent Lewis and Cody Ohl are Trip’s roping heroes but with a trickle-down connection to Brent. “Brent helped my Uncle Ty a lot when they were younger, and Ty helped my dad, so that has helped me too,” he explained. Trip credits his dad as being his main mentor and coach who is always in practice pen with him. It’s a family affair, as Kipty is the chute help and Trish does the videoing.
Long range, Trip is planning to attend junior college at Clarendon, TX and pursue his Welding Certification. Hobby wise, besides playing basketball in season, Trip likes to start colts that they’ve raised, with two he’s gotten to the point of roping off them and he just started another one over the summer.
The inner Trip is a kind, hard working young man. “He’s always the one of my kids willing to help,” said Trish. “He’s completely motivated to rodeo. He’s mature beyond his years. We can send him to our farm 30 miles away, and he’ll spend 8-9 hours on the tractor because it needs done.”
With a winning smile that lights up the room, a polite manner and a sincere kindness, Trip Saulsberry will be an easy watch this coming year. Nothing better than seeing goals met and dreams come true.