Built in the Quiet Places

Written by Lori Bizzell

Myles Nixon:  Cavender’s Team Member

Photos courtesy of Cavender’s Team and The Nixon Family

At seventeen, Myles is already learning how to move with dependable ease. You hear it in his answers and in his pauses before speaking. He talks about rodeo, family, faith, and life simply…..never making them sound bigger than they are. He is from northeastern New Mexico, near Clayton. Something about him already feels shaped by the open, grounded country he calls home.

That same grounded quality is likely part of what made him such a natural fit for Team Cavender’s. Even early on, he does not come across as someone chasing attention. He comes across as someone learning, watching, listening, and slowly becoming solid in who he is. There is a quietness to him, but it is not emptiness. It is substance. He seems quite level-headed and consistent.

He has been homeschooled his whole life and has been raised on a ranch, where responsibility is part of daily life. Horses need tending. Chores need to be done. Work happens whether you feel like it or not. In that life, character forms long before anyone names it. That seems true for him.

Myles competes in tie-down roping. He saw a run that was smooth, sharp, and nearly flawless, and wanted to know what it took to reach that level.

His love for rodeo grew naturally out of the life around him. Some of his earliest memories are of watching his older sisters rodeo, being around the roping dummies, traveling, and spending time with people already living that world before he fully stepped into it himself. He is the youngest, with three older sisters, and there was something sweet in the way he talked about those years. Even his close friends rodeoed alongside him. What stayed with him most was not just the competition, but the life around it, the trips, the road, the family, and the togetherness.

He talked about traveling as far as Perry, Georgia, and Tennessee when one of his sisters made nationals, and even in those stories, what stood out most was not the distance. It was the fact that they were together. For Myles, rodeo has never been only about titles or wins. Some of his best memories are rooted in family and the simple gift of going together. That same family thread showed up in a sweet way through his five-year-old niece, Jaicee, who won a buckle in her age group in Rodeo Life’s 2025 coloring contest (side photo). He is so proud of her!

Myles enjoys riding horses, starting colts, going to the lake, playing pool, and hunting coyotes off the four-wheeler to protect the place. Amused by his simplicity, he says little entertains him, and he may be easy to deal with. That is refreshing, especially in a world that pushes young people to be louder and bigger, Myles seems genuinely content in quieter moments.

Those quieter parts matter to him. He admitted he is more introverted, more comfortable thinking than performing, and prefers riding horses or being alone over being in a crowd. He spoke about spending quiet time with the Lord and getting grounded there. This aspect is important, as it helps explain the importance of remaining steadfast.  He seems to carry the same in the arena as outside of it: the same young man in both places.

Rodeo has shaped him in meaningful ways. Tie-down roping has taught him patience, discipline, and the importance of the mental game. He understands exactly what the event demands. It has taught him to notice when something is off, to make corrections, and to go home and work until he gets it right.

He does not pretend that disappointment does not sting, but he is not interested in staying there. When runs go wrong, he prefers to practice, correct, and move on rather than dwell on self-criticism. Once a run is over, he evaluates it, shakes it off, and goes to the next one even better than the last….that is always the focus.

Much of that perspective comes from his dad. Though his father did not rodeo, Myles expressed real gratitude for what he has learned from him….about horses, roping, and the mental side of the sport. His dad has shown him that losses happen, there will be another chance, and you keep going. Myles also studies good horsemen carefully, taking in what he wants and leaving the rest. He is teachable, observant, and eager to keep learning.

He also mentioned that living with horses and caring for them has made him a better caretaker in general. Rodeo is teaching him more than how to make a run. It is shaping how he carries responsibility.

That same spirit meets a new opportunity in his first year with Team Cavender’s. Joining the team meant something to him. He was genuinely excited and grateful for the experience itself, not just the recognition. When he talked about the summit, he emphasized how much they’re learning. The lessons cover practical things that matter when you’re often on the road: caring for your body, eating better when choices are limited, and handling the realities of travel and competition.

He also spoke warmly about those around him, mentioning Sydney Shepard, of Cavender’s with appreciation and saying she takes good care of the members of the team. Gratitude came through clearly. He values not only the opportunity, but the quality of those involved. He hopes to form strong, lasting friendships. He understands their work is about more than building better competitors; it’s about helping shape better people outside the arena, which he genuinely respects.

It’s always a joy to hear when others know the truth and joy of the Lord, and Myles is no exception as his faith steadies him as well. When things do not go well in rodeo or life, he said he falls back on God and trusts the Lord has a plan for him. He did not overexplain his sincerity, it simply felt honest and lived in.

This constant faith matters even more because he has already walked through grief.

He shared about a man who worked with horses and became a major inspiration in his life. The man, a Christian, devoted to his family, and deeply content with what he had. He did not need to chase the world to be happy; faithful where he was, he loved his family well and strongly influenced Myles. About a year ago, that man was killed, leaving a wife and three small children.

For a seventeen-year-old, losses like that do not come with easy answers.

You could hear that Myles is still working through it, still trying to understand why something is so heavy, especially when it happens to someone who meant so much. Yet even there, he did not sound hardened. He sounded thoughtful. Tender, really. Like someone still processing how to carry grief without letting it make him bitter.

Myles wants to be a godly, easygoing, and positive cowboy. Not just when life feels smooth, but even when storms come. He also said something else that felt worth noting. Watching people in and around rodeo has shown him both who he wants to be and who he does not want to become. That kind of awareness matters. It means he is paying attention. He’s still young, with a lot ahead of him. Yet, he already seems to know that being the right kind of man matters as much as being a stronger competitor. This is why the partnership with Cavender’s is a good fit.

This young man is eager to keep rodeoing, go farther, and maybe spend time in places like Wyoming, which clearly appeals to him. After speaking with him, he is doing exactly what he loves to do in life.  He is refreshingly unforced, the same person in and out of the arena. Quiet, but not disconnected. Easygoing, not shallow, and thoughtful, grounded, teachable, and genuinely humble.

Not everything important in a young cowboy’s life is built in bright lights or victories. Many begin forming their character earlier and deeper: in chores, road miles, disappointments, horses, faith, family, grief, practice, watching, and quiet choices about who they want to become.

That is where the real building happens.

And in Myles, it already feels like something good is being built in the quiet places.