Marcy Henderson lives near the town that claims to be the home of the World’s First Rodeo, held July 4, 1869. Deer Trail is 55 miles east of Denver, Colo., and Marcy grew up 20 miles from there. Her mother, Moni, and Dad, Mark, moved there from Eastern Colorado 17 years ago. “We actually live on the north end of the Black Forest,” she said, of their ranch in the pine trees. Mark manages the Orovaca Cattle Company, a 30,000 ranch by Agate, 20 minutes from their house.
“We run about 1,000 head of mama cows,” said the former rough stock rider that introduced Marcy to the rodeo life. “I rode all three bucking events, but the majority was saddle bronc—through high school and straight into full time rodeo after high school; mainly amateur in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Nebraska.” He won the Colorado State Rodeo Association title in 1989.
In 1990, he was in a head on car accident with a drunk driver while heading to a rodeo. It crushed his legs pretty bad, and he was told he would never walk again. After therapy and numerous surgeries, he beat that prognosis after a couple years. “It was hard to swallow, but we had some good people around us—and we kept going on,” he said. “We found a different venue to go on and made the best of a bad thing. We’ve had numerous surgeries and pain and it’s one of those injuries that won’t be normal. We stay horse back as much as we can so we don’t have to walk.”
Marcy was just a year old and although he hung up his rodeo spurs, he helped Marcy get started. “I grew up riding at the ranch just for fun but I was afraid to lope,” she said. She joined 4-H and started doing gymkhana events and gradually worked her way into rodeos in fifth grade. After his rodeo career ended, Mark satisfied his competitive nature by entering dog trials with Border Collies, and Marcy took it up with him. She was ten when her dog got old enough he needed to be retired from the dog trials and Mark gave Marcy an option. “She could get a dog or a horse,” he said. “She thought about that for about a week and chose the horse—she said she could work dogs when she got older. “I was so competitive and so driven with it (rodeo); you don’t know if that’s what you want your child to jump into. We’ve had to make our own horses, with a lot of help with great people, and I don’t care where you go — when you nod your head you are
just as good as everyone else every given day. That’s the rules of rodeo. Basically we’ve been dogging, rodeoing and ranching and that’s about it,” sums up Mark about life in the Henderson household.
“My parents took me to National Little Britches Rodeos and Colorado State High School rodeos,” Marcy said. “Up until my sophomore year, I only had one horse, Flash. We competed in barrels, poles, goat tying, breakaway, dally ribbon roping, and trail. Things clicked for us and even though we never won any year end titles, I loved it.” Marcy spent a lot of Tuesday nights at Lancasters Arena roping. “Lee would put on roping lessons and there were ten to twenty of us there.” Marcy remembers her childhood fondly. “One year on my birthday I got to rope and take private piano lessons the same day.” Marcy got a young horse from a family member. Willy was ranch broke and with help from the Vick family, Willy became Marcy’s pole bending horse. “Flash had
to be put down over the fourth of July, right before I went to college. I used Willy until my junior year, and then he ruptured his small intestine and we had to put him down. It was pretty bad, but I learned not to take good horses for granted.” Six Guns came along right before the Little Britches Finals in 2008. “I breakaway roped and tied goats off him. He was a great horse and I’m trying to retire him in the near future.”
Marcy was fortunate that both her parents went to all the rodeos with her. “We had a small living quarters trailer and we’d go every weekend.” Her mom never missed a rodeo. She works as the office coordinator for Rocky Mountain Natural Meats—a bison and beef processing plant in Henderson, a 75 mile one way drive. “I love my job and I love where I live,” she says of the commute. Moni grew up a city girl and married a cowboy. She loves the western lifestyle and the life of the road that she experienced with Mark and Marcy rodeoing. “I still make Mark and Marcy my hobby, and I get excited to go with her.” She admits that when Marcy was done with high school rodeo, she struggled to fill the void. “We moved from the neighborhood — we weren’t going anymore.”
Marcy had a rodeo scholarship to Northeast Junior College and after two years, transferred to Chadron. “It was too far away from home,” she said. “So I transferred to Colorado State University and finished my degree in Ag Business.” She works for JR Simplot as a crop advisor. “I make recommendations with fertilizer and pesticides, and sell the product,” said the 24-year-old. “Everyone is trying to feed a world of 9 billion and weeds and pests are becoming tolerant and to reach the goal creates more invasive product,” she admits. Her job works with her as far as rodeo goes. “They are very flexible with my rodeo schedule.” She rodeos for the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association where she holds the position of Breakaway Director. “I have a passion for breakaway roping and I wanted to make sure the event was taken care of.” She is buying her card this year to compete in the Kansas Pro Rodeo Association, the Wyoming Rodeo Association
and holds her WPRA card as well. “I’m excited to get started on rodeo again. I don’t like sitting at home,” she said.
