At just 17, Harley Pryor has spent nearly half a decade as a member of Team Cavender’s. What started as an invitation back in middle school has turned into something much more than a sponsorship.
“It’s like family,” Pryor said. “You don’t just sign up to be on Team Cavender’s. They hand-pick people, and that makes it feel more personal and meaningful.”
Now entering her senior year of high school, the Florida native says she is splitting her time between her hometown of Moore Haven, Florida, and the heart of Texas rodeo country—Stephenville, Texas—where she trains and competes full-time.
Though she has been part of the Cavender’s team for four years, Pryor said her favorite memories come from the annual team summit, where members gather for a few days of connection and education.
“They bring in speakers like Amy Wilson, fitness coaches, social media experts—just people who help us be better in and out of the arena,” she said. “Plus, it’s a lot of fun. We hang out at the pool, have dinner with the Cavender family, and get to see the main Cavender’s building.”
Pryor’s journey into rodeo was not a matter of if—it was a matter of when. Her family has been rooted in Florida ranching and rodeoing for generations. She said her dad wrestled steers, his mom and grandparents roped, and she was roping calves by the time she could walk.
“If I didn’t rodeo, I was going to be working cows the rest of my life,” she said. “We live on a big ranch and everyone ropes. My grandpa taught me, and he is still my biggest supporter.” Despite being raised on a Florida ranch, Pryor knew early on that Texas was where she needed to be to take her career to the next level.
“Florida is more cowboying. Texas is rodeoing,” she said. “People don’t realize how different it is until they come out here.”
These days, Pryor said she is homeschooled through Florida’s system, with plans to graduate and hit the professional rodeo trail full-time after filling her permit. She has already made a name for herself on the amateur circuit and once competed at The American at just 13 years old aboard her standout horse, Jol.
“She tore both her deep flexors, and they told me I’d never ride her again,” Pryor said. “But she came back. I only haul her to the big ones now.”
Pryor said her current string of horses is carefully selected to match different setups: Muffin, a go-fast horse; Tick, who is versatile on speed and timing; Jolene, an up-and-comer still in training; and Jol, who remains a cornerstone of Pryor’s story.
“My grandpa always said you are only as good as your horsepower, and I have been blessed with great horses,” she said.
When she is not in the arena, Pryor said she enjoys hog hunting and collecting gator eggs back home—a nod to her roots on Florida’s rugged ranchlands. And even with big dreams ahead, she carries her upbringing with her into every competition.
“I told myself I wanted to get out of Florida and make a name for myself,” she said. “I’m still working on that, but I’m getting there.”
