Little Steps Lead to Big Victories for Steer Wrestler Stetson Jorgensen

It’s all about the plan – 

By Susan Kanode

It’s hard to imagine that Stetson Jorgensen wrestled at 135 pounds when he was in high school. Now, he weighs in at 220 and his steer wrestling opponent is about twice his size. The Blackfoot, Idaho, resident has always been competitive, and he’s always wanted to be a cowboy. 

Those rodeo dreams started as a toddler. Stetson got on his first sheep when he was barely walking and as he grew up, every four-legged animal that he could wrap his legs around was getting ridden. 

He went from sheep to calves in the branding pen, then on to steers and horses, While he participated in other sports, his love of cowboy boots, hats and rodeo never wavered. However, another athletic endeavor had the biggest impact on his career choice — wrestling. 

“I had a really good wrestling coach in high school (Brian Barlow). He came from Iowa and taught us to meditate and focus,” Stetson said. “We did a lot of visualization and I still do that today. I think of what I need to do in my run and go through the great runs that I have made.” 

While he was at that prime wrestling weight of 135 pounds, he was also competing in high school rodeo and won the state title in bull riding beating out his friend and fellow competitor Garrett Smith from nearby Rexburg. He still has that trophy saddle. 

Growing up, Stetson spent a lot of time at the Smith’s place in the practice pen. Garrett, his older brother, Wyatt, and younger brother, Payson, were all multi-event rodeo contestants, so if Stetson was going to spend time with them, he was going to participate. 

While he was in their practice pen steer wrestling, he broke his elbow, got healed up and broke his hand on his first steer back. He decided that steer wrestling was too dangerous and quit that event to focus on bull riding – where he didn’t get hurt.

After high school, he made the trip to Riverton to further his education in and out of the rodeo arena at Central Wyoming College. That was when he had a growth spurt and bull riding became a thing of the past. Focusing on steer wrestling, he qualified for the CNFR in 2012 winning the Central Rocky Mountain Region. 

While Stetson’s college career was short, it was absolutely life-changing, even if he didn’t realize it at the time. He got to know Garrett Henry. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship that has been an important part of Stetson’s success in the arena. 

After college, Stetson got a job as a welder’s helper on a pipeline then started his own trucking company and began saving money. He knew that was an important step towards his next goals: Joining the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and eventually qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR). 

He continued to practice, work on his mental game and check items off his lists. He joined the PRCA in 2015 and was primarily riding his own horses. Then, fellow steer wrestler Ringo Robinson got hurt. Ringo didn’t want his good horse, “Monroe” just sitting at home, so Stetson took her.

“That was the first time I really knew what it felt like to be mounted,” he said. “I’d been doing okay, but my horses were just average. I’d never had a top-tier horse that really helped me get my feet on the ground.”

A much-needed confidence boost came along with Monroe. In two months, Stetson won about $40,000 on the mare and went on to win the year-end and overall championship at the Wilderness Circuit Finals. Not only was he winning, he was also getting the sense that he could compete against the best and make a living in the rodeo arena. 

That was in 2018. Stetson had been spending time at the Henry’s 88 Ranch near Douglas, Wyoming between rodeos. Garrett knew that Monroe would be going back and figured that Stetson was in need of a horse. They had been practicing on a mare that Garrett had purchased at the Heritage Place Sale in Oklahoma City. Patrionic Dash, aka “Mabel” was purchased to add to the 88 Ranch’s breeding program. She had come off of the Quarter Horse racetrack and looked like a cow horse. Although Mabel was young and inexperienced, Garrett offered her to Stetson and they never looked back. 

“Stetson spent the winters with us – he’d help on the ranch and never let us pay him,” Garrett told the Quarter Horse Journal. “He had a fabulous year in 2018, and then he needed to return the horse he’d borrowed. So, because I wasn’t going to rodeo as much, I called and offered him Mable. It was a way to pay him back for all the help he’d been on the ranch. He’s one of the few people I would send a horse with.”

The next year, with Mabel’s help, Stetson qualified for his first NFR and finished the year in third place. In 2020, he was the reserve world champion, finishing less than $2,000 behind Jacob Edler. That’s a story of its own. Jacob needed a horse to ride at Globe Life Field and won his gold buckle on Mabel. Stetson made the trip to Las Vegas for the NFR again in 2021 and 2022 finishing 12^th and 6^th respectively. 

With every step he took, Stetson’s mental game was getting stronger. He was learning how to win on big stages and with Mabel on his team, everything was going well — until it wasn’t. A year ago at this time, he was barely inside the top 20 in the world standings and throughout the lucrative summer run, he saw his name slip farther down. He finished the year in 27^th place, a far cry from his previous four seasons. 

“I think I was trying too hard, trying to make things happen,” he said. “I was behind and let the pressure get to me. I wanted it so badly that I got in my own way, and I wasn’t having much fun.”

Stetson did what Stetson does – got back to work. He went to Garrett’s ranch, did some truck driving, practiced everyday and helped on the ranch. He got back to his roots and back to basics. 

“None of it was Mabel’s fault,” he added. “But, getting back to basics helped us both.” 

The duo has a very special bond and there is no doubt that Mabel felt the pressure too. And while 2023 wasn’t his best year on the rodeo trail, it was life changing as he and Kellie Collier got married. Kellie is an NFR barrel racing qualifier who also is competing in breakaway roping. 

“It really was a life-changing year,” he said. “Everything was exactly what I needed to reset and recharge. I learned so much. When you get in a slump, try not to panic and get back to basics. Call an old friend that will help you get your mind back right and get some positive energy going.” 

Everyone that has been on the rodeo trail knows how hard it really is. Driving all night and day for less than a minute of arena time, being away from family, the never-ending quest for a win can be very trying. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s why most rodeo athletes compete. Having fun is always easier when the money is coming in. 

“I wasn’t having much fun rodeoing last year,” Stetson added. “I knew I had to make it fun again or it would snowball.”

Stetson is now third in the world standings and on track to compete in the Thomas & Mack Center in December. And no matter what happens, he’ll start the new year with new goals, writing them down and taking the small steps to check them off his list.