Cooper Cooke rides Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Keep It Real for 84.5 points to take the bareback riding lead during Wednesday’s third performance of Rooftop Rodeo.
(PHOTO BY PHILLIP KITTS)

 

ESTES PARK, Colo. – After riding the waves of momentum, Cooper Cooke can liken a rodeo career to being a surfer.

In June, the bareback rider couldn’t be beat. He won titles in Elko, Nevada; Nampa and Eagle, Idaho; Union Oregon; and Darby, Montana. The most prominent of those was in Montana during the Riggin’ Rally, a bareback riding-only event. Between them, he pocketed nearly $40,000.

July hasn’t been quite so nice. He rolled into Wednesday’s third performance of Rooftop rodeo with less than $5,000 in his monthly salary, but he made a move to change that. He rode Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Keep It Real for 84.5 points to take the bareback riding lead in Estes Park.

“Coming off a really big hot streak, I was really excited for Calgary and Ponoka (in Alberta) and had a lot of confidence going through myself,” said Cooke, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Victor, Idaho. “I might have had just a little bit too much confidence. I think it was one of those moments where you’ve got to take a step back and humble yourself.”

He did that driving south out of the Canadian border.

“I didn’t really have that happy medium, so it was kind of tough on me up there in Calgary,” said Cooke, who captured just $1,500 from the Calgary Stampede. “Since I got back to the States, it was a nice little refresher. Coming up into these mountain towns just makes you feel closer to home and really makes you be yourself, and it worked out.”

During his venture, the Idaho cowboy did a bit of homework on his draw from the Colorado stock contractor. He realized the bloodlines of Keep It Real and knew there was a chance to do something special on the young bay bronc.

“I knew exactly what that horse is,” he said. “By the time I got on the back of the bucking chutes, I knew exactly what that horse is, what its full sister or full brother is, too. I’ve been a lot of points on its sister or brother. I’ve seen a video of this thing, and I knew if I just (got a strong start) that she’d do everything I wanted her to do and just buck.”

Bareback and saddle bronc riders must begin the ride with the heels of their boots above a horse’s shoulders. It not only gives the animal an advantage, but it also helps set up the cowboy’s spur ride. Judges mark the ride based on how well the horse bucks and how well the cowboy spurs in rhythm with the animal’s bucking motion. Cooke is one of the best at it, which is why he’s a regular at the NFR, the sport’s super bowl.

He’s learned a lot since his first appearance there in 2024, and he credits another bareback rider with being a great teacher.

“Dean Thompson is one of my best friends, and he had made the finals a year prior to me and had a really rough first finals,” Cooke said. “I was fortunate enough to have him there at my first finals helping me. It’s one of those things that you learn as you go.”

He’s just 23 years old, and he’s proving that every challenge is a learning experience. He knows that the lowest of lows on the roller coaster that is rodeo can help him reach higher heights.

Over the last week, he’s experienced it all, and he was glad to make his way up to the Rooftop.