Top Cut: Four young men from the SDHSRA River Region qualified for the NHSFR

Four young men from South Dakota’s River Region all qualified for the National High School Rodeo finals in the cutting. Dalton Grimes, Seth Heath, Roper Moore and Clay Stevens are each other’s toughest competition and strongest support throughout the rodeo year. They all agree that the challenge and the camaraderie serve to make them better at the sport, and that the sport of cutting has made them better horsemen.

Dalton Grimes

Dalton Grimes is going into his sophomore year of high school at Kadoka, South Dakota. His family runs a few cattle with his grandpa, but their main enterprise is training horses.

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“We do a lot of 90 day colts for people; we start horses, train rope horses, cutters and cow horses,” Grimes said. “We do a little bit of everything.”

His father, Levi, does most of the training, but Dalton is getting more involved. His cutting mare, Cats Pretty Rey, is a customer’s horse. The Grimes family has had her in training for nine months, and Dalton has helped with her cutting training.

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“I call her Rey,” he said. “She’s pretty tough, I have to warm her up pretty good and make sure she’s tired enough before we go in the ring.”

The warmup pen is good for both horse and rider.

“I need to calm down before I go do something so I don’t get psyched out,” Dalton said.

The Tim and Teri Hamel family owns the mare, who helped Dalton tie for 24^th place at nationals. The pair was just out of the short go.

Grimes considers himself “pretty fortunate to qualify for nationals as a freshman. “Now I have three more years to go and keep trying my best.”

He also competes in tie down, team roping and reined cowhorse.

“I would have competed in steer wrestling, but I broke my finger and the doctor said ‘no.’ But I will next year,” he said.

Cutting was the only event in which Grimes qualified for nationals.

“I came pretty close in the cowhorse, but I ran over my cow in the short go. She tripped up and I was right on her, but me and my horse came out of it in one piece.”

Grimes was named the Boys’ Rookie All-Around Champion in the SDHSRA.

Between his father’s training business and going to horse shows, and his older brother, Jackson, competing in high school cutting, Grimes has been interested in cutting and cowhorse competition for a long time.

“I’ve been around it my whole life, but I’ve only been cutting in competition for the last two years,” he said. “Cutting and cowhorse are something we just do.”

Grimes loves the harmony between horse and rider when cutting a cow, and said that it’s a toss up to pick a favorite between cutting and cow horse.

“In cutting, you and your horse are kind of one,” he said. “You put your hand down and the horse is really working for you. I love to rope but the relationship between you and your horse in cutting and cow horse is so much more intricate than in roping.”

Cutting has taught him a lot about being able to read a cow and know what she’s thinking, Grimes said.

“When you’re going across that pen you can see in their eyes and know when they’re thinking about stopping, where she wants to go and what she wants to do.”

Helping with Rey’s training and finishing is helping Grimes improve. His father is his main coach, and with 30 years of experience, has a lot to offer. At rodeos, turn back help and judges all contribute ideas and tips when Dalton has questions. The family’s assistant trainer also shares advice based on his observations. Dalton’s mom is a physical therapist, so she also plays a role in keeping him at his best.

“Any time I’m sore she helps me out, when I get injured she helps me get back in the game,” he said.

Levi Grimes rodeoed through high school, and qualified for nationals in team roping when he was a senior. Dalton’s mom, Elissa, showed animals in 4-H but did not rodeo. Older brother, Jackson, and older sister, Jordan, both rodeoed, and his younger brother, Dylan, is just starting to compete in junior high rodeo.

Grimes isn’t sure he will continue to show cutting horses after high school, but said that might change.

“When you experience success it makes you enjoy it more,” he said.

High school rodeo is different from other sports in Dalton’s opinion.

“The other kids are not your opponents in the same way as they are in other sports,” he said. “Everyone is just rooting for everyone: it’s you against the stock. Everyone is your teammate even though they are your opponent. That’s what I really like about it.”

The River Region in South Dakota brings tough competition to the arena at every rodeo.

“It wasn’t just us four,” Grimes said. “There were five, six, seven guys who could all go make really good runs. We all rooted for each other so much. Roper, Seth, Clay and I were all in it for each other and when all of us qualified for nationals it was really fun and really special. We were all happy for each other.”

Roper Moore

“Cutting is something that everyone should try at least once,” said Roper Moore. He also competes in team roping and reined cow horse, but only qualified for nationals in cutting. He came in third in the SDHSRA boys all-around standings.

A family friend, Tom Kauer, got him interested in cutting.

“He let me ride one of his cutting horses one day, and things took off from there,” Moore said. “He put me on a little bit better horse, and I went down to Arizona to ride and try one he had for sale. I traded a bull for the horse, and I’ve had him ever since.”

Moore has gone to some cuttings in other areas, as well as competing in the SDHSRA in cutting with the Highbrow CD gelding, Ettafied.

“He is pretty goofy, and has kind of got some quirkiness. He can get very annoyed at little things, like other horses, and will pin his ears back at them. In the show pen, he’s pretty dead on. He wants a cow bad and gets real low, and crawls on his front end. It’s really cool to ride him.”

This is Moore’s fourth year in SDHSRA cutting. He is going into his senior year at Winner High School this fall.

Ettafied is strictly a cutting horse. Moore would like to continue cutting after high school.

“The hope is to keep cutting when I’m out of high school,” he said. “This horse is pretty nice. I would like to be able to show him some more, but it depends on college, and my budget; cutting is an expensive sport. I would love to show in the futurity one day, but that goal is down the road a lot.”

Cutting is Moore’s favorite event in high school rodeo; team roping is a close second.

“I think it’s pretty cool that all four of us qualified from the same region,” he said. “We probably have the most competition in our region. That makes it tough at those region rodeos when we’re trying to get as many points as we can.”

It is unusual for all four qualifiers to be from one region because of the way the point system works, Moore said.

“It kind of pays off. It shows that our region is really tough and we all worked our butts off to deserve to be here.”

Tom Kauer and his trainer, Scott Raftery, have continued to help Moore step up his game in the arena, but traveling to Arizona can be tough with time commitments and school.

Moore liked the cattle provided at the NHSFR. South Dakota cattle, by comparison, are too tame, and not as reactive to pressure from a horse.

“We raise registered Angus and Simmental cattle and have our own bull sale; I want to breed for different things. My cattle are almost too tame. I don’t want a cow to run me over or try to kill me when I tag her calf. I like to go out and pet them in the pasture,” he said.

The Moore family works together on the ranch, 3R Cattle Company, and Cody and Heather Moore also own the Winner sale barn.

“Both of my parents have ag backgrounds, and my dad rodeoed,” Moore said. “They have done a lot for us kids. Without parents who support our dreams and make it possible, we wouldn’t be here rodeoing.”

Roper’s older brother, Rowdy, auctioneers and helps out at the sale barn. Their younger brother Rider, who is going into the seventh grade this fall, made the junior high rodeo finals this summer. Roper knows it’s not easy for his parents to juggle everything at home and at the sale barn along with attending rodeos with the boys.

“They kind of have to pick and choose, and it can be tough,” he said. “I am really grateful for my parents.”

Through cutting, Moore has learned a lot about improving his horsemanship. He’s improved his training skills, and used some of the tips and tricks he has gleaned to help get his rope horses softer in their mouth, he said.

“Cutting horses not easy to take care of; they are the kings and queens of the whole deal. We expect a lot of out them and have got to have them in the best shape possible to do their job.”

He has learned a lot and found continuing support from people he’s met at cuttings, whether they come from an ag background or have been successful in a different profession.

“I love the genetics of cutting horses, and love to read pedigrees of both horses and cattle,” Moore said. “I think that’s maybe what I want to pursue, to be an embryologist and go to vet school.”

Seth Heath

Seth Heath watched his older siblings Wiley and Saydee compete in cutting in the SDHSRA.

“I liked watching it,” he said. “It looked cool when the horses would get locked on and get cutting good.”

By his freshman year, he knew he wanted to try it. Now going into his senior year at Winner High School, Heath just finished his third year in cutting.

Heath’s cutting horse, Sasha, is a Smart Little Lena bred mare. She was purchased as a two year old as a heeling prospect.

“After roping with her, Wiley thought we’d try her out in the cutting,” Heath said. “She likes it more than roping.”

Heath also competes in reined cow horse, team roping, calf roping and bulldogging. This was a tougher year for him in the SDHSRA competition, he made the short go in three events but only qualified for nationals in the cutting. In spite of the difficulties, he still won the Boys Reserve Champion All-Around award.

Seth Heath and Dalton Grimes also team rope together. All four young men cheer each other on and encourage each other to improve.

“We get to compete against each other but we still cheer for each other and want the other one to win,” Heath said. “We keep pushing each other in practice rodeos and regional rodeos. Whenever the one is going, the other three are over there watching and cheering. It’s fun.”

Trainers and parents at shows are good about giving advice and helping the boys do well in their events.

Frank Kenzy, Iona, South Dakota, and SDQHA 2024 cow horse trainer of the year has been Heath’s main mentor and coach in cutting and reined cow horse.

“Cutting really shows your horsemanship,” Heath said. “You kind of have to read a cow. It’s cool when you can drop your reins and try to see how little you can do when your horse is locked on. I always like to see how little I can do to still get the same result. How feely can you get them? That’s the part I like about cutting.”

Calf roping is probably Heath’s favorite event, but he likes “the adrenaline rush of the bulldogging,” he said. “The wrecks don’t hurt as bad as they look.”

Heath’s parents are Justin and Shelley Heath. Their family ranch is near Colome, South Dakota. Justin was active in high school rodeo, and although Shelley was not, she has learned to appreciate all the hard work that comes with her children’s success in the arena.

Along with his older siblings Wiley, Saydee and Bromley, he has a younger brother, Jakob, who is active in junior high rodeo. Bromley passed away in 2022 from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

“Seth is who he is today because of his brother,” Shelley said. “He doesn’t take for granted that you have ability, he watched his brother decline over years and became his hands and feet. Seth is quietly passionate and will try his hardest; I believe it comes from watching his brother not be able to do things.”

Clay Stevens

Clay Stevens completed his junior year of high school rodeo as the SDHSRA Boys’ All-Around Champion. He qualified for nationals in cutting and reined cow horse, and also competes in team roping and calf roping. He has competed in cutting since his freshman year.

Stevens’ older sisters had competed successfully in cutting, and he thought it looked fun. Stevens ropes with Myles Kenzy, whose father, Frank, has been Stevens’ main tutor in the cutting.

“He’s a pretty good dude,” Stevens said. “He helps all of us at the shows. Seth works with Frank on his cutting and cowhorse, Roper works with him in cowhorse but not cutting. Ninety-nine point nine percent of my mentoring would be from Frank Kenzy.”

Stella, the horse Stevens has cut on all throughout high school was sold to a new family right after the state finals.

“She was a really easy horse, and she was really good at her job,” he said. “She was 18, and we used her as a breakaway and cutting horse. My sister owned her and was ready to buy a younger breakaway horse.”

Stevens borrowed a different cutting horse from his uncle with only a week to prepare for nationals. He is glad he has learned to cut, but doesn’t plan to compete after high school.

“I am really glad I did it,” he said. “It is helping my horsemanship, making me a better rider and competitor, and I definitely recommend it. I would say cutting has improved my cow work and my herd work as well as my riding. Being able to ride with your feet and not do stuff with your hands makes you more of a horseman.”

The horse’s ability to read a cow is a big part of cutting, but “you still have to ride it,” Stevens said.

Calf roping is his favorite event, and something he plans to continue doing after high school. The Stevens family ranches and has a rope horse training program near Miller, South Dakota. Clay is doing high school online as a homeschooled student.

“I have an instructor, just like in a classroom; I read the book and do the lesson,” he said. “I really like it, school has always been pretty easy for me, now I can get a day’s work done a lot faster and be able to go rope, ride, work or whatever I want to.”

Throughout the rodeo season, Stevens said he and Seth, Roper and Dalton “take points away from each other because we have to compete against each other. I just think it’s really cool that then we get to state and all have a really good state finals.”

The boys have rodeoed against each other in other events since 4H rodeo when they were eight years old. Clay and Seth have been at the same rodeos since they were old enough to walk, because their older siblings were rodeoing together.

“I think it’s one of those deals where they say ‘iron sharpens iron,'” Stevens said. “When your competition is tough, it’s going to make you tougher.”

Stevens’ two older sisters, Josi and Lanie both rodeoed and were very successful; Laney is in her senior year at the University of Wyoming on a rodeo scholarship; Josi is finishing her masters’ in chemical engineering. Clay’s younger brother, Avery, is also active in rodeo. Their parents are Jeremy and Marcie Stevens.  

“High school rodeo is a great opportunity,” Stevens said. “I love what it does for us, the responsibility it gives us, and the people we meet.”