ProRodeo Sports News - April 3, 2020

PRORODEO COWBOYS

James Phifer photos Fillmore competes on a 12-year-old sorrel horse he bought from Paul Eaves one month before The American. Eaves called the horse Jingles, but Fillmore jokingly calls him Hangover since Colby Lovell’s horse is named Bartender.

grandfather would take him to a field where Fillmore would sit and watch horses run. “The thing that’s amazing with Jared is he didn’t have anyone to teach him to rope, so he had to put himself out there and get people to help him, people like Steve Young,” James said. “Everything he’s done, he’s done on his own. I could provide the opportunities, but I couldn’t help him be what he wanted.” Young, Fillmore’s roping mentor, feels the same way. “Someone like me, Colby Lovell or others had someone (in rodeo) there 24/7 when they were young,” Young said. “Jared didn’t, and that’s an achievement in my eyes.” Fillmore’s first horse, Piko, was bought at auction for $250. He began roping when he was 10. Initially, he learned from reading books and watching others. He attended one of Young’s team roping schools at 13. “He was wanting to go at it 100 mph,” Young said. “I knew he had some athletic ability, and from that day on he was at my house in the rain, snow or shine. …There’ve been a lot of days I wanted to sit in the house and it wasn’t fun to go out and rope, but Jared would be in the driveway, and I

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“For the first year or so he wasn’t the same person,” James said. “I think they (horses) are just therapeutic all around.” Fillmore eased back into a normal routine with half-days and then full-time schooling. He went on to graduate with honors. “I just kept pushing hard everywhere in my life and to make sure I use the most of it,” Fillmore said. His first time back on his horse came despite still relying on crutches and with one arm in a sling. His parents weren’t exactly happy about it. But with them in the house, he saddled his horse with one hand. “Before I got on, my mom walked down and started crying and dad said no at first, but then he finally said yes if I put on a baseball helmet,” Fillmore said. “I told him there’s no way you’re going to keep me from living my life.” GETTING INTO IT Before the accident, Fillmore faced a different hurdle as the first in his family to compete in rodeo. He got the rodeo bug as a young child after seeing his neighbors practice tie-down roping. On other occasions, his

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