ProRodeo Sports News - May 29, 2020

He graduated fromOPSU with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. Eventually, he moved to Meade, doing contract labor for Cattle Health Management, owned and operated by Scott and Lori Crane, the parents of his girlfriend, Bobbi Crane. He draws blood from horses and helps take care of cattle when they’re calving and anything else they need done. It works well for his rodeo schedule. “Besides 2015, I’ve never been able to fully rodeo,” Hessman said. “I’d get going and injury strikes. The last two years I’ve been taking it easy. If I’m not riding really good, I don’t go hard, I don’t run myself into a hole. I have a job to come back to. He (Scott) is really cool about it. As long as I give him a heads up, I can leave when I want, and I’ll always have something to do when I come back.” Clayton Appelhans, Hessman’s traveling partner, isn’t surprised by Hessman’s success this season. He also wouldn’t be surprised to see Hessman’s name atop the circuit standings at year’s end. “I’m surprised he hasn’t won our circuit yet,” Appelhans said. “But I think it’s coming for him.” Hessman used the rodeo hiatus to his benefit. “I just finished making a mechanical drop barrel,” he said. “It’s pretty much the same thing as a Buckrite that guy in Canada is making. With all this down time, I built myself one. It turned out pretty cool. It’s a really good training device, I use it about every other day. It wasn’t quick to put together. “It was a lot of headache and lot of research,” Hessman said. “They look simple but to get it right with the motor and everything that goes into it, it took me three months to get it working correctly. I said I’d sell them if someone wants them. The next couple I make will be a lot better because I’ve got it figured out.” Appelhans knows how handy Hessman is. He’s seen it in person. “It’s good,” he said about the mechanical drop barrel. “He’s pretty handy with all that stuff.” Hessman’s leatherwork has also impressed Appelhans. “He does really well at leatherwork, a lot of crafty stuff,” Appelhans said. “He’s been working a lot of that and come a long way in that. He’s pretty artistic with all that stuff.” Hessman’s circuit rodeos will heat up again with summer. “In August you can go to a bunch of circuit rodeos down here, like Dodge (City, Kan.), Abilene (Kan.) and Phillipsburg (Kan.), and I’ll hit all those,” he said. “I do a lot of circuits, but we have quite a lot of rodeos, so that’s easy to do.” But he’s not as active as a lot of other bull riders. “I don’t rodeo as hard as other guys,” Hessman said. “It’s hard for me to keep up if I’m not riding good. I don’t go to 100 rodeos, I go to about 60. “I keep it fun. I would like to have a year where I have a lot more success, and I would go (more) if I’m riding good. But I don’t want to beat my head against a wall, so when it’s not fun I don’t go. It’s not my main income. They’re about 50-50. I can come home, heal up and go back at it later.” MAKING THE MOST

VIDEO

Terri Abrahamsen photo Tyler Hessman tied for the win in the first round of the PRCA Xtreme Bull Midwest Challenge aboard Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Men in Black with an 84-point ride Oct. 12. Hessman went on to win the average too.

ProRodeo Sports News 5/29/2020

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