Team Roping: Father and Son Bonding on Horseback

Dean and son Jimmy Dean. Photos courtesy of Dean Thornbury

By Tiffany Watkins

The sound of horses' hooves pounding the dirt, ropes swinging in the air and the crowd cheering is a typical weekend for Dean Thornbury and his son, Jimmy Dean, 11. The father-and-son team for team roping allows them to spend hours in the saddle, side by side.

Jimmy Dean, a student at Barnett Elementary School, began roping when he was 18 months old. He was riding a horse by himself at 3, roping off a horse at 4 and competing with his dad at 5.

"I put Jimmy Dean first; he's my pride and joy," Thornbury said.

All the roping practice in Jimmy Dean's early years paid off because it has landed the boy in the winning circle numerous times. Jimmy Dean took the Junior Rodeo Championship title home from the Wrangler Junior National Finals Rodeo in Nevada, where he won a saddle, college scholarship and several prizes.

Not only does Jimmy Dean compete in junior competitions, but he ropes with the adults as well. Thornbury and Jimmy Dean competed in the United States Team Roping Championship against 250 teams and won third place overall.

Jimmy Dean Thornbury

Thornbury said Jimmy Dean will go on to high school rodeo, college rodeo and then professional. But they will not be team roping in this years' Ramona Rodeo because Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association contestants need to be 18 to compete.

"It just bums me out that we can't compete together in Ramona Rodeo's team roping event," Thornbury said.

Even though they are not competing, they will be at the rodeo helping out behind the scenes. Thornbury said on Sunday at 10 a.m. before the rodeo starts, Jimmy Dean will be helping the special-needs youngsters who will be in the arena with bucking machines and dummy roping.

"Sometimes the team-roping competitions conflict with school, but we bring the homework in the truck," Thornbury said.

They travel coast-to-coast, border-to-border, for rodeos.

"I have been around horses for all of my life," Thornbury said, adding he has been roping cattle since he was 5.

Thornbury and his son ride their horses everyday, either at their ranch in Ramona or at team-roping practice in Lakeside.

Thornbury competes in professional rodeos across the United States and has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. He also has been training horses for more than 35 years in several disciplines, such as team roping, cutting and reining. He works as a farrier, which includes corrective horseshoeing, and has done work for race horses, performance horses and pleasure horses.

"To us, rodeo is a job, not a hobby," he said.

Jimmy Dean receives professional coaching from his father and sometimes receives tips from World Championship ropers such as Speed Williams and Daniel Green. But Jimmy Dean will be the first one to tell his dad how to rope if his dad misses. When they are at practice, Thornbury said Jimmy Dean tells him to be in the right position this time.

For these two ropers, the sport is definitely family-oriented. While they are in the arena competing, Jimmy Dean's grandparents are in the stands cheering them on, traveling many miles to watch the father and son rope together.

"We are partners," Thornbury said.

They are truly a team in many aspects of their life. Thornbury has raised his son since he was born. They also are involved with the Catholic church. Jimmy Dean has a bridle and a breast collar made of leather with crosses on it. He rides with it proudly across his horse's chest, ready to take home another championship.