Winget always ready and willing to help cowboys get down the road
The gate of Ryan Winget’s walk is uniquely his. It’s not a swagger, but there’s energy to it. It’s a stride that identifies him, but the reasons for it have never defined him.
Born two and a half months early, Winget has had cerebral palsy all of his 32 years. It just affects his lower extremities. He may move at a bit of a slower pace, but he’ll outwork and outwill anyone around him. That’s why he’s been the perfect teammate to many cowboys who make their livings on the rodeo trail.
“Rhino is one of us,” said Cinch cowboy Shane Hanchey, a 15-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier – and the 2013 world champion tie down roper – from Sulphur, Louisiana. “That’s what’s cool about the rodeo world; we don’t let it back him down from what he can do. It’s really neat to have him part of the team, and he ain’t going to complain about anything.
“At Houston this spring, he was on our horses every day getting them ready and helping us practice and all that comes with it. The personality he has … he just makes you confident. He goes into places, and he knows we’re going to do good. He just echoes a confidence that if you don’t have, you’ll have it after you’ve been around him a couple of days.”
It’s infectious, but that’s been the case for Winget all his life. His smile shines, whether he’s warming up a horse for competition or watching the action from the edge of the arena. His demeanor, work ethic and love for the game have driven Winget, a man who has never allowed a lifelong disability slow him down much less stop him.
“They said I’d never walk or never talk or do anything,” said Winget, a Cinch endorsee who attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University on a rodeo scholarship. “I just kept working at it and worked every day. I still work at it every day, and I think you’re trying not to let it get you down and just go day in and day out and keep pushing forward. That’s all you can do.”
It’s a drive he obtained as a kid. He credits it to his family that not only helped bring him up that way but also instilled the fortitude to tackle all challenges head-on. He also takes a lot of pride in the labor he’s put into it himself, because much has gone into everything that has made him the man he is.
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” he said. “My dad didn’t treat me any different than anyone else. My mom didn’t treat me any different. I think I also had the determination, and I didn’t want to be different. I wanted to be able to do everything everybody else could.”
He’s roped. He’s chute-dogged. He’s even tried to ride a bull. He may not run a marathon, but don’t count him out trying one day. It’s that mental fortitude that has been transparent from a young age.
“My dad trained racehorses for 10 years, so I’ve been around there,” Winget said. “I was around the racetrack a long time. I’ve been around horses all my life, and horses are something I’ll probably never take out of my life.”
He understands equine flesh. He’s ridden many in his lifetime and has even been in the saddle of Tanner Milan’s mount, Eddie – the 2023 PRCA/AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year that finished in the runner-up in voting last season – as they walked into the Thomas & Mack Arena for practice before the NFR.
Those are moments of a lifetime, the dreams many young bulldoggers have when they sleep at night. Ryan Winget lived it. He could feel the power of the bay gelding through every stride the horse made. He could only imagine what it would be like to back in the timed-event box with that type of engine under him.
“Being able to compete would be a dream come true,” he said. “If I could pick any event, it would probably be steer wrestling. I’ve had a lot of fun, and that event’s pretty cool to me. I’ve had guys come up to me and asked me about what’s going on, and I’ve never jumped a steer. I’ve thrown them on the ground but never jumped one.
“They’re like, ‘But you’ve watched thousands of runs. You know how it’s supposed to look or what’s supposed to happen.’ Those guys asking me for advice is a pretty cool experience.”
It’s a sign of the respect they have for him, who really hit bulldogging hard a dozen years ago. He’s a cousin with Jule Hazen, a three-time NFR qualifying steer wrestler from Protection, Kansas – Winget’s grandmother and Hazen’s grandmother are sisters. That relationship was forged as youngsters, and it bloomed over time.
“I would always see him at Thanksgiving and would want to go with him during the summer,” Winget said. “He’s like, ‘Get out of high school, and I’ll let you go.’ So, once I graduated high school there in 2013, I wet with him and Chad Vancampen, and I’ve just gone every year with different guys since then.”
That led to the college scholarship, where he assisted then-rodeo coach Stockton Graves, an eight-time NFR qualifier. It was just another shortened step Winget has taken in his path along the rodeo trail. He’s worked with a ton of bulldoggers over that time, but he’s also helped tie-down ropers like Hanchey.
In fact, the world titlist was one of five men he teamed with at last year’s NFR. The others? Steer wrestlers Dakota Eldridge, Jesse Brown, Scott Guenthner and Dalton Massey.
“I think starting out with Jule had a lot to do with me being with bulldoggers, because that’s what he did,” Winget said. “I ended up getting in with him, then I did it with a lot of bulldoggers. Toward the end of college, I got in with Bryson Sechrist and a few of the calf ropers. Now, the bulldoggers are kind of giving me a hard time, because I’ve been with Shane a little bit the last couple years.
“It’s all in fun, because they know I’ll still be there to help them. I’ll do whatever I can.”
That’s the template of Winget’s life. He was born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and graduated high school just outside Tulsa in Berryhill, Oklahoma. Now living in Watford City, North Dakota, he spends a lot of time helping cowboys who compete regionally. He’ll still venture off from time to time, but years on the road have taken their toll. He’s content at home, but he knows his passion is driven by rodeo. He has teamed with steer wrestler Joe Nelson, who lives in the same town, and other Badlands Circuit cowboys.
When the 2025 rodeo season rolls to a close, he’ll step outside that comfort zone a little. He’ll head to the Northwest, likely helping Hanchey or anyone else who might call. The late-summer and early-fall schedule allows for shorter trips between rodeos, so that fits his fancy.
“I’ll do a lot,” Winget said. “I don’t drive, but I’ll sit in that passenger seat and stay awake to help whoever’s driving stay awake. If they have to fly somewhere, I’ll stay with their horses and take care of their horses. They get it. They don’t have to worry about who’s going to take care of their horses, because I’ll take care of it.
“Another major thing is warming up the horses. I want them guys to not worry about that and focus on what they do. If they’re calf ropers, then they need to focus on that. I don’t want them to think, ‘Oh, I need to get my horse warmed up.’ I’ll try to do all that myself and just be able to hand the horse over to them and say, ‘Here you go.’ I’m just doing what I can to help.”
Not every player is the quarterback. Every football team needs an offensive line to open holes for running backs and protect the passer. Every squad needs a strong defense that can keep opponents out of the end zone. Every program needs good special teams, the group that tries to set everyone else up with great field position.
Every team needs a utility player. In rodeo, that’s Ryan Winget. He’s proven the ability to handle the load anyone places on him. His greatest reward comes from the comradery he has with his friends. This is teamwork at its highest level, and every person in the group can celebrate anyone’s highest achievements.
“One of my goals is having one of my guys win a gold buckle,” he said of the wearable world champion’s hardware. “I’ve been pretty fortunate these last couple of years, because I’ve been pretty close to it. It just keeps you hungry for it. I’m not saying a gold buckle is everything, but that’s what I really want.”
Whether it’s riding a powerful equine in the warmup pen or feeding animals or helping someone stay awake on an overnight drive across the Rocky Mountains, Winget is there. Those things have built him a fortune in friends and the admiration of others. His smile glistens, because he’s happy with who he is and what he does. He understands his place in rodeo. Moreover, he thrives in it.
“He takes everything to heart,” Hanchey said. “He sometimes takes our losses a little too hard, but that’s just the kind of guy he is. That’s how he’s going to be. He’s going to take those punches on the chin like we do and be just as upset.
“Then, at the other end, he’s going to be as happy as anybody if you do good. He loves it, and he expects us to do good when we get somewhere.”