Roping heritage, horsepower drive Nebraska’s Saults

Big Springs, Neb., cowboy Jate Saults won the Buster Record National Finals Steer Roping College Division on May 26 in Clarendon, Texas. Raised in a multi-generational rodeo family, Saults grew up learning the ropes on his family’s horse and cattle ranch, where horsemanship and hard work were a way of life.

“My family owns a small horse and cattle ranch right there in Big Springs,” Saults said. “That’s where I learned to rope and rodeo.”

RODEO FAMILY

His family’s roots and legacy in rodeo run deep. His father, Scott, and mother, Jill, have been raising cattle and horses for 30 years in Western Nebraska.

“My dad has given me every opportunity to ride on his horses, train on his horses, and learn things about training from him,” Jate said. “It was everything having a good foundation like that.”

All of his siblings have also followed in his parents’ rodeo bootsteps. His eldest sister, Jacie, raises barrel horses in South Dakota. His older twin siblings, Ralph and JoSee, are both involved in the rodeo world. JoSee was crowned Miss Rodeo Nebraska in 2024 and Ralph competes in team roping as a heeler. He was the American Hero Celebration Champion Team Roping Heeler in 2024.

His uncle, William McBride, is also a competitive rodeo athlete. He won the National Circuit Finals in Steer roping in Torrington, Wyo., in 2018. Jate says his uncle and father taught him to rope and got him involved in horsemanship and rodeo.

“My uncle really showed me what it was like to compete at a young age,” Jate explained. “I learned how to rope, but also compete as a winner.” Jate attended Western Oklahoma State College, where he expanded his skills competing on the rodeo team and also earned three associate’s degrees.

“That’s where I really got into the steer tripping,” Jate explained. “Their coach is Jess Tierney, who’s a professional steer roper. He helped me immensely there.”

PRACTICE AND COMPETITION

Besides skills, Tierney helped Jate have a competitive mindset going into the event. Before a steer roping competition his freshman year, heavy rain prevented Jate from practicing the week leading up to the event.

“I remember asking my coach if I could get steers into an indoor barn and practice somewhere the day before the event,” Jate said. “And he goes, ‘Why do you need to practice, you know how to rope. Don’t let your practice get in the way of your competition.’ That stuck with me forever.”

While attending WOSC, Jate had the opportunity to train alongside teamate Riley Rork, who currently sits at No. 2 two in PRCA steer roping standings.

“Man he’s helped me a lot with the mental aspect of rodeo,” Jate said. “Just how he carries himself, I watched and learned.”

Jate has competed at the Buster Record National Finals Steer Roping since its inaugural event three years ago.

“I competed the first year it was held which was super cool,” Jate said. “Being a part of the first ever college steer roping was about as cool as it can get. It was an honor to see the first and watch the event grow to what it is now.”

Don Ed Eddleman, head rodeo coach at Cisco College, and his wife Pamala have been the ones putting on the college steer roping events and encouraging growth of the sport in the last few years.

“He’s the one that puts on every college steer roping, him and his wife, and I can’t thank them enough,” Jate said. “They’ve done an immense amount of work for steer roping, and he’ll coach anyone.”

Jate said steer roping is one of the oldest rodeo events in the world. However, it’s a more regionalized event. Calf roping, involving smaller steers is the more popular event nationwide.

“It’s kind of a Great Plains thing,” Jate said. “It’s brand new to the college world.”

This year, Jate was competing for the third time. This year his father was able to drive down to Clarendon to watch him rope.

“It meant a lot to have him there, I was riding his horse,” Jate said.

Jate went into this year’s college division finals with confidence.

“It was a lot of fun,” Jate said. “I know my abilities and what I can do. If they give me the right steers I can go in and take their money. This time they gave me the right steers and it just worked out.”

FUTURE ENDEAVORS

Jate plans to continue to rodeo this summer while helping his father run the family ranch.

“I’ll go to some ameatur ropings in Nebraska,” Jate said. “But I’ll also go to pro rodeo steer ropings mostly in my circuit, which are the mountain states, Colorado and Wyoming. I plan to go to the Mountain State Circuit Final Steer roping held in September.”

Long term, Jate hopes to get his PRCA card and go for PRCA Rookie of the Year honors.

“I want to keep steer roping at a high level,” Jate said. “And also bring up some of my own calf horses and hopefully make the National Finals Steer Roping.”

Looking back, Jate encourages young rodeo athletes to keep putting in the work, but not put too much pressure on themselves.

“Don’t put pressure on yourself, I know that’s easy for guys to say,” Jate said. “Get in the arena anytime you can. Doing something for 10,000 hours makes you a master at something they say, so the closer you can get to that 10,000 the better.”

Now with a national college title under his belt, Saults plans to keep his family’s rodeo tradition alive by competing in amateur and pro rodeos this summer all while helping out on the home ranch.