Rodeos are a part of Arizona western history and Native American culture.

Rodeo competitors need the support of their families.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the ultimate goal for some competitors.

Riders must overcome obstacles in life and in rodeo.

Jalen Joaquin wakes up at 3 a.m. on rodeo days. No need to iron his button-down cowboy shirt — he did it the night before.

The 23-year-old drives hours from his home in Sacaton most weekends to whichever rodeo he's signed up to participate in. Joaquin competes in rough stock events, including bull riding, saddle bronc and bareback events.

He pays $200 to $400, and is assigned a bull or horse. As he waits for his turn, he tries to block out the cowboys who get injured. He talks to the animal, trying to keep it calm.

Then the gate opens, and Joaquin spends the next few seconds just trying to hold on.

After finishing an event, he doesn’t stress about his performance.

“I know that I have done my job and it’s in the judge’s hands,” he said.

Joaquin is one of dozens of Native American Millennials competing on the rodeo circuit. They say the skills and tradition of the rodeo reflect the lifestyles many of them grew up with on their reservations — caring for livestock, ranching and farming, hard work and close families.

Joaquin and other riders compete regularly across Arizona and nearby states for a chance at the big rodeos and the big prize money. For Joaquin, the dream is representing the Native American community in Las Vegas at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, where more than $10 million in prize money is doled out to competitors.

Rodeo ties to Native American culture

Payson is home to the “World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo,” which is one of many competitions on the pro rodeo circuit. That rodeo is 135 years old.

According to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, today's version of rodeos can be traced back to Prescott's history. The Prescott rodeo in 1888 had rules, prizes for awards, admissions, invitations and committees.

And the Native American community has been a key part of that Arizona rodeo tradition for generations.

The All Indian Rodeo has been running at the Arizona State Fair for more than 50 years.

“All of the top competitors have been here,” said Jerry Honeycutt, whose family started the rodeo and still runs it.

Spectators wearing cowboy hats, eating churros and corn dogs, intently watch nearly 600 riders in action in the dirt arena at the grandstand each year. Native American competitors from across the nation and Canada compete.

Honeycutt’s grandfather brought the rodeo to the fair because of the sport’s deep roots in Arizona.

Joaquin started rodeo when he was 7, while growing up in the Gila River Indian Community and the Tohono O'odham Nation.

During his childhood, he learned the importance of taking care of livestock, farming and hard work.

“It’s just a bond that we have throughout generations with both tribes,” Joaquin, who now competes in 70 to 100 rodeos a year, said.

There are many rodeo events during the year focusing on Native American riders, including the Fort McDowell-Yavapai Nation Orme Dam Victory Days and Mul-Chu-Tha Fair and Rodeo.

Team roping duo Dwight Dixon, 34, and Wilton Wilson, 35, are both Navajo.

“I started riding sheep,” Dixon, of Kayenta, said. “It’s a Navajo way of life. It’s in your blood.”

He said he started at rodeos when he was 4. Wilson, of Leupp, also started when he was a child.

Wilson's grandfather and uncle competed in the sport.

Team roping is a timed event, which requires one rider to be the header and the other the heeler. During the event, the steer gets a head start in the arena and the riders then must catch it and rope it.

The duo has a close bond with its horses. Like many rodeo riders, he thinks of his horses as his children.

“They take you places and bring good blessings to you,” Wilson said.

For Jodee Dickson, 25, also a member of the Navajo Nation, rodeo is a way to learn from animals. She competes in barrel racing and breakaway roping.

“It’s the connection from the animals,” the Pima Community College student said.

She will soon study to be a veterinary technician.

Family support is important

Dickson's mother taught her how to rope as a child.

Her mother is the inspiration for Dickson's rodeo career. She was a single mother and raised Dickson and her two older brothers while attending nursing school and working full time.

“Rodeo seems to be such a male-dominated sport and she gave me these tools when I was a little girl that I use now," the Leupp native said.

Her mom bought Dickson her first horse and saddle.

“She still tries to teach me, no matter how old I get,” she said.

Family is a consistent theme among the Millennial Native American riders competing in rodeos.

Joaquin said his family has helped him on the road, helped him practice and paid his entry fees, because they believe in him.

His grandfather is the reason he rides saddle bronc. He taught him to never give up, Joaquin said.

Dixon said his wife's support is important.

She watches their children when he is at work and has taken care of him when he has suffered an injury. Dixon works full time as a welder a 3½ hour drive away from his family.

“You got to have your family behind you and supporting you,” he said.

The father of three hopes his young children can learn from rodeo, as he did.

“Hopefully, put a good head on their shoulders,” he said.

Dreams of Wrangler National Finals

Jalen Joaquin and Jodee Dickson hope to one day be professionals full time.

Rodeos are Joaquin's main source of income for half of the year. He's working as a welder to supplement his income. He hopes that one of the biggest rodeo events in the world will be in his future.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the championship event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

There are several rodeos each year in which riders can qualify to compete in the finals. Their chances increase with every dollar amount they win. Some top riders competing in the finals have won thousands of dollars throughout the year leading up to Las Vegas. The top rider in the saddle bronc event won more $26,000 at this year’s finals.

The 10 days of finals, which were held earlier this month, draw thousands of participants and spectators from around the country. But Joaquin has never made the relatively short drive — not even just to watch.

He wants to experience the rodeo for the first time as a competitor, and said it is a part of his practice of self-discipline.

“Every kid dreams of it,” Joaquin said.

Joaquin said a win in one of the rough stock events would be big not only for him but for the Native American community.

According to Pro Rodeo, the last Native American it could recall qualifying in a rough stock event at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was Spud Jones in 2008. The bull rider placed in two rounds.

Last year, Joaquin won the saddle bronc event at the Indian National Finals Rodeo. The rodeo is separate from the Wrangler NFR events.

“It was a sense of accomplishment,” he said.

Many Native American riders have qualified for the finals in the team roping event. Last year, Erich Rodgers of Round Rock placed second at the finals and first in the world with teammate Cory Petska of Marana. Rodgers is Navajo.

Overcoming obstacles

Everyday life doesn’t stop for a cowboy or cowgirl when riding in an event. They face obstacles like the finances of traveling and taking care of a horse, balancing family life and the ever-looming threat of an injury.

No matter how hard they train, they can’t outmuscle a horse, Joaquin said.

“You are going to get injured,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when.”

Roping duo Dixon and Wilson face the added challenge of working full time in addition to their rodeo participation. The two work at the Palo Verde Generating Station in Tonopah and are away from their families most of the week.

Dixon said the responsibilities of being a welder and providing for his family can be stressful. But he said riding helps.

“It’s good medicine,” he said.

Another challenge the duo faces is having to take breaks from competing when one of them is injured.

Last year, Wilson took a year off after almost losing a limb. During an event, some of his coiled rope got tangled and caught his hand near the saddle horn.

When getting on a horse before an event, he said, it is important for a rider to have a connection with the animal to help prevent an injury.

“Today is not going to be the day,” he said must be told to the animal. “They can read your body language.”

Joaquin has sprained his neck, broken an arm, ankle and his collarbone and busted his face. However, for him, his worst injury happened when he was a teenager.

“I was a scrawny kid in high school,” he said.

When dismounting a bull during a high school rodeo, the animal hit him, causing his forearm to snap.

Hoping to inspire the next generation

Dickson has to drive four years to practice on her family’s property. However, as a teen, she said her biggest hurdle was herself.

“I didn’t have that much confidence in myself growing up,” she said. “I always thought of myself as mediocre and when people started to recognize me for my roping, for my riding, I started to gain confidence and I started to hold onto that confidence.”

Now, she hopes she is helping inspire younger riders.

Team roper Dwight Dixon said he also hopes to inspire the next generation of Native American riders. He takes time to talk to younger riders when he's at events.

"You never know the impact you might have,” Dixon said.

Reach the reporter at Lauren.Castle@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Lauren_Castle.

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