Greenfield native reaches eighth circuit finals steer wrestling

Forty-year-old veteran steer-wrestling bulldogger Ty Standley of Marshalltown is at it again. For the eighth time in his career, Standley will compete Nov. 14-16 in the Great Lakes Circuit Finals Rodeo during the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky.

A bulldoger is another name for a steer wrestler. Standley said he is proud to have reached this point in his season, considering his age.

Qualifying for this rodeo are the top 12 money-earners from the regular season in each event. The regular season lasted from February to October.

“It’s a pretty big commitment. The other 11 guys competing there, most of them will be in their 20s or early 30s,” Standley said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be tough and pretty durable, but it’s a year-round commitment to stay in shape, keep horses healthy and practicing. It’s a commitment and lifestyle, really.”

In steer wrestling, there is a bulldoger, who slides off his horse to wrestle the steer, while the hazer, from the other side, helps the steer run straight as a guide and help to the wrestler. He hauls his own team of horses, which includes a wrestling horse and hazing horse. He picks someone to ride his hazing horse depending on the event.

Standley has team roped before, however at the level he is currently at, he mainly focuses on steer wrestling because different rodeo events can require different horses.

Standley said there are several things he enjoys about steer wrestling.

“I’ve always kind of been an athlete,” he said. “It’s an athletic game. You have to be big, strong and I like the physicality of it. I like the competition level, putting in the work and seeing where you measure up to everyone else.”

If he’s the top finisher or has the top average time in his event at the Great Lakes event, Standley would go on to another event, called the NFR Open, in July in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Standley knows what it will take to be successful in Louisville.

“It’s a three-head average, so you’ve gotta play the long game a little bit but still be aggressive and place in the rounds also,” Standley said. “I feel like it’s a prestigious thing to make, in general. As far as being 40 and making it, I don’t think a lot of people can accomplish that, as far as longevity goes.”

Standley works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the National Animal Disease Center. He is a 2002 Nodaway Valley graduate and is the son of Ted and Brenda Standley of Greenfield. His grandparents are Rita and the late Floyd Faust of Stuart and Joy and the late Larry Standley of Greenfield.