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Cashin and Cannin Carson rope to the top. [Photo: Bull Stock Media]
Straight from the majestic Badlands of North Dakota hails a team of brothers making magic happen when it comes to roping horns and feet. Cannin and Cashin Carson of Grassy Butte, North Dakota have hit the road galloping with their team of horses and making a dash across the country from roping arenas in the north, to Perry, Georgia and now Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Earning the title of World Champion Heeler for the World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA), Cannin Carson has roped a lot of steers in his 14 years of existence. His brother, Cashin, 13, the header of the team, received the Reserve World Championship title.
Roping steers together as a ‘brother team’ and building portable horse and cattle sheds during the fall and winter months, along with having bedrooms next to each other, makes for a special bond that goes further than the arena.
The summer of ’23, thus far, has been nothing short of a season sweep for the brothers. Winning Reserve State Team Roping titles in the North Dakota Junior High Rodeo Association (NDJHRA) to placing in the top 10 at the National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR) and now adding World and Reserve Champions to their resume is something the Carson brothers, their family, and North Dakota can be proud of.
WCRA DY is a youth division designed to give youth the most exclusive opportunity to qualify and compete in WCRA major rodeo. WCRA is a culmination of a leaderboard race of rodeo events. Athletes can qualify by nominating their rodeo efforts and earning points for the WCRA DY leaderboard positions. Points are weighted differently for each division and are scaled for go rounds and final rounds/aggregates. The top 16 on the leaderboard will qualify for the event with no entry fees. The 2023 event had over $200,000 in added money and took place in Guthrie, Oklahoma at the Lazy E Arena, July 25-29, 2023.
World Champions Rodeo Alliance Division Youth/ Cinch World Championships Youth Rodeo Information. [Photo: Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo]
The Carsons were able to put this association on their radar, because any designated youth event, including North Dakota Junior High rodeos, are eligible to be nominated for the WCRA. “The boys also competed in the qualifiers in Gutherie to earn points towards the year end standings and experience,” said Dawn Carson.
Play by Play:
World Champion Heeler, Cannin Carson, sets the winning gate on his horse, ‘Pearl’. [Photo: Bull Stock Media]
“I panty-hosed my first steer and missed my dally, so we got a no time in the qualifier,” said Cannin Carson. “We came back on the 2nd steer and won the round with a 5.4.”
Post qualifying rounds, the top 8, plus the number one top seated roper go onto the finals, which were held in the infamous Lazy E Arena. Nine of the toughest youth team roping teams competed on two more steers vying for a World Championship title.
“I was just ready to heel my steer in the finals. We were 6.8 seconds to end up 2nd in that round,” said Cannin Carson, “We then watched 7 teams go in the last round with a 6.7 second run leading it. I just wanted to go rope, and we were 6.2 seconds.”
“It was fun to compete with some of the best kids in the nation, and they had some really good cattle,” described the header of the duo, Cashin. “I didn’t drop a coil in most of the runs, but I think I did in the final round. I rode my horse, ‘Friday’, and made sure she was running hard before we left.”
Cashin Carson, Reserve World Champion Header. [Photo: Bull Stock Media]
Prior to leaving for Guthrie, the boys calculated and practiced for the week ahead. Cashin said that he just roped better on this horse, ‘Friday’ versus his ‘go to’ horse, ‘Loot’, who is known for his explosive speed and impeccable handles. Friday is by Frenchmans Mito Dew crossed on VF Home Coming Queen.
The Carson team is brotherhood and horses. [Photo: submitted]
Cannin was on his main mount, DC Miss Playrocket, also known as ‘Pearl’. The 2011 bay mare is by An Oaken Playgun and Ali Rocket. Pearl has taken Cannin to three consecutive National Junior High Rodeo Finas, Wrangler Team Roping Finals, multiple amateur rodeo finals and was passed down to Cannin by his dad, Ross Carson. Cannin added that he is most thankful for his brother, Cashin.
World Champion Heeler, Cannin Carson. [Photo: Bull Stock Media]
Cannin also qualified and competed in the tie down roping and ended up a top twenty finisher on their calf horse, ‘Bee’. Bee is by Frenchmans Mito Dew and Mostly Annie NFB. The boys’ mom and grandpa, Homme, have a working relationship on raising horses for the family to keep four legs under them and competing on the arena floor.
The whole family agreed that the experience in Guthrie was a top notch and professional event. “The stock was excellent, and we had chances to be fast on everything,” explained Cannin Carson.
Dawn Carson said that the contestants were put in a serious atmosphere, and the producers made sure the event was run smoothly, while making each contestant feel very important.
Just another day at the office. [Photo: submitted]
It’s in their DNA:
Roping, horses, and the western way of living is in the Carson brothers’ blood. Their grandpa, Ron Carson, and his brother, Monte Carson, have semi-loads of steers hauled to arenas across the country for decades, promoting the sport of team roping.
The boys’ father, Ross, and his cousins, Chase and Layne Carson, are staple names across the team roping community from competing to producing ropings. Mother, Dawn, has been throwing a leg over the best home-raised and trained barrel horses out there and swings a breakaway rope just the same.
“It truly takes a village to keep these kids going. The boys have support from all sides, whether it’s my dad raising and supplying the boys with young horses, to their grandpa and uncle having two semi-loads of steers come in every year, to the indoor barn of Jarvis and Kadie Sorenson’s that they practice in during the winter, all the way to the neighbors that watch over the place and animals when we leave to haul the boys. It takes a whole lot of people,” added Dawn Carson.
The Carson brothers continue to light up the scoreboard and swing their ropes off into the sunset. They have no plans to change what is undisputedly a dynamic duo.
For more information on WCRA, visit wcrarodeo.com.
Tisa Peek is a long-time horse trainer, competitor in barrel racing and team roping, and writer about the equine. Rodeo and horses run deep in her roots. JT Family Equine is where she calls home, south of Bismarck, ND. Tisa, along with her husband, Jon, and boys, Blu and River, train horses and host clinics. Tisa is the host for Dakota Cowboy on BEK TV.