KYLER OHRT OF REGION VI

by Laramie Wedemyer

The Whataburger Whatakid is selected due to their ability to excel both in and out of the rodeo arena. Whataburger is proud to recognize a THSRA member from each of the ten Regions who truly upholds the title “Whatakid!” One of the nominees will be chosen at the State Final Rodeo in June as the Whatakid of the Year. In recognition of this accomplishment they will receive free Whataburgers for an entire year!

Congratulations to this month’s “WHATAKID,” Kyler Ohrt! The Region VI, cowboy from Victoria, Texas has a love for anything outdoors and a passion for roping. You may find him spending his days on the back of a horse, roping, or riding a tractor, farming.

The 17-year-old senior in high school competes in the team roping and tie-down roping. “Competing at region rodeos, I head in the team roping, but I also love to heel when going to jackpots or other rodeos,” explained Kyler.

The beginning of Kyler and his sister’s rodeo experience looked a lot different compared to many rodeo athletes. Neither of their parents rodeoed growing up or were involved in rodeo of any kind until their kids grew an interest.

At the age of seven, Kyler competed in his first rodeo and entered a world they originally knew nothing about. This was going to change his future, his dreams and the goals that he would eventually set.

Kyler grew up attending public school until his sophomore year when he transitioned into homeschooling. When he was in public school, he played basketball and football, but his love for rodeo quickly grew. The decision to transition allowed him more time to practice in the arena, go to rodeos, and help his dad on the farm when needed.

“It was hard to attend school and go to a bunch of rodeos, so we began homeschooling to be able to balance and arrange our schedules with working, rodeoing and learning,” said Kyler. “My sister also rodeos, so we do a little bit of everything together and have a pretty good relationship, minus the normal brother and sister picking.”

Three of Kyler’s trusty horses are Sassy, Cadillac and Hodgy.

“Sassy lives up to her name,” he exclaimed. She is a sorrel, 12-year-old heel horse that Kyler has roped on since seventh grade. The 18-year-old sorrel gelding, Cadillac, has been around a while serving as a tiedown horse before becoming Kyler’s main head horse at the high school rodeos. Hodgy is a grey gelding that he uses in the tie-down roping. He recently started riding him two years ago, but Hodgy has proven to be valuable after carrying Kyler to multiple rodeo wins.

One of his favorite places to compete is at The Patriot in Fort Worth because it offers such a variety of events to compete in. Kyler said, “I enjoy it because I am able to compete in multiple team ropings and calf ropings, so it not just strictly one rodeo run.”

During his time competing in the Texas Junior High and High School Rodeo Associations, Kyler has qualified for state all six years and been within half a point of making it to nationals. His sights are set on making it back to state and qualifying for nationals this year.

Roping does not come easy and takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Both of those things, combined, have provided Kyler with success, recently. He traveled out to Arizona and was able to win multiple team ropings, heading and heeling, and then most recently won the all-around in the men’s events at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

While he gets to spend a lot of time in the arena, he is no stranger to hard work outside of it. On average, when the season is busy, he could spend 12 to 13 hours a day on the tractor, helping his dad farm. When he isn’t rodeoing or driving a tractor, you can either find him showing cattle through 4-H, hunting or fishing in his free time. The nights are full of hog hunting and days could be spent fishing in his little jon boat with friends.

After graduation, Kyler plans to attend Wharton County Junior College for an HVAC program to focus on electrical technology. He gained experience wiring lights on tractors and other equipment, spurring his interest in the field. During his time in college, he plans to continue rodeoing.

Eventually, Kyler wants to own a few 18-wheelers to have a side job hauling grain for farmers and companies. Something in the back of his mind to pursue is starting a fertilizer company with his dad, one day.

Kyler’s dad was easily chosen as his biggest hero, not only from the example of starting his own business, but from the support he has given Kyler and his sister growing up. Kyler said, “my parents have supported us from the very beginning, and my mom helps keep us on the road making sure the horses are sound.”

Growing up working hard created a drive in Kyler to be great at anything he is competing in. His go to motto would be “always strive to be your best, because if you are going to do something, you might as well give it 100% and try your hardest.”

“Being selected as the Region VI WhataKid is very special to me, knowing that they have seen the hard work and passion I have for rodeo,” expressed Kyler. “It is truly an honor to be chosen and I am thankful for the opportunities that Region VI has given me.”

The weather is getting warmer and the flowers are about to start blooming which means spring 2023 rodeo season is here! What are your goals? What are your dreams? Are you thinking about college rodeo? These are just some of the questions that are on many of Region Five athlete’s mind as we come into the second half of the high school rodeo season.

If you are asking yourself some of these questions, it may help to hear how others before you have answered them. I had the opportunity to interview 2022 National Finals Rodeo calf roper, Kincade Henry. Kincade grew up as a Region Five athlete in Junior High and High School rodeo, and he is wanting to leave some advice to the upcoming rodeo generation.

When Kincade was younger, he always had a rope in his hand no matter what. At 7 years old when he walked away from the rodeo scene to play baseball At 12 years old, he decided to give rodeo another shot. He faced many hardships; such as getting the buzzer almost every time he roped. Coming back into rodeo was hard, he knew that he needed to hit the practice