Local Legend Wins Big

In a world full of social media where fame is based on likes and followers, it’s refreshing to hear about one local cowboy accomplishing something that very few ever will, and thereby elevating his already legendary status.

If you are not a cowboy or are not a follower of the sport of roping you may not know how impressive Cody Barfuss is.  If you talk to anyone who ropes in Caribou County they will tell you that they wish they could accomplish half of what Cody has over his lifetime of cowboying.  For Cody roping is a way of life and his rope is an extension of his hand.  Cody has been roping his entire life.  “They say when I was a kid as soon as I could start swinging a rope I was roping a rock or a bucket or a calf.”  Today not much has changed for Cody, “I still rope a dummy or something every day.”

Cody developed his craft starting with just everyday cowboy work but as his skill increased he began entering competitions.  Cody has competed in and won competitions all over the intermountain west including one just last weekend in Dillon Montana where he took the top prize with his team.  Of all the competitions he has entered one sits right close if not on the very top of the list.

The Brannaman Pro-Am Vaquero Roping, also referred to as the Richest Ranch Roping in the World, provides a space that honors the traditional methods of vaqueros and buckaroos.  Renowned horseman Buck Brannaman advocates for traditional ranch roping and the cowboy lifestyle.  This multi-day event pairs professionals and amateur teams in a competitive ranch roping format.  It brings together skilled competitors to celebrate and preserve traditional ranching and cowboy culture.

Cody has tried his luck at the Brannaman Pro-Am the last three years.  “This competition used to be in California and I never did go to California but it’s been in Ogden the last three years and I’ve been to all three of those.”  This competition differs from most other roping events that most people go to see and compete in.  Cody explained it this way, “It’s a judged roping.  You can get points for time but most of it is on difficulty of the loop you throw.  They have different points for different loops that you throw.”  Like many of you I was not aware that there was such a variety of loops one could throw to rope a calf.  In this competition every loop has a name such as a scoop loop, houlihan, overhand, underhand, backhand and something called a flank trap to name just a few.  With one hundred and sixty teams entered, it’s a tough competition to win.  On August 24th that’s just what Cody did with his team that consisted of himself, Kadin Wadell, and Scott Grosskopf.  When asked how this win compares to the dozens of others he has grabbed over the years Cody responded simply with, “This is a pretty good honor I would say.”

The thing about Cody is he is humble, quiet, and doesn’t really like to talk about himself.  That is something that is dying off in today’s culture where self grandizing seems to be the rage.  In fact despite all of his accomplishments Cody takes very little credit.  Even winning such a large and prestigious event Cody gave all the credit to his teammates,”They’re the ones that landed the hard shots. I just got mine roped and did what I needed to do.”  And like any good cowboy would do Cody gives more credit to his horse than he claims for himself.  That horse is named Uno and you could say Cody has a special relationship with him. “He’s nineteen years old and I’ve been riding him for seventeen years. He’s old but he’s still doing it.”  In true Cody form he gave credit to his wife Lisa for purchasing Uno for him all those years ago.

Finally I asked Cody how all this roping and traveling has impacted his life?  “It keeps me young.  I’ve had a lot of young partners and they always take good care of me.  I just really enjoy it and I have some really, really good friends that I spend a lot of time traveling and roping with. I don’t like to talk much but I do appreciate my teammates, the animals, and the horses that I ride.”