From Chute Help to Rodeo Cowboy: Clint Buringa's Unexpected Rise in Steer Roping

Sometimes the best things in rodeo are not planned. Sometimes they begin with a borrowed horse, a little curiosity, and the willingness to try something new.

For Golden, Colorado cowboy Clint Buringa, what started as a way to spend more time horseback while working behind the chutes has turned into something he never set out to accomplish: the 2026 Resistol Steer Roping Rookie of the Year title.

With $30,720 in season earnings and a 24th-place finish in the world standings, Buringa proved he could hold his own against some of the best in the business.

But behind the rookie title is a story that has less to do with chasing championships and more to do with good horses, good people, and finding your way back to something you love.

A Different Road Back to Rodeo

Buringa's roots in rodeo go back to his childhood. He competed growing up and continued his rodeo career at the University of Wyoming, where he graduated before taking what he thought might be a permanent step away from the arena.

"After I graduated, I pretty much sold all my horses and was done roping," Buringa recalled.

He spent the next four years working for a portable paving company before deciding it was time for a change.

That change eventually led him to Whitewood, South Dakota, where he began working for Coy Thompson, who supplies steer roping cattle to rodeos throughout the northern circuit and Wyoming.

For the first couple of years, Buringa's job consisted of hauling cattle, sorting steers, and running the chutes. He was surrounded by steer roping, but he wasn't the one competing.

By his third year, curiosity got the better of him.

"I thought it'd be kind of fun to try it," he said.

His original intentions were simple. He wanted to learn to steer rope so he could enter jackpots instead of spending the entire day working the chutes.

He bought a horse and headed south to spend a winter practicing with accomplished steer roper Scott Snedecor.

"I went and stayed at Scott's house and roped with him every day," Buringa explained. "We rode a bunch of different horses."

The following winter, he returned to Snedecor's to continue learning and practicing. Eventually, the thought of competing professionally began to take shape.

"I was like, well, should a guy buy his permit or not? I didn't really know."

He eventually purchased his permit, competed for a summer, and then bought his PRCA card for the 2026 season.

What began as a hobby had become something much bigger.

The Horse Behind the Rookie

Every good cowboy knows the horse underneath him deserves a share of the credit, and Buringa is no exception.

His main mount, a gelding named Along Camea Spider, or Spyderman, a 2013 gelding has an unconventional story of his own.

Buringa acquired Spiderman through his friend Clint Hufty. Originally used as a heading and heeling horse, Spiderman wasn't necessarily destined for the steer roping arena.

Around the winter of 2020–21, Hufty encouraged Buringa to take the horse to Arizona to ride, rope, and enter jackpots. When Buringa later returned to Snedecor's to practice, Spiderman went along.

That decision would eventually help shape Buringa's rookie season.

"He just took to it pretty good," Buringa said. "He's kind of quirky, and I don't know that maybe he's everybody's fit, but he's got a pretty good drag and scores really good."

Rather than purchasing a finished steer roping horse, Buringa developed Spiderman through time, patience, and experimentation.

"He's kind of been a homemade science experiment for Scott and I, I guess," he laughed.

For Buringa, the horsemanship involved in steer roping has become one of his favorite parts of the event.

"I like tinkering with the horses," he said. "That's, I guess, what really got me into it, was the horsemanship part of it that comes with it."

Spiderman's progression from a head and heel horse to a competitive steer roping mount mirrors Buringa's own unexpected journey into the sport.

Neither started out with a Rookie of the Year title in mind.

The Turning Point in Deadwood

Despite the impressive results on paper, Buringa's rookie season was anything but easy.

He described the early months as frustratingly slow, with little momentum coming out of the spring and into the summer.

Unlike competitors who chase nearly every rodeo on the schedule, Buringa took a selective approach, choosing events that made financial and logistical sense.

"You can go to every rodeo, but that doesn't make sense just to go to everything," he explained. "So just try to capitalize on the ones you go to."

Unfortunately, that strategy wasn't producing the results he had hoped for.

By the time he reached Deadwood, South Dakota, Buringa was questioning whether to continue down the road.

"I was ready to pack it up and go home," he admitted.

Then things finally began to turn around.

At Deadwood, Buringa placed in a round and finished second in the average, giving him both a much-needed boost in earnings and a reason to keep going.

"I guess we gotta keep going now," he remembered thinking.

That moment changed the direction of his season.

Instead of heading home, Buringa continued west, making stops in Idaho and eventually Pendleton, Oregon, as he worked to finish out the year.

"It was kind of a slow grind until about Deadwood," he said.

What began as a difficult rookie campaign eventually turned into a season worthy of national recognition.

Pendleton: A Rodeo Worth Remembering

Of all the places Buringa competed during his rookie season, one stood above the rest.

The Pendleton Round Up.

Known for its history, unique grass arena, and deep Western traditions, Pendleton has long held a special place in the rodeo world.

For Buringa, getting to compete there was an experience he won't soon forget.

"I think my favorite rodeo is probably Pendleton," he said. "That was quite an experience, and to go and have some luck there was pretty amazing."

Pendleton also provided an opportunity to compete aboard another horse, thanks to the generosity of fellow cowboy Troy Tillard.

Tillard allowed Buringa to ride his horse at both Don King Days and Pendleton, something Buringa was quick to acknowledge.

For a cowboy still finding his footing in professional steer roping, those opportunities and the people willing to help along the way made a lasting impression.

A Rookie Title Built on Good People

Although Buringa's name will be the one attached to the 2026 Rookie of the Year title, he is quick to point out that the accomplishment belongs to more than just him.

He credits Coy Thompson with introducing him to the world of steer roping and Scott Snedecor with helping him build the foundation necessary to compete.

"Scott's spent so much time with me and just been, I guess, the major key," Buringa said. "Being able to learn from him and really learn from the beginning before you have any bad habits."

Along with Snedecor, Buringa admires the horsemanship and abilities of legendary steer roper Guy Allen, Billy Good, and competitor Riley O'Rourke.

For Buringa, watching accomplished horsemen work and learning from their experience has been just as important as the competition itself.

He also credits the Thompson family, including Coy, Ted, Amy, and Kathy, along with his own family and the friends who have helped him throughout the journey.

But perhaps the most important support system travels right alongside him.

His family.

Buringa's traveled with his wife Katie, and their newborn Jori. The family became familiar faces on the rodeo trail, making the miles and sharing the experiences with him.

Traveling with a newborn has brought its own adjustments, but Buringa wouldn't change it for the world.

"They love to go along with me, and I am so grateful for that because if they didn't I would have not wanted to be away from them last year."

"I am glad we get to travel as a Family.”

From the people who helped him learn the event to the family traveling beside him, Buringa views his success as a collective effort.

"It's just been a group effort," he said.

More Than a Rookie Title

With the 2026 Resistol Steer Roping Rookie of the Year title secured, Buringa isn't making any grand promises about what comes next.

He plans to continue competing, taking a similar approach to scheduling rodeos and choosing events that make sense to attend.

His future plans include competing at places such as Uvalde, Texas, and continuing to develop his horses and skills.

The possibility of one day qualifying for the National Finals Steer Roping remains an ambition, but Buringa understands what it takes to reach that level.

"It'd be amazing to make the finals," he said. "It takes a lot of work, so I guess if it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

For now, he seems content to enjoy the journey, keep improving, and see where the road leads.

It's a perspective that makes his rookie accomplishment even more fitting.

Buringa didn't return to the arena with a carefully mapped-out plan to win a national title. He didn't get into steer roping to chase awards or prove a point.

He simply found something he enjoyed doing and kept working at it.

"When I started all this, I didn't do it to try to win Rookie of the Year or try to do anything," he said. "I just did it because I like being around the horses and steer roping."

That simple love for the sport eventually carried him farther than he ever anticipated.

Looking back on the unusual path that took him from college rodeo to paving roads, from running chutes to competing professionally, Buringa can appreciate just how unexpectedly everything came together.

"Life sends you on some weird missions, I guess," he reflected. "It's been a fun adventure."

And maybe that's what makes Clint Buringa's story worth telling.

Not every rodeo career begins with a dream of gold buckles and championship titles. Sometimes it starts behind the chutes, with a borrowed horse and a cowboy who just wants to learn something new.

For Clint Buringa, that curiosity became a passion, that passion became a profession, and in 2026, it earned him the title of Resistol Steer Roping Rookie of the Year.

And by the sound of it, he's just getting started.

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