Steer Wrestlers Unite Rodeo World With Blue Feathers in Round 6 Tribute

The blue feathers in the steer wrestlers hat represent a family's tragic loss and show the compassion that these cowboys all share as one giant rodeo family.

Sami Jo Buum

What Are the Blue Feathers in the Big Guys Hats?

In round 6, we saw every bulldogger wearing a blue feather in their hats. The question is what is the feather representing?

Fellow steer wrestler and competitor Cody Metsker and his wife, Samantha Metsker, of Bloomington, WI, are living through every parent's nightmare after they lost their 1-year-old son on December 2, 2025. Dixon had just celebrated his first birthday on November 28th. A few days later, he peacefully passed away in his sleep.

Dixon T. Metsker November 24, 2024 - December 2, 2025

Metsker Family

It is always great to see these cowboys at their highest level of competition banding together for a cause.

Round 6 fell on the day of Dixon's funeral services and the steer wrestlers felt compelled to support the family.

Justin Shaffer told us, "It's hard to wrap my head around having so much heartbreak for someone I didn't know personally, but I was honored to play some small part in honoring that little boy. I can't imagine what his family is going through and the emotional battles they will face."

Kyle Irwin said, "I hate to hear the news from that family. We are trying to shed some light on it and lift them up during this time. Our duty as Christians is to put others first, and something as small as a feather helps keep things in perspective and fresh in our minds to keep them in our prayers."

Jesse Brown shared, "I didn't know the family, but if there's one thing I know about bulldoggers, it's that we are a family, so we definitely feel the heartbreak collectively. I just wish it didn't happen and I could do more to help the family cope."

"I'm glad to support a fellow bulldogger and friend. I hope the family knows that we are standing with them and supporting them in prayer as they go through just a terrible time. My heart breaks for them," said Tucker Allen.

After living through sudden loss of our baby when she was just 5 months old, this lands way too close to home. One thing we can say through the darkest days of our lives, our rodeo family stepped up in a monumental way for my family.

Our family also grew from our tragedy. People reached out from all over the country to offer prayers, their experiences, and condolences to my husband and me.

There are no words or gestures that can fix the pain these parents are experiencing, but every gesture made does not go unnoticed. The memory of Dixon will live through all the lives he impacted in his short amount of time with us on this earth.

Metsker family, you have an army of cowboy soldiers backing you and have everyone in the rodeo family's prayers.

The Dixon Thomas Metsker Memorial Fund has been established.

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