Fortysomething Lancaster cowboy Jody Harvey proves it’s never too late to hop in the competitive saddle

FIRST-TIME CHAMP: In 2006, Harvey was a newbie competitor at the Sunshine Stampede in Fort Lauderdale where he won a flag-racing buckle. - Daniel A. Kusner/Dallas Voice

In less than three years, Jody Harvey has taken competitive horse riding by the reigns. When he’s not pulling 12-hour nursing shifts, he’s caring for his studhorse, gelding, mule and pregnant mare down on his five-acre ranch in Lancaster. For the past three weeks, Harvey has been heavily training with Rusty for this weekend’s Cowtown Rodeo in Fort Worth.

“Rusty is like an ace. He’s going to go out there and kick everyone else’s ass,” Harvey proudly smiles.

Rusty is an 11-year-old gelding painthorse whose previous owner rode him as a professional barrel racer.

“He’s top-notch at what he does,” Harvey says.

That’s a lot of confidence considering Harvey just acquired Rusty three weeks ago. But when it comes to gay rodeo, timing has been good to Harvey.

Growing up on a farm ranch in East Texas, Harvey was a regular rodeo-goer. As a spectator, he loved the rush of adrenaline while watching bronco and bull riding events.

In his late 20s, he moved to Shreveport, La., for a nursing job and took a break from attending rodeos. But in 1997, he went to his first gay one the Diamond State Rodeo.

“At first, everything about the gay rodeo seemed different,” he remembers. “They didn’t ride bulls for eight seconds, and there were drag queens out there tackling steers.”

Later, his perception changed, “after I realized that some of those sissies wearing wigs were the same guys who were crawling on top of the bulls,” he says.

Another nursing job transferred Harvey to Houston where he started getting involved with the Texas Gay Rodeo Association. He started volunteering with the arena crew (drawing marker lines for race events, setting up barrels and barrels, and enforcing rules) and working as a timer. And soon Harvey was attending about six gay rodeos a year traveling to Chicago, Denver, Fort Lauderdale and Reno.

“In 2006, I decided to step out and take it up a notch. And that was to ride a horse,” he remembers.

By then, Harvey was comfortably in his 40s.

So he borrowed a horse to compete in three events barrel racing, pole bending and flag racing at the Sunshine Stampede in Fort Lauderdale. Flag racing was his best event: He won the buckle, beating about 20 other competitors.

“Flag racing is all about the connection between the horse and the rider. The horse needs to put you where you need to be, so you can grab the flag and then race back. Plus, you’ve got to get the flag into a small hole while hauling ass the whole time,” he explains.

This weekend, Harvey will compete in barrel racing, pole bending and flag racing. He says he hasn’t suffered any serious injuries and doesn’t really expect any in the near future.

While he gets the same adrenaline rushes he enjoyed in his younger days, he’s not about to add bull riding or steer riding to his rodeo resume.

“I came from a pretty strict Baptist family background. But like most Texans, rodeo is a part of our heritage. If my family watched me compete, they’d be surprised about how similar gay rodeo is to the other rodeos,” Harvey says.

“When those guys are crawling on top of those bulls, they’re getting on top of something that want to stomp their brains out,” he continues. “It’s not like the bulls and horses know that the rider is gay.”


FORT WORTH RODEO SCHEDULE
2008 TGRA Cowtown Rodeo: Feb. 29-March 2.

• Friday, Feb. 29, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
     Contestant and volunteer registration at the InnSuites Hotel, 2000 Beach St.   Fort Worth.
     Volunteer for arena crew, chute crew and rodeo operation.

• Saturday, March 1
    Rodeo competition at 9 a.m. at the W. R. Watt Arena at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 West Lancaster in Fort Worth.
    Grand entry at noonish.
    Entertainment at 1:30 p.m.
    Rodeo continues throughout afternoon.

• Sunday, March 2
    Rodeo competition at 9 a.m. W. R. Watt Arena at the Will Rogers Memorial Center
    Grand entry at noonish.
    Entertainment at 1:30 p.m.
    Rodeo continues throughout afternoon.
    Award ceremony at 8 p.m. at Best Friends Club, 2620 E Lancaster Ave. Fort Worth


Individual tickets $15, available at gate.

For additional information, visit tgra.org or call the hotline, 214 346-2107.




This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 29, 2008.