TORRINGTON – Several weekends ago, the Goshen County Fairgrounds was packed with events. Buildings were decorated with some of the finest merchandise as the community celebrated the annual fall craft show, but deep inside the dust-riddled pavilion center, a handful of bull riders and bullfighters were born as a group of tough cowboys participated in the Sugar Valley Buckers Bull Riding School. Limited spots were available and prizes were awarded on the last day, Sunday. 

Cowboys had the opportunity to learn skills from some of the top professionals in their industries as students participated in bullfighting or riding exercises during the three-day class event. 

At a very young age, Ryley Lane, started his rodeo career. 

“I started on calves when I was seven or eight and worked my way up,” Lane explained. “My aunt and uncle lived here, down south of Henry. They have lived there for a long time. My aunt worked at the sale barn so they started like a mini bull deal up here and we would come up here for that deal until I was like 12 or so. Then I did high school rodeos.” 

After graduating college, the 25-year-old began helping teach other bull riders through various riding clinics.  

“When I graduated college, I kind of started helping a few schools where I was up at in Powell,” Lane said. “I enjoyed it.”

Lane also participated in faith-based camps and schools such as “Ready to ride, rope your dreams,” with Cody Meyers in Riverton and “At the foot of the cross” rodeo bible camps in Wiggins, Colorado with Kyle VanLandingham. 

“I started helping at a junior bull riding I used to go to because I lived in Colorado for a while. We moved up here (to the Torrington area) when I was a junior (in high school),” Lane said. “I went back and started helping them. They asked me to step and come help. Jess Lockwood, a PBR world champion, was supposed to come to one of their camps and I was supposed to come and help out and be like an assistant. Jess didn’t end up making it, so I had to kind of take over and ever since then they have had me as their man guy they come to. I go down there for church quite a bit.”

Lane decided to develop his own bull riding clinic a little closer to home with the knowledge had had gained. Lane requested the assistance of fellow bull rider Clayton Savages, a three-time NFR qualifier from Banner, Wyoming. 

“Helping at those taught me what I know about doing this (riding/fighting classes). In ’22 Clayton was trying to make the finals and he was pretty close to making it, but he got hurt at the end of the year. I called him and I was like, ‘Hey, would you be interested in doing this school down here?’ I had an arena at my cousin’s house and we were going to do a small deal, like a two-day deal the first year. Clayton said yes. It was kind of a rushed deal and kind of a tough deal to get done. We had a month and a half to figure it out and get sponsors.”

Lane explained this year, the duo gave themselves a bit more time to plan the class and in doing so, another day of instruction and rodeo competition was developed. 

“From there, we just gave ourselves a little more time for the next year and added a day. It just kind of blossomed a little bit into this,” Lane explained. “I just try to find new ways to add people in.” 

This year, the classes also featured a physical trainer, Natasha McCann, to help teach the athletes competing in the classes the importance of stretching their bodies before each ride. 

“I had her (McCann) her the first year and then last year she couldn’t make it,” Lane explained. “I readded her this year and kind of added some new things with her to teach those kids more of how to take care of themselves while they are out there. She is a sports trainer/rehabilitator. She travels to all of the big rodeos, and she has her own company, McCann Athletic Therapy. She is my trainer. She talked about what she does. She talked for about 45 minutes and then we took them down (to the arena) and did warmups with them.”

The class schedule included multiple aspects of bull riding. 

“Day one, we do check in and then we do introductions and introduce everyone I have helping and kind of just tell them some basic rules,” Lane said. “It’s kind of tough but with 32 students we needed some rules. One of the rules I had was I wanted them to meet in front of the chutes or grandstands, but it is kind of tough. Up until lunch, we did drills like we did (bucking) barrels. They go up and down, so they did drills on them. I brought my horse in to do bareback drills for them while the bullfighters went over their thing,” Lane explained. 

The classes involved cowboys learning chute procedures and Lane helped select the bulls for each group of students.

“Before lunch we did chute procedures where we ran a bull in that stands good. We ran in three bulls, a miniature, my kind of junior high school bulls and then a big bull for the bigger kids. We went over how to hang your rope and stuff,” Lane said. “The beginners needed to see that.”

Lane explained the classes are difficult to put together because they involve all different age groups as well as experience levels, some competing with him, but this year the class was a success. 

“It’s good for kids to see how Clayton does it. You know, someone that has been consistent for this long. Maybe they have a tough time leaving out of the chute with a bull or something like that,” Lane explained. “It’s tough to always get them to pay attention but this year I think we had a really good set of kids.”

“The last two years, I have had two instructors, Clayton and Tyler Kippes. This year, I added like assistance-coach roles but they ended up being just the main instructors. Wyatt Phelps and Dylan Grant, I added them. They are kids I high school rodoed with. Wyatt has won the PRCA series in Colorado and Dylan might have won it once too either that or the finals,” Lane explained. “I added them to have a little more one on one time.”

With different generation of coaches, Lane hoped to achieve a well-rounded class with knowledgeable skills the cowboys could take home.

“I would like to thank everybody that sponsored or donated to the school. Our main sponsors Wiggins Cowboy Church, Western Hay, IFM Services, Ameri-Co, Croelle, Midwest Agripro, K-V Enterprises and At The Foot Of The Cross Ministries, CattleCrete Company, Rustic Tavern, Floyd’s Truck Center and B&B Equine,” Lane said. “They all had banners hung up or their logo on award or T-shirt. Also, all those that donated; Advantage Chiropractic, Tacos Mexico, Warehouse Fitness Center, Brad Helgerson CPA, and Cheyenne River Cowboy Church and Western Ambitions Photography. We couldn’t do it without their support, and they have helped us make the School better every year,” Lane added.

For more information on Lane and the Sugar Valley Buckers Bull Riding School, check out their Facebook page.