Zanen Pitts rides right into rodeo scene
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Zanen Pitts always looked up to his father when it came to keeping active throughout his childhood. In grade school, Pitts took to the basketball courts, helping the Ronan Chiefs with multiple successful seasons until he graduated in 2005.
During his childhood, Pitts’ family raised rodeo horses, and the young man said he’s always been “kind of a cowboy.”
After graduating, Pitts continued his passion for basketball by playing for the University of Montana-Western in Dillon, where he red-shirted his freshman year. Following his first year in college, he went on a two-year mission for his Mormon faith.
When he returned from his mission, Pitts went to his father and asked him how to rope a calf. Soon Pitts was hooked. After discovering his newfound passion, the Ronan cowboy entered his first rodeo, the Dawson Community College spring rodeo.
“The first two rodeos were kinda rough,” Pitts said. “I guess you could say I paid my dues. It was really hard when I started; I realized I had to put in time like I did with basketball.”
For the next year, Pitts competed on the UM-Western Bulldog Rodeo team, where he had success, but was still far from where he wanted to be as a competitor in the ring. By the end of the season, he climbed his way to seventh place in the conference.
“I kinda struggled; I made a big change by switching my horse, and my second horse put me where I’m at,” he said.
After graduating from UM-Western with an equine business degree, Pitts was accepted into the welding program at the University of Montana, where he joined the Grizzly rodeo team and is now competing in the Big Sky Conference.
“I just want to be a jack-of-all-trades,” he said. “So I said, ‘Why not go into welding?’”
Pitts began his 2011-12 season at a rodeo in Cody, Wyo., where he had barrier mishaps and did not place in either go. He then competed in the Montana State Northern rodeo, where he finished third in the average.
At his fourth rodeo in Miles City, Pitts continued to improve, finishing second in the average.
After a strong finish in the fall season, the rookie won the UM-Western rodeo with a second place in the long go, first place in the short go, and first place in the average. With the points he earned in Dillon, Pitts has now moved from fourth place to second in the Big Sky Region in tie-down roping and is currently ranked sixth in the nation.
It’s been anything but easy for Pitts in the rodeo scene. He balances school work with hours of rodeo practice, while also finding time to spend with his wife Kendra.
Pitts’ current goal is to make it to the College National Finals next June in Casper, Wyo, but he also has his eyes set on a much larger goal.
“I want to be a world champ,” he said. “It comes down to hard work and my training horse, but my family and wife have been really supportive of me doing this.”
Pitts also has a dream of putting in a junior local circuit for the Mission Valley, while also training 10-20 roping horses on his farm.
“The rodeo is kind of a dying breed,” he said. “I wanna bring it back.”
