Local PRCA bull rider represents Newcastle
Dylan Rice, the son of Duane and Tamra Rice, was born and raised in Flandreau, S.D., along with his two sisters.
Growing up in South Dakota, Dylan spent a lot of time working alongside his dad on a local farm where they grew row crops.
However, he was lucky enough to have some great friends with a small ranch just outside of town where he first got to know and love horses.
“At an early age, I was bitten by the horse bug,” Dylan stated. “I discovered my passion for horses. This love has only grown stronger and will remain a constant in my life.”
As a determined young 4-H rodeo athlete, Dylan initially started in team roping, and at just 10 years old, he confidently took on the challenge of riding his first steer.
Dylan shared, “I was young and, just being a kid, I thought it would be fun to try. It turns out I was good at it and could stick to them.”
The adventure continues
After graduating from Flandreau High School, Dylan traveled West to attend Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne in 2019.
While at LCCC, he studied equine management and participated in bull riding on the men’s rodeo team.
“I had an excellent mentor at LCCC – Seth Glause – who was the head rodeo coach. He was a great mentor and helped me improve as a rider,” Dylan mentioned. “He was a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier in bull riding. He knew a lot and was a great coach.”
Dylan’s hard work and determination paid off, and he secured his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) card in 2021.
The PRCA is the largest, most prestigious Western sports organization in the world, with more than 700 PRCA-sanctioned rodeo events held each year.
Dylan is currently ranked among the top 50 bull riders in the world, according to the PRCA website.
“I’ve had some great rides, but one of the most memorable was a win I had at the Sitting Bull Stampede at the Mobridge Rodeo Grounds in Mobridge, S.D. last year over Fourth of July weekend,” he said. “I scored 85.5 points on Sutton Rodeo’s Charlie Brown for one of my largest paydays.”
Dylan continues to rack up some great rides as he travels the West, including a second-place finish at the Badlands Iron Cowboy Rodeo in Killdeer, N.D. and in Del Rio, Texas at the 45th George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bull Riding where he finished among the top five riders.
“I have been lucky enough to travel to some very cool places, gathering a lot of points and having some of my best rides in the most prestigious places,” he shared. “I am fortunate to be able to follow my dream.”
Closer to home
Today, Dylan calls the Circle 9 Cattle Ranch in Newcastle home, where he and his girlfriend Rebecca “Becky” Podio train ranch and rodeo horses and help raise rank bucking bulls.
“We met rodeoing when he was on the Badlands Circuit a couple of years ago,” Becky stated. “A little over a year ago, he moved to Newcastle where we live today.”
Becky is no stranger to the ag industry, as she serves as the Wyoming State Fair rodeo coordinator and produces PRCA Xtreme Bull events.
“I grew up rodeoing, and I come from a rodeo family,” Becky said. “My grandfather was a rodeo announcer, and my dad and uncles rodeoed as well.”
Becky, her siblings and her cousins all participated in high school and college rodeo.
“My family started raising bucking bulls about 15 years ago, then my parents became partners on a PRCA card in 2019,” she said.
For the past eight years, Becky has been producing Professional Bull Riders and PRCA bull riding events. This May will mark the fifth anniversary of her producing Xtreme Bulls in Buffalo.
The Circle 9 Cattle Company and the entire Podio family, now in their fifth generation, continue to raise bulls on the grasslands of the Powder River Basin.
“In five years, I see myself still riding bulls and Becky producing events and hauling bulls to events with her family,” Dylan concluded. “But we hope to buy some land and continue to raise bucking stock, put on events and raise horses, as it is a passion for both of us.”
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
