Luke Branquinho is a 4 Time World Champion Steer Wrestler and
a ten-time NFR qualifier. Equine VIP caught up with Luke at a hometown
rodeo getting ready for his extreme sport on dirt!
It must be fun for you to rodeo in your hometown?
Yes – rodeo’s been good to me and it’s such a tight knit community.
Everyone knows the rodeo here and it’s nice to have that type of recognition in your hometown.
Your family is so supportive – is that key to your success?
When I was a kid my parents would take my brothers and I to junior
rodeos, but it was never something that was forced upon us. They gave us horses and if we wanted to rodeo, they gave us the opportunity. They said if you want to play baseball, play baseball. Fortunately, my brothers and I picked rodeo and my parents did their best to support us. They put lights up in the arena so when we got home from baseball practice, we could go turn on the lights and practice rodeo. Then it was homework and bedtime! I can’t remember how many steers my Dad hazed for me in the practice pen. It’s amazing to have that much family support and not just through junior rodeo, but also college and now the professional ranks.
In 2000 you won the Rookie of the Year. Did you have your sites
set for bigger things after that?
I made the mistake of just wanting to win the Rookie of the Year Award.
I think if I had set my goals higher, I might have had a chance to make the NFR finals that year. I tell anyone wanting to go for the Rookie of the Year Award – if you’re going out there and rodeo all year long to try and win the Rookie of the Year, you might as well try and make the NFR finals because that’s what everyone else out there is trying to do.
I was surprised to read you study the steer before you rodeo?
The steer in this rodeo went to Hayward, CA 2 weeks ago, so we’ll see
who ran them at Hayward and try and get the best information we
can on them. We try and learn what the steer are going to do before
we have to run them so we can set up a game plan. There are a few
rodeos we go to where the steers are totally fresh – we don’t know
anything about them.
You have a reputation for being “consistent”. Tell us about
that?
I try and ride good horses and that’s really important. You need a
horse that will let you score and run hard. If you get a good horse – it will give you a good shot and it doesn’t matter whether your steer is running or stopping, you still have a good chance to win. I think that’s where my consistency comes from.
What does it take to be “Luke’s horse”?
I travel with Les Shepperson and Miles Switzer (a rookie from
my area). We have three good horses. My horse Spiderman and Les’s two
horses Dylan and a horse we call Rocket. All three horses are great horses. Right now my confidence is in Les’s horse Dylan. Two weeks ago I won 3 rodeos and placed at another rodeo on him.
I think people would be surprised to learn that you are a diabetic. It
must be hard to be a professional athlete and have diabetes?
It is tough. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was eighteen.
I was in college and thought my life was over. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do the thing I loved most – rodeo. Through family support and good doctors, I learned what I need to do to maintain my blood sugars. Once I had that figured out it was “game on”! I tested myself as much as I could and discovered how to manage it the best I could. So far – it’s worked out great.
I’ve heard you do a little bootie shake when you’ve had a good
run. What’s that about?
(Luke laughs) Yeah – that was started by the announcers at an Omaha
rodeo. It took off after that, but I guess I can’t complain too much because if I’m doing it, I must be winning!
