Logan Delinte: Rookie of the Year

by Emma Taber 

Logan Delinte, a Canadian native, a cowboy from birth and an occasional bucking horse rider, earned the Rookie of the Year title at the 29th World Championship Ranch Rodeo.

The 27-year-old was raised on a ranch in Saskatchewan, Canada, where he developed his love for horses and ranch rodeos. He learned from his father, watching him cowboy and compete in local events.

Delinte took a leap of faith when he moved to the lower 48 to Hobbs, New Mexico, to attend New Mexico Junior College on a rodeo scholarship. Though he got his start team roping, his teammates and friends convinced him to ride bucking horses for the rodeo team. Having long been interested in the event, he jumped at the chance. But after riding broncs for some years, he retired his spurs with the exception of a few rides at the occasional ranch rodeo. His last bronc ride before this season was in 2019.

However, that bucking horse experience came in handy when Cody Kendall from Beachner Brothers Livestock in Kansas gave him a call and asked if he would want to be on their team—under one condition: he had to ride the broncs.

I told Cody, ‘I ain’t going to practice and it’s going to take me a few,’” Delinte recalled. “And he said, ‘That’s fine as long as you want to get on them.’ And I told him, ‘Well, I’m probably gonna fall off a few.’”

Delinte had attended the World Championships while in college and thought it was “pretty dang cool” but said competing this year topped it all.

“Being from Canada, I’d never seen anything like that,” Delinte said. “Being able to get in there and compete this year was kind of a dream come true.”

The nerves hit Delinte as the lights went down before the first grand entry.

“I was just super nervous riding down that tunnel and hearing everybody hooting and hollering,” he said.

His horse, who he calls Black Magic, could also feel the nerves. At just under 4 years old, he’d only been to a handful of ranch rodeos, but after Delinte qualified while riding him, he thought it was only right to bring him.

“I took him to Medicine Lodge where we qualified and I thought, ‘Well I qualified on him; I ought to take him to the finals,’ and he handled it pretty good,” Delinte said.

The atmosphere caught up to Black Magic for just a moment during the stray gathering.

“I heeled that steer and drug him off and my saddle kind of slipped off to the side a little bit,” Delinte said. “When I stepped off of him, he started bucking when I was running to tie the steer.”

The rookie had quite a cheering section. His wife, Hagen, who is expecting, his parents, his in-laws, friends and family were all in attendance, cheering him on. You can imagine their excitement when Logan was called to receive the award.

Logan stressed that he and Hagen had won Rookie of the Year together.

“She really helped me win that deal,” he said. “She packed my bronc saddle all summer long, fed me, washed all my clothes after I’d get my head stepped on, got all the mud stains out of everything all the time. She won it just as much as I did, so it was pretty exciting for the both of us.”

Hagen and Logan are expecting their first baby in March, and they can’t wait to share the stories of this year’s championships with their child. Logan said his father-in-law even bought a WRCA shirt for the little one to wear.

“We’ll give it to her and tell her, ‘Hey, that was from the time your dad won Rookie of the Year there,” Delinte said.

His rookie year won’t be his only year. Delinte said he looks forward to hopefully coming back in the future and doing better each year.

“I’m so thankful for the WRCA and American Hats for the check and the hat,” he said. “That was awesome. I don’t know how I won it, but I sure am glad they picked me.”

As Logan and Hagen settle back into their life in Hutchinson, Kansas, riding colts, training rope horses, day working and preparing for the arrival of their baby girl, the 2024 World Championship weekend will stand out as a defining chapter—one they’ll share proudly with their growing family.

—WRCA—

This article appears in the December 2024 issue of the Hungry Loop.  Would you like to read more stories about the WRCA and ranching life? When you become a member of the Working Ranch Cowboys Association, you’ll receive the Hungry Loop and much more while supporting the working cowboy. Become a member today.