The Determination and Strength of Kaycee Feild
You could say that being a cowboy is in Kaycee Feild’s blood. At the young age of two, he started saying out loud, “My name is Kaycee Feild and I am the six-time Bareback Riding Champion of the World.” His father, Lewis Feild, was a rodeo champion and coach that brought a daily dose of happiness, positivity, strength and inspiration to the young cowman. In fact, the entire family is a multi-generational fixture in the Utah Rodeo community.
As a teenager, Feild became laser focused on bareback riding, and with the help of his dad as life and rodeo coach, the awards and accolades started pouring in. His first year on the pro-circuit, he won the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s (PRCA’s) Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year and the All-Around Rookie of the Year. In 2014, Feild was named PRCA’s Bareback Champion of the Year. He now holds six world titles at the National Rodeo Finals (NFR) and four PRCA Bareback Riding Horse of the Year awards.
With all his success, to say the local community is proud of their cowboy would be an understatement. He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the Spanish Fork Rodeo Hall of Fame. After he won his fifth world title, the city of Payson, Utah (Feild’s hometown) honored him with a magnificent bronze buck-riding cowboy figure. In turn, to show his appreciation, he is working to bring Utah its own rodeo competition—The Bareback Riding Kaycee Feild International.
His unrelenting determination keeps him focused on winning competitions. Feild is acutely aware that bareback riding is a “young man’s sport.” This motivates him to continually practice and improve his craft. His home gym is equipped with spur boards, bucking machines, weights and resistance machines, which he uses whenever he is home. He also focuses on being “long and loose” as the stretching and lengthening of his muscles are a key part of his workout routine. The physical conditioning allows him to take extended, strong rides—a key component to bareback riding. “The more you can feel a horse under you, the better you are.” He adds, “Being on a horse is such good therapy. While on a ride, I’m able to get a lot of thinking, and dreaming done.”
Feild envisioned his dreams coming true long before he started competing.
His love for the cowboy way of life, in addition to his immense talent and ambition, have made him a role model to thousands of young cowfolk around the country. At every rodeo event, one of his most anticipated actions is made after his competition ride—he walks or rides the stadium fence giving high-fives, thumbs-up, handshakes and knuckle-bumps to the children in the crowd. His personal interaction with future cowboys and cowgirls has inspired and motivated countless youngsters from all walks of life.
His desire to pay it forward has even sent him overseas, when in 2012, he was asked to represent the rodeo community and visit troops in Afghanistan. While on The Wrangler National Patriot Tour, Feild shared his cowman knowledge with the young men serving our country. His best memories include seeing their faces light up as he would greet them. He “looked into their eyes and could see the strength and courage that lie in a cowboy’s heart.” He came back from the experience with even more determination to give back whenever he could.
In addition to his altruistic achievements, his celebrity has transcended beyond the rodeo scene. In 2022, he was featured in a short film sponsored by Ariat International called “Unbroken”. The movie accurately portrays the bold and gritty cowboy life and the drive it takes to be successful. He also has a streaming docuseries: Outside the Arena— YouTube@OutsideTheArena . The program highlights the wild adventures and learning moments he has experienced in his professional and personal life. He told us proudly, “When the long road ends, I will have no regrets. I did everything I wanted to.”
As for his existence outside of the competition arena, Feild is devoted to his family, friends and faith. He loves taking his kids on horseback rides and spending quality time with them. Because of his deep respect for horses, he also spends time raising the majestic creatures and continuing their purebred hereditary lines.
Of course, like any true cowboy, he also “enjoys a good steak, working in a new pair of boots and showing off a custom-made cowboy hat.” However, his favorite thing is waking up next to his wife, Stephanie. She is his personal hero as she tends to their children, house and “pretty much everything” when he is on the road. Even more importantly, she has cared for him during times of physical injury and private heartache. In 2016, Feild’s father and longtime rodeo coach passed away, and Stephanie’s support helped him through the hard times. Today, his dad’s memory motivates him to continually advance and triumph.
Amongst the rodeo community, it’s said that Lewis Feild’s spirit is always with his son. It’s even whispered that when Feild is bareback riding, his dad is always next to him—supporting and encouraging his son right up to the end of the ride.
