Life on the road just became a little sweeter for Shane and Taylor Hanchey, who recently added the newest addition to their rodeo rig, their firstborn son Stran Jacob Hanchey.
Shane and Taylor, both of whom have been the NFR numerous times, welcomed Stran to the family in May.
For the roping couple, having Stran with them while they compete this summer has been different, but they could not imagine it any other way.
“It’s a work in progress and really it takes a lot of help. I didn’t realize when I was pregnant that I would need a whole village of people around to help me try to rope and take care of Stran, but it’s worth it,” Taylor said.
She was 4.4 seconds in the breakaway slack at the Cheyenne Frontier Days and believes that having Stran there helped her to stay distracted and not think about her runs as much.
“You know, I just had a really good calf and I think it actually worked to my advantage because I was kind of tending to Stran and so I didn’t over think it,” she said. “Maybe that is the key to just not overthinking and just go rope.”
Shane is just as happy to have his future calf roper on the road with him this summer and says that Stran has changed his mental game.
“That’s what I have said from the get-go it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I have been pretty fortunate in the arena, but nothing beats having a little boy,” Shane said. “I just want to rope and then get back to the trailer to see him. Or, anytime I don’t do good, I just look on my phone and see pictures of him, and it cheers me up pretty quick. I used to be quite the sore loser in the arena, but now with him, I mean like everybody has said throughout the years, they don’t know whether you did bad or good. So, it’s really... I have been real fortunate. I am loving this dad life.”
The “added pressure” of having to provide for another Hanchey has made Shane step up his game in the arena. He has taken home a few big checks within the past two months at rodeos like the Crooked River, Reno, Greeley, Cody, Calgary, and Salinas to name a few.
