When Jake Toberer was only three years old, following in his father Michael and older brother Zack’s footsteps, he began to ride horses. By four years old he was packing into the back country with his family’s mule packing business Copper Valley Trail Company. By five years old he was bitten with the calf riding bug and this is where the real story begins.
There was only one thing holding Jake back from his calf riding dream…his age. At five years old he was too young to compete. What his father saw in his young son’s eyes when he asked to ride was determination, drive, and passion to become a bull rider. How could a father not help his son try to achieve his dream? Enter friend and fellow bull rider Ryan McClure. Under Ryan’s careful tutelage and watchful eye little Jake learned the ins and outs of calf riding surrounded by pros. With safety being the biggest issue, Jake always wears a helmet and his impact vest, there were always many ‘hands’ available at each ‘training’ to catch Jake if he fell. Though his dad pointed out, “he had to fall a few times” alluding to the fact that calf riding is inherently dangerous and therefore should command respect from every rider no matter the age and that knowledge and training is the key to the ‘game.’
After two years of ‘training’ Jake was finally old enough to compete. Closely following Jake’s 7th birthday he competed at the 2010 Calaveras County Fair receiving a buckle his first time out. Within weeks Jake competed again, placing again. The story goes on. To date Jake, known as Jet on the rodeo circuit (short for Jacob Ernst Toberer), has entered seven rodeos and has come out on top, as Champion, in five of them. His division is 10 and under. With 3 more years in the same division one would think that winning would get tiresome, but Jet already has his eye on roping this coming year and steer riding at 10 years old.
While it sounds as if Jake’s whole little life is all about horses, it is not. He attends Copperopolis Elementary as a second grader, enjoys soccer, wrestling, baseball, fishing, playing with his brother and sisters, and is involved in 4-H. However, horses do run in his blood and he hopes to enter roping training soon at the Camarillo Ranch in Oakdale, home to the Camarillo Brothers holders of multiple National and World Roping Titles.
Jake might have a good shot at the world finals in Texas next year if he keeps on this track.
Jake has sponsorship through his roping team PACwest Extreme but is always looking for more sponsors to help offset traveling, feeding, and lodging costs. Interested in sponsoring ‘Jet’ contact Michael Toberer at info@coppervalleytrail.com.
photos from Copper Valley Trail website, coppervalleytrail.com
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