James and Nate struggled getting along with their families before they arrived at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch. But when they first met at the ranch, it was as if these two strangers were meant to be friends. They both knew how to ride and enjoyed roping. They also have a fondness for fried chicken.

The boys regularly engage in friendly arguments on these three issues:

• Which of them is the better rider?
• Which of them is the better roper?
• Which of them is funnier and more handsome?

“I got here in the middle of my eighth-grade year,” James said. “I’d been riding regular horses before I got here, and I had a rope that I spun in circles and threw at a pole, but I never really caught it. I actually learned how to rope here at Boys Ranch.”

Since coming to Boys Ranch, James has been riding frequently through his time in the equine Experiential Learning Program. He improved steadily, and at the 2021 Boys Ranch Rodeo, he was reserve champion all-around senior boy, including winning the senior roping class.

Nate’s journey was similar. He arrived at Boys Ranch two months before the 2021 rodeo with a lot of horse experience.

“I had ridden since fourth grade and then I started roping,” Nate said. “I started roping the summer before I came here.”

When Nate arrived, he noticed a roping dummy in a yard.

“The first time I saw James, he was roping, and he said, ‘Hey Nate, you should come rope with us,’” Nate said.

They made an almost immediate connection. It wasn’t long until James convinced Nate to join him at rodeo practices. James helped Nate put on his protective equipment so Nate could try riding a steer. By rodeo time, Nate had enough experience to place third in senior roping and third in bronc riding. James strongly prefers roping. Both of them spent their entire 2021 summer preparing for the Labor Day weekend showdown at the Marshall Cator Arena.

“I know he wants to be better,” James said. “So I’ve got to be better than him. He has been pushing me to be better in my roping, and we practice a lot at home.”

The practice paid off for James, who was 2022 champion all-around senior boy, winning bronc riding and senior roping.

Nate was injured and was unable to participate, but he’s planning a big comeback in 2023.

They have helped at several brandings, including the one for Boys Ranch. During the summer, a kind donor paid for the two of them to go to an agriculture camp, where they spent a week learning about range management, animal husbandry and leadership.

Both of them think their experiences at Boys Ranch could lead to careers in agriculture. They’re both looking toward rodeoing in college and earning agriculture science degrees. They both did well during the 2021-22 school year. Nate, a junior who catches for the Boys Ranch Roughriders baseball team, earned a spirit award at the school.

James earned a writing award. James showed a lamb in FFA last year, and both of them have FFA animal projects this year.

Both agree that Boys Ranch donors have helped them and that the environment at Boys Ranch has helped them grow into better people.

You can support youth like James and Nate in discovering their full potential by including Cal Farley's Boys Ranch in your estate plan. Contact the Office of Planned Giving at 1-800-687-3722 or giving@calfarley.org to learn more.