Evan Schmidt
Evan Schmidt, a lifelong rodeo cowboy from Morse, Texas, now resides outside of Panhandle, Texas, with his wife Kaylee and their two kids, Stetson and Swayze. Together, Evan and Kaylee run EK Insurance Agency, a family business specializing in life, health, and Medicare insurance. While Evan primarily focuses on Aflac sales and leads a team, Kaylee handles the health and Medicare side of the business.
Evan grew up immersed in the rodeo lifestyle. He was a bull rider and team roper throughout high school and earned a full-ride rodeo scholarship to Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas. His rodeo career took off when he became a professional bullfighter, holding his PBR and PRCA cards. Over the course of 12 years, Evan fought bulls at prestigious events, including nine National High School Finals and eight National Junior High Finals. He was named Bullfighter of the Year for the Texas Cowboy Rodeo Association (TCRA) four times.
However, the demanding lifestyle of constant travel eventually led Evan to step away from the bullfighting arena in 2014. After a stint as a firefighter EMT and a brief foray into the oilfield, he transitioned into the insurance industry. Around the same time, Evan turned his focus back to team roping and began producing roping events.
“When I hung up my cleats and baggies in 2014, that was when I started roping more and producing ropings,” Evan shared. “I told my wife when we started dating, ‘I’m a rodeo cowboy and will be my whole life.’”
His dedication to providing top-notch cattle and well-run events has earned him a stellar reputation. As a result of that, Evan was thrilled to receive the call from Wesley to join the organization as a producer. “I take a ton of pride in our cattle,” Evan said. “As a producer, I have one job: to provide good cattle and put on a good production. If there’s a bad steer, he does not live on our place.”
Evan’s passion for horses and roping continues to grow. For much of his life, he primarily rode grade horses without papers. However, the industry has shifted, with a stronger focus on papers and breeding. Evan saw this as an opportunity to dive into the world of registered horses. Recently, he purchased a Riata Buckle weanling by the stud TRUMPED U, marking his first step into this arena. His current lineup includes Rooster, a red roan you can head and heel on that his wife also ropes on, and Spook, a 15-year-old blue roan heel horse.
With goals to make 40+ more prominent in the Amarillo area and to one day win a big check at the World Series Finale in Vegas, Evan is determined to leave a lasting impact in the roping world. “Getting my number bumped every year means I’m roping well and winning money,” he said.
Looking back on his rodeo career, Evan is particularly proud of the NFR buckle he won at the freestyle bullfights held at the Benny Binion Bucking Stock Sale in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo. In the team roping arena, his greatest accomplishment is the reputation he’s built as a producer and his commitment to excellence in every event he organizes.
