Hailing from Chico, California, David was raised in ranch country. Horses
and rodeos have been a part of his life as far back as he can remember. Hav-
ing moved to san Diego to work for the family business, he soon began
planning a business of his own. It may not sound like the usual industry in
which a famous rodeo champion might specialize, but it’s a business very
close to his heart. Thick Hair enhancement isn’t your typical hair salon. The
staff specializes in high-quality hair replacement for people who are going
through chemotherapy.
“That’s why it’s kind of ambiguous,” explained David. “I opened my busi-
ness seven years ago; I’ve been at this location for three. I’ve been in hair re-
placement/hair extensions for about 20 years—anything to enhance hair.”
you’d think that he’d have no extra time with a business to run, but after liv-
ing in san Diego for 15 years, it’s only natural that he’d find time to immerse
himself in the community of his roots—the rodeo.
“I’ve done rodeo ever since I was little,” detailed David. “I’ve done junior
rodeo…I was in high school rodeo…college rodeo…then I went pro after
that. [The IGRA circuit] is a competition that runs throughout the year. you
go to the finals in Albequerque, new Mexico in october. Depending on
how you’ve done throughout the year, you’re ranked by the points you’ve
accumulated. Prior to this year, I’m a two-time International Champion.”
In addition to all the social gatherings at the rodeo—including the Boots
and Briefs contest—we can expect to see David participating in 10 events
Thick hair EnhancEmEnT
including horse and roping competitions. But for those of us who still have
619.260.0094
to work on our basics before we go gung ho, there will be a place for us too.
3852 3rd ave
“The great thing about the Gay Rodeo is that they have introduction levels
San Diego, ca 92103
of competition which are called Camp events,” David elaborated. “you don’t
itsthick.com
have to own a horse, you just go. They’re fun events like goat dressing and
steer decorating and the wild drag race. They’re all entry-level events that
anyone can just sign up to do. As far as the roping, where I’ve won all my
titles, I’ve had two major team roping partners. one of the guys with whom
I won one of the two IGRA championships with is Kirk Carter. We’ve been
partners for about 17 years. I call him my non-sexual partner. (laughter) He’s
my best friend.”
Along with travelling all over the world with the distinction of being the
best at what he does, David also enjoys the simpler benefits of the sport.
“It creates a great sense of community. It’s kind of like a family that you get
to choose. I stay in contact with a lot of the friends I make at the rodeos. But
there are still a lot of people who don’t know about the Gay Rodeo. Part of
our job is promoting that to new people and a younger generation—letting
them know it’s out there. We always invite new contestants to ask us for help-
ful hints. We’re happy to help them.”
David imparted one of those helpful hints to me as he explained the
relationship between man and mount.
“It’s more about partnership and trust than anything. With any large
animal, they have to trust you. In turn, they just calm down when they know
you’re not going to hurt them. you know what the horse is going to do and
the horse knows what you’re going to ask it to do. It just becomes a natural
thing between you and your horse. I have a quarter horse gelding. He’s a
four-year-old. His name is easy. This is his first year competing. Before him,
I had a horse on which I won numerous international titles. His name was
Biscuit. He’s been retired since last year.”
Readers can also enjoy his mesmeric presence in this Fashion section.
“Dennis Covey and Cesar were great,” said David of his experience. “It was
fun! And of course all the people down the street were hooting and hollering
seeing a cowboy on a truck. (laughter)”
visit
sandiegorodeo.org for a complete listing of all the competitions at
this year’s rodeo.
42 RAGE monthly | september 2009
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96