J.C. Kitaif compares his ranch in the Mesa community of Walthall County to an NFL team, where livestock is traded and treated much the same way as a professional athlete, because in his line of work, that’s what his cattle and horses are.
Kitaif’s company, J.C. Kitaif Pro Rodeos Inc., is one of 54 contracting firms in the U.S. that helps put on rodeos for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the pinnacle of the sport.
“Our firm produces 60 performances a year, from Tennessee and South Florida, to Las Vegas, Nevada,” Kitaif told the McComb Exchange Club on Thursday.
The work is a logistical feat,with a convoy of five semi-trucks hauling 65 horses, calves, bulls and steers, requiring a 26-person crew that Kitaif employs.
“We have a pretty big footprint that comes in and we’re excited about the sport,” he said.
Kitaif said pro rodeo is a $13 billion-and-growing industry, thanks to exposure on cable and network television, including RFD-TV, The Cowboy Channel and CBS Sports.
For some spectators, the interest has always been there, but others are newly converted fans, due in part to the politics of sports and professional athletes, Kitaif said.
“We don’t kneel,” he said. “Last year there were more spectators at professional rodeos than all of the NFL games combined.”
The sport also has broad appeal in Mississippi. Tyler Waguespack, the world champion steer wrestler whose career earnings have exceed $1.7 million, is from Gonzales, La., and has ties to Lincoln County, Kitaif said. He added that 21 highly ranked professional cowboys are from the Magnolia State.
“There are actually seven professional rodeos in the state of Mississippi, which is a lot, considering Alabama only has two,” he said. “You guys aren’t very far removed from the real hub of the sport.”
The Wrangler National Finals, which start Dec. 1 in Las Vegas, is the Super Bowl of pro rodeo, and Kitaif’s company will help put it on as well.
Kitaif’s family is deeply involved in the business, with his sons managing livestock and his daughter handling promotions.
“My job in the business is more like the general personnel guy in the NFL,” he said. “Managing those animals is a lot like running a football team.
“We trade animals just like guys trade players on football teams. It’s ridiculous. We traded with guys from Arkansas last week. We raise our superstars and we buy our new ones.”
Some animals get put on the disabled list and others are traded because their aptitude for one thing might no longer be a fit for the grand scheme of the operation.
“Some get injured,” Kitaif said. “We pull a muscle or somebody’s got a frog in their leg or has a bellyache.”
Magnolia veterinarian Dr. Keith Tamor helps with medical issues, as does Dr. Rob Loper of Tylertown.
His highest ranked bulls are “Rico Suave” and “Magic Man.”
“You would probably see Rico at every televised event,” Kitaif said.
He has a herd of about 120 rodeo horses, not including mares and colts, and 35 to 45 bulls.
Rodeo stars Kaycee Feild and Rocker Steiner have ridden — and been bucked off — by Kitaif’s horses.
But being able to fling a pro cowboy off its back like a rag doll doesn’t make it the best horse or bull, Kitaif said.
“Just because we have a bull that bucks really hard, if those guys can’t ride him, he’s out,” he said. “They’re looking for an animal that’s athletic, has lots of ability.”
Pro rodeos only select 100 animals for an event.
Raising a bull or a bronco for the rodeo is a mix of genetics and luck, Kitaif said, “and I’ll take the luck side.”
While political debates have infiltrated some professional sports, if pro rodeo has a controversial issue its the treatment of the animals, Kitaif said. He added that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have protested at some of their events.
“The Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association has one whole department of livestock coordination. They monitor state laws on animal cruelty,” he said. “I think we’ve come to a point of tolerance. They have regulations. We have to operate in a prism that keeps all of this ethical.”
Kitaif said the higher levels of pro rodeo are more apt to treat livestock well than the bush leagues of rodeo, and considering they are his livelihood and a valuable component of his business, he has enough incentive to ensure they are treated well.
“We’re telling all of these people that these animals are our livelihood. We take care of them. They eat before we do,” he said.
Kitaif has long been involved in the cowboy and rodeo life, and for him this is a dream job.
“I raised four kids in this business, but I knew where our kids were at all times,” he said. “The sport of rodeo is fine. It’s thriving, it’s phenomenal.”
Kitaif said his part of the rodeo industry is a nice way to make a living.
“I’ll tell you I’m the richest man in the world,” he said. “I don’t know how you count that in beans. At the end of the day, we do what we like. There’s very few people in the game, which makes our demand high. But yes, is the business good? Yes. I’d rather do that than be in construction.”
