​Rewritten article:
Rodeo runs through the heart of the Owen and Shannon Fagerhaug family in Wessington Springs, South Dakota. Grandpa Lennis once roped calves on the road as he chased the pro-rodeo circuit, while also playing bass with Kyle Evans and the Company Cowboys Band—Evans being a stage name, and brothers Kyle and Lennis sharing the same kin. The family’s rodeo lineage is rooted in memorable wins and enduring bonds. In 1995, Owen Fagerhaug captured the state high school rodeo championship in calf roping, while Shannon Greenfield earned the South Dakota State High School rodeo queen title in 1996 and 1997. The two met competing on the South Dakota State University Rodeo Team, and today their children, Ella, 18, and Wyatt, 14, are continuing the family tradition in the arena.
When asked about their greatest rodeo successes, Owen points to his children. “Ella and Wyatt are our greatest successes in and out of the arena,” he says. Shannon jokes, “I was roping at rodeos with Ella in my tummy.” The family traveled to rodeos together, often with well-equipped strollers and a pack-and-play in the horse trailer. “There are a lot of photos of us playing in the mud at rodeos,” Ella recalls, fondly noting that rodeo was part of their upbringing from the start. Today, the kids tag along and then perform in the arena themselves, a progression that has become a natural rhythm of their lives. “Now we are the ones tagging along and they are in the arena,” Shannon reflects, watching Ella and Wyatt prepare for their events.
The siblings ride to success with different horses for different events, and Owen and Shannon stay busy ensuring their horses and tack are ready. From the outset, their passion for rodeo shaped major life choices—building a home on Owen’s family cattle operation in 2019, just across the shelterbelt from Lennis and Peggy’s home, which sits on land once homesteaded by Owen’s great-grandparents, Arnt and Ella Fagerhaug, after they immigrated from Norway. The family’s cattle operation sits alongside pasture for the Quarter horses they raise and train, a testament to how rodeo, farming, and family life intertwine.
Shannon, who grew up near Beresford with parents Jill and Robert, learned to train horses early and now contributes to a tradition of horsemanship and trust. “We’ve had success with the horses we’ve raised and trained,” she notes, emphasizing that they’ve handled these animals since they were foals. This intimate history gives the horse-and-rider relationship a special depth. “Because we’ve worked with them since they were babies, we know every vice, every pressure point, and what they’ll tolerate—or won’t,” Shannon explains. The horses, in turn, recognize the trust they share with their handlers.
Wyatt, who competes in multiple events—breakaway, team roping, tie-down, goat tying, and ribbon roping—emphasizes the importance of partnership in the arena. “Your horse is your teammate,” he says, capturing the essence of their approach to rodeo life. The Fagerhaug family’s story is one of shared roots and ongoing dedication, where off-farm careers support a life centered on horses, cattle, and the enduring rituals of rodeo.