IKE SANKEY

Stock Contractor

Inducted 2026

From the start, you might have pegged Ike Sankey for a world champion bronc rider, but that is not the direction he chose after three years on the road. Sankey competed in Little Britches and High School Rodeo around his home in Rose Hill, Kansas. He bought his permit card in 1974 and filled it in 1975. He made his first of four consecutive trips to the National Finals Rodeo that same year. In 1978, he went to the Finals in both bareback and saddle bronc riding.

But there was another aspect of the rodeo world that was calling. Sankey’s father had been a horse trainer and trader for many years, and he felt himself drawn to raising bucking horses more than riding them. He applied for his stock contractor card in 1977 and went into the stock contracting business with his dad and brother in 1979. By 1981, Sankey had moved his operation from Kansas to Cody, Wyoming, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Sankey purchased the production rights to the Cody Nite Rodeo in 1981. He worked hard to get the rodeo on the map for the traveling cowboys. Part of the attraction was the quality of stock he started furnishing at the rodeo. Believing that a Wednesday ticket was just as good as a Saturday ticket, Sankey made sure he had the best stock at each performance. He began using the rodeo as a testing ground for his new colts. To bring new horses in each summer, Sankey offered a buckle to the person who brought him the best bucking horse.

Throughout his tenure at the Cody Rodeo, Sankey was developing one of the best breeding programs in the rodeo world. A firm believer that heredity plays big into the bucking ability of a horse, he carefully selected the pairs and kept track of their performance records. The payoff came with over 400 horses being selected for the NFR. His dedication earned him the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year in 1999. His horses have earned top PRCA awards four times.

Over the course of his career, Sankey has helped many in the next generation get started. Whether that was helping his brother Lyle teach rodeo schools in Kansas or coaching at Northwest College, he has made a lasting impact on the rodeo community.

Born May 15, 1957 in Grand Junction, Colorado