Thatch Elmer | Cowboy Poet Child Prodigy

Thatch Elmer – Cowboy Poet, Rancher, and Rising Voice of the American West

Thatch Elmer is one of the most recognized young cowboy poets in America, earning national attention for preserving and promoting the traditions of the American West through poetry, storytelling, and authentic cowboy culture. Born in Wyoming and raised in a ranching family, Elmer began reciting cowboy poetry at just five years old and quickly developed a reputation for delivering classic and original works with a maturity far beyond his years.

By the time he was a teenager, Elmer was already performing at major cowboy poetry gatherings, western heritage events, fairs, festivals, and rodeos across the United States. He has appeared dozens of times annually on stages throughout the West, becoming one of the most sought-after young performers in the cowboy poetry community.

Among his early accomplishments, Elmer received the prestigious Rod McQueary/Sue Wallis Memorial Scholarship at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, becoming the first recipient of the award. He later returned to the gathering as both a featured performer and entertainer, an uncommon achievement for someone so young.

His poetry and performances have been featured in publications, books, and recorded compilations dedicated to western heritage and cowboy culture. Elmer has also been highlighted by Western Horseman Magazine, often considered one of the most respected publications in the western industry.

Beyond the stage, Thatch is a working ranch cowboy, horseman, and team roper who lives the lifestyle he writes about. His poetry reflects real experiences, hard work, family traditions, and the values of the ranching community. Audiences appreciate his ability to connect generations by preserving the stories, humor, and wisdom of the cowboy way of life while bringing a fresh perspective to western culture.

Today, Thatch Elmer continues to represent the next generation of cowboy poets, carrying forward a tradition that celebrates the heritage, character, and enduring spirit of the American West. Whether performing at a national cowboy poetry gathering, a western festival, or a local ranching event, he remains one of the most compelling young voices in cowboy poetry.

Notable Awards & Accolades

First recipient of the Rod McQueary/Sue Wallis Memorial Scholarship at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
Featured performer and entertainer at the renowned National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada.
Published on CowboyPoetry.com and included in western poetry books and recorded compilations.
Featured by Western Horseman Magazine, one of the premier publications in the western industry.
Performed with the Utah Symphony and at major western heritage celebrations and rodeos.
Recognized nationally as one of the leading young ambassadors of cowboy poetry and western heritage.

🎵 In This Episode:
• Thatch Elmer interview
• Cowboy Poet
• Utah Rancher
• Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous
• Cowboy Culture

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Whenever you're ready. All right, hey music lovers, welcome to Musical Miles Podcast. I'm your host, Byron Duffin, and I am here with Mr. Thatch Elmer. Hey, how's it going? Good, welcome. Good, nice to see you. You know, it is nice to see you and finally get to meet you. We have uh you're you're famous, man. We've seen your name out in the out and about in the cowboy poetry world for quite some time. Yes. You started out pretty young.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

I started out, yeah, when I was eight years old. Eight years old. Yeah, I've been coming to this gathering since I was nine years old. So it's but it's my 13th year here in Cache Valley. I've been coming uh a little over half my life to the to the cowboy gathering here. That's impressive.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

And it's and it's cool. And this is our first experience here. But we we we know of you from Elko. Oh, really? So yeah, went now we've been to Elko several times, but uh we weren't there this year, we were there last year and did a bunch of interviews. Got you very good. Um and uh we've really kind of stayed focused on the on the music side of of the cowboy poetry side, but but uh no, we need to involve more of the poets because it's it's a big part of the gathering anyway. Right. And so um, you know, this is this is what you know, because we enjoy that too. And not only that, the songs come from poems. Poems. Absolutely. From poets. Yeah. Um uh but uh tell tell me a little bit about you, Thatch. Uh where'd you grow up and and kind of what's your background?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

I I come from a little horse and cow family in Evanston, Wyoming. Okay. Um I grew up there. My my family is a you know a I'm a fifth generation cowboy. Um my great-grandpa, he managed a pretty large ranch up there, and and then it sold to uh one of the largest uh BLM uh, you know, uh a ranch that takes care of the largest BLM property in the whole uh country. But uh yeah, we we're uh cow horse and cow family. I grew up there and um really fell in love with rodeo and roping. It's a little bit more my speed rather than just trailing behind some cows. But I'm uh I'm a team roper and and uh cowboy poet, and sometimes I have to do a little work, but I try to get out of it.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Well, I can appreciate that. I'm I I tell everybody, and I my listeners get sick of hearing this, but I'm an Idaho farm boy that always wanted to be a cowboy. Oh, really? Yeah. So I got to pick up a rope. I picked up a rope and a guitar at 15. Okay. And the and the rope won. That's right. And and uh I don't know that that was the best choice, but I spent years, most of my adult life from from my teenage years until just a few years ago, but I was uh I roped calves and team roped and got to go to the high school national finals in the tie-down rope and road cutters and I did the horses were a huge part of our life. Did you do the high school rodeo? Uh yeah, yeah. I went to the high high school rodeo in the in the in the cutting in the or excuse me, in the in the tie-down ropen. Younger sister and younger brother both went to the high school national finals in the cutting very good on horses that I either trained or helped keep tuned up for them to show. Right, yes, sir. And uh had a little sister who was a two-time state champion in cutter. Very good. And so, you know, our our roots run deep in the horse world and the in the in the the rodeo world. Um for I spent 13 years as the GM for a rope company. What company? Uh Gator Ropes and Rocky Mountain and Magnum Rope Companies out of Idaho. Oh, yeah, you can't. I managed those companies for 13 years, their wholesale division. And then I uh uh Ms. Shenders worked for Stetson Clothing Company at the NFR for 18 years.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Oh my word, deep. Um this years ago, maybe like um I'd say probably this is 20 years ago. There was uh my dad was a dealer for Gator in Rocky Mountain Rose.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

And who was your dad again?

SPEAKER_00 3:37

His name's Brad Elmer. He it was uh Lupin Dally Ranch and Radio Supply. This is years ago. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

That was probably before my well, I've been out for 10. Uh it would have been in the early 90s when I went to work for him. Okay. And I was there till uh no no twenty. I was there from nineteen ninety-nine, the fall of ninety nine. Yeah? Excuse me. Well we had a baby. Okay. Yeah. So I was there anyway, but I was in the road business for a long time. But I I've been out for over ten years. Yeah. So um but knew a lot of people. Well, there's some there's some we all know we know a lot of the same people. When you told your poem today about the team rooper, and I'm gonna have you tell that about your about your little your little wreck. Yeah. Uh, because we've all had those. Absolutely, yes, sir. So I have uh we have four kids, but two of them rodeoed, high school rodeoed and and junior high rodeo. Our daughter went to the junior high national finals. Oh, very good. And she could outrope most of the boys. But it was funny because when she was growing up, the boys that she dated, the cowboys would say, Do you think your dad would give me a rope deal? And she'd just tell them, Boys, if you roped good enough, you'd already have a rope deal. You don't need to date me to get a rope deal. That's right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

And no, you're not gonna get a rope deal. Yeah. Um I grew up using those old uh gator ropes and rocky mountain ropes. Uh I really, I really that's all we had around, you know, just kind of leftover stock, and I loved them. Um and then when I got maybe into junior high, I was uh I've been on the classic ropes for a long time.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

I think that they they that used to be a bad word in my book, but but I'm all over it now.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

So you you know I think you know cla Classics, they got the the core pat the core technology, they've been doing it for a long time, and I think they've maybe got it just licked and I can tell you stories about that.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

The the Classic didn't come up with that technology. But but the long and the short of it is they they build a good rope. They're they are the number one manufacturer of team ropes in the country. Yes, sir. Um and and they were a big competitor of ours, and there was always a there was always a little bit of a rub there. Yeah, no, but uh but nonetheless, um uh but that's that's a cool world. It's a fun world, the horses and the and the ropin, and so I can appreciate that. So when did you really get the bug to start writing poetry though?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Poetry, it's just been around my whole my whole life. My dad is super passionate about cowboy poetry and he loves it. Um it was it was tapes and CDs and and books all in the house. My dad even wanted to write some cowboy poetry. He had big dreams about rodeo and stuff like that, and and you know, um there's a lot of people who have wrote about their their uh rodeo dreams in cowboy poetry form. But uh for me, uh it was maybe it was probably something to do with a school project of having to write a poem. And it just came easy to me because I've been around it so much. Um so after I started maybe writing some cowboy poetry, um, then I found an interest in it and looking looking more into it, I realized, hey, there's not a lot of people who are doing it. Right. Um and they not young people especially. Not young people especially, but any anybody. And so I found uh some classic cowboy poetry that was written a long time ago in the in the cowboy and trailherd days that I really really fell in love with. Uh Western history is so interesting to me. Preserving the cowboy way of life is so important to me, and I thought, man, I gotta I gotta get my hands on some of this and try to show show more people and um introduced to some great people who kind of just let me come up on stage and fill some time when they needed a break. Um you may have met Brian Arnold from Saddle Strings Cowboy Band. I have not, yet. Okay, gotcha. Yeah, he kind of helped me get uh get a good start, and then him telling me where to go and when to be there, uh, and then you meet more people, new people, and you get great opportunities. And it it's uh it's been a part of my life for a long time now. But it started really probably with having to write cowboy poetry for uh having to write any poetry for school, and I and you know I just chose to write about what I knew.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Which makes sense. Yeah. Well, and you know, Daryl Holden, we we we we had a chance to sit down with Daryl this morning and we talked about that. And I can tell by the poets or poems that you write and the stories that you tell that you've lived those. Those are lived experiences. And it's no different in music, right, in my opinion. You know, when we we talked a little bit about the the music uh from from where we're talking just a minute ago with uh Caden about the 90s music and how he he really leans more towards that music because he feels like it was more really true country. We've met and interviewed a ton of songwriters, uh-huh. And so that's what we love is the story behind the song. And most of those songs, now they're songs that get written today in in for publishing companies in in writing rooms in studios around the country, mostly in Nashville, that those people didn't live those experiences. So it's really hard for you to convince me in a song that comes from some of those big name artists today because they didn't live those experiences. Yeah. But they have also realized the importance of that, so they actually bring songwriters on the road with them and then they help them write songs that they that are more lived experiences, right? That they can it's it's a lot easier to convince somebody of something if you really truly lived it. Yes, sir. This episode is brought to you by Tin Hall, Western style with an edge, bold design, fearless attitude, and boots that make a statement. The discounts available when you click our sponsor link at musical milespodcast.com.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

No different in poetry. No, no, the poetry I I you know you can really tell who has and who hasn't.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

And um and and that's that's no problem because the the cowboy poets they they really uh their poetry is different. But the the the lifestyle that I'm trying to to show people, I I don't want to have to convince them, uh you know what I mean? And so I'm what the poetry that I cling on to the most is is stuff that I can either relate to or something that I am passionate enough about to where you can tell that you know, I do a lot of classic cowboy poetry, and you know, I obviously didn't get to be around in the trailherd days and driving cattle all across the country. I didn't get to be around it. But I it means a lot to me. And so I I I want to show people that there's somebody at least who still cares about it. Yeah. That's important enough to me.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Well, I think it's cool, and I think that you know, we had the opportunity to interview uh uh Kristen Harris, you know, very young lady who came from from this big city in out outside of Dallas, right? Fort Worth area. She didn't have she's not a cowgirl. She her parents wonder where she came from, right? Yeah. So to see someone, but you grew up in this, in this with this exposed to this at a very young age. Yeah. And so you had the opportunity to really develop because you understood it and you related to it. But but there's not a lot of young people that are that are doing it, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:27

No, there's not. Um I don't know if it piques much interest just because um maybe there's a certain amount of pay in your dues and and there's a certain amount of time where you go without um notoriety or you might go without making any money doing it. Sure. And there's uh I don't think that intrigues a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Um Well, most people don't no very, very, very few people are willing to put in the effort. When I when I was learning how to ride train horses and and do that, I worked for trainers for free. Right so I could learn. I cleaned stalls and I rode wrong rank colts and junk that nobody else wanted to ride and did the things, you know, spent hours turning back for those trainers to watch what they did, to learn and experience that. So it's no different. You you have to pay your dues. Speaking of that, uh, because you started out pretty young. When was the first year you performed in Elko?

SPEAKER_00 11:17

The first year I performed in Elko? I can't maybe remember the first year, but I know I was nine years old, so that's 13 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

So maybe did you get did you get to spend any time or really hang out with Baxter at all?

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Not a lot of time. Um I got to corner him a few times and tell him, hey, I appreciate what you do. I love your poetry. I well. He's probably the most recognized poet. What you've done for the what you've done for the genre has really changed a lot of people's lives, and it's there there's gonna be at least one person who still tells your story.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

Well they he brought it to the mainstream, you know, to to have a cowboy poet show up on Johnny Carson like he did. And and even even you know, you think back to uh the cowboy music early days Johnny Carson had the the Muzzy Braun and the Braun boys on, and I don't know if you're familiar with those guys. Yeah, great, great guys. We know we know Mickey and Gary Braun and yeah, and so we we've done several interviews during the Braun Brothers reunion in Chalice, Idaho.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Cool. Besides cowboy music, that's the music I really like.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

You you lean towards the Texas country red dirt.

SPEAKER_00 12:19

I I do myself, yeah. The musicians like that, like the turnpike troubadours and bands like that, like um, you know, people who aren't uh mainstream is not my we can relate on so many levels because when we started this, the very first place we went to do interviews when we started, probably the third interview we did was at the BBR.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Oh, and interviewed Cody Canada and Django Walker and uh oh my gosh, who else did we interview that year? But we've we've been out and interviewed several uh uh during that. And we got to interview Gary Braun. Yeah. Uh uh we've interviewed uh oh Dale Watson and and uh anyway, lots of really cool artists. So I was gonna ask you about the music side of things, what you lean towards.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

So I lean on that. I lean on that a lot. And and that's that's maybe just because I guess my favorite is uh Evan Felker from Turnpike True Doors. Yeah. But you can tell in his music that he's lived it.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Oh yeah. Um He lived it hard for several years. Yes, so gone through rehab and cleaned up his life. Yeah, and and you can see the difference, believe it or not, and maybe you can too. Can you see the difference in his music sense sobriety?

SPEAKER_00 13:26

Absolutely, yeah. Um he's passionate. Um one thing I like about him is he's cowboy. Yeah. He is a cowboy. He's cowboy. When he's not when he's not on the stage, he's he's horseback.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Have you have you have you followed Corb Lund much? Corb Lund, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

These guys are all cowboys. Yeah. Years ago in Elko, I got to meet Corb.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

It's been years ago, but yeah, he's he's we got to sit down with him as well.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

And and Chansey Williams, another cowboy artist. Ned Ledou, we've got the chance to interview Ned. So it's cool because we have that common interest. You need to come to Idaho this year to the BBR. They have some have a great lineup. Bruce Robinson's coming back to the BBR. Okay. They've got a bunch of great artists coming.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

I look at the flyer every year and try to make it up to you. Have you never made it? I've never made it. There's always something going on.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

You've got to come. We'll we'll we'll teach you the ropes if you come up. That'd be great. It'd be a lot of fun. Well, we appreciate you taking the time and sharing your story with us. Before we get out of here, I want you to share that poem with us. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Yeah. This is it when a cowboy poet tells you this is a true story, don't believe him. Do me a favor. Just don't believe him. But this one, this one comes from a true experience.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Um you know, a cowboy poet has to uh has to enlighten the story a little bit. Uh every cowboy poet does. Um but but the majority of all this of this story is true. Um You're from Idaho. Do you know the Baldwins? Oh, yeah. Like Nathan Baldwin, NFR calf rope. His dad was one of my instructors at Rick's College. We're gonna talk more about that when we're finished. I'm roping with uh Nathan's brother Hugh. Huey. I've known Huey forever. That's great. We're gonna talk more about Huey in a second. I'm roping with Hugh's brother. He's kind of getting on a st on a spicy horse one morning, and the ground was it rained the day before, but it wasn't wet enough we couldn't rope. Right. I said, Man, this ground is nice. I said, It's gonna be just right when your head's laying in it in a second. And we roped the first steer, and this happened. It seemed like any other morning. We were roping steers that day, and when I saddled up my horse, I thought it all would go my way. We had ourselves a sorrel mare. She was short but wide and tough. I dreamed ahead and heal those steers, but her edges were kind of rough. The steers were wrapped and loaded, and I shook out my rope. I figured I'd better warm her up so I hit myself a lope. A few laps round the arena and we're ready to rope a few, my cinches pulled up, all it goes. I'm ready and so's the crew. My back her in the corner, put my rope behind my back. The steer was looking straight, so I nod and they cracked the latch. Now we're going down the arena and I'm swinging with all my arm just kicking and riding and roping. I wasn't causing any harm. But when I'm just about to throw my rope, that horse just disappears, and I'm soaring now like Superman right between her ears. But the dirt got closer and closer. As I soared and flew on down, I'm thinking now I am going to die. And then we hit the ground. But now I'm in a sliding stop, and no, I'm not back on my horse, I'm just sliding on my forehead. This is my last resource. And there as I'm a sliding, I can feel a little tap because my spurs they're raking my shoulders. I think I broke my back. They say we did a full front flip, but I never got to see because I got so much dirt piled in my eyes, I was washing them for weeks. When I come to all my senses and I got back on my feet, my horse looks fine, and so did I. I could have got a scrape at least. When I look back on this story of the time I hit the dirt, the worst part about all of that is that I ripped my favorite shirt.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Thank you. Thank you. I leaned over and told him when you told that poem this morning, I leaned next to Shanda and I said, sounds like the story when I was roping calves at Bob Johnson's. And I don't know if you knew who Bob Johnson was. Bob was was uh uh Nate and Huey and all those guys all knew him. Bob was D. Pickett's ex-father-in-law. Okay. But we called him coach, and he taught all those calf ropers. Do you know who Barry Johnson is? Yeah. That's Barry's dad. Okay. But I was over there roping calves in his pin one day, and I had a mare that really ducked bad when you'd rope a calf in. We always in those days we got off the left and ducked under the rope. Well, I roped this calf and and went to step off, and she ducked. And Bob just in his little roping trap was just had net wire and a barbed wire strand down the top on the left side. The other side was some panels, but this mare ducked and laid me down and laid me right down that fence. When it all came to an end, I was literally laying on that barbed wire fence, straddled it on my back. And I tilted, tipped, and when I finally tipped over, and I ripped my favorite shirt. I took the hook to hold in my brand new shirt. So Shanda said, You need to write that poem about that. Yeah. I'm uh I'm I wrote a poem one time in 1977 in high school because it was required. Uh huh. And I wrote it about being a rodeo cowboy. So anyway, hey, we're gonna let you go. Uh we appreciate you taking time, That's it. This has been a lot of fun. We'll get to we'll get to visit some more. Yes, I mean. But uh hey, for Musical Models Podcast, I'm your host here with Thats Hilmer at the Cash Valley Cowboy Rendezvous. We'll see you somewhere down the road audio for now.