Justin Ungeheuer takes his calling as an educator seriously, dedicating his life to shaping young minds—both human and horse.
By day, Ungeheuer, 53, is a principal at the Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering in Greeley, Colorado, where he guides students toward academic success. He also operates a welding business, building chutes, alleys, hay feeders and other industry essentials.
“I have four passions in life,” he said. “My first is always to be the best husband I can be; my wife does so much for me. Then it’s being a principal and giving my all to the kids and the staff at my school. And there’s my welding business, where I make anything and everything you’d need for horses and cattle.”
With two demanding careers already on his plate, finding time for his fourth passion—roping—isn’t easy.
“I give 100% to my career and 100% to my business, and whatever’s left goes to roping,” the 7 header said.
Despite the tight schedule, Ungeheuer manages to get his roping fix on weekends and during his summer break, going to any World Series qualifier he can. And though he has some nice wins and paychecks to his name, Ungeheuer doesn’t chase steers for the money. He’s in it for a love of the lifestyle.
“My biggest win is being part of this incredible community of people who share the same passion and Western values,” he said. “You can’t find this camaraderie just anywhere. I get to be around good people, good cattle, good horses.”
Ungeheuer has two good rope horses of his own: Pete, a grade “passed-around misfit” and a Grays Starlight-bred horse he purchased from Jeremy Buhler a few years ago.
“I have one that nobody wanted and one that everybody wanted,” he laughed, “and I don’t know what I would do without either of them. Those horses are my therapy. My job can be high stress, but at the end of the day, I get to go home and hang out with them.”
With retirement on the horizon, Ungeheuer is ready to pursue team roping with full-throttle dedication, with his sights set on placing deeply at the WSTR Finale.
“A win like that could only be made sweeter if it was on a horse I trained,” he said. “Horses have made me a better person and I hope I make them better horses.”
Though the life of a team roper and that of a school principal might not seem to have any obvious overlap, Ungeheuer shared how they are similarly rewarding.
“I love working with 4- and 5-year-old horses that have been started well but need refinement,” he explained. “It’s the same with kids—you guide them, you put in the work, and over time, you see them grow into what they’re meant to be.”
—TRJ—
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