Kaye Whaley follows In family’s hoofprints
The annual Boots, Bulls and Barrels rodeo event on Oct. 4 will attract great cowboys and cowgirls, and thousands of fans. Another hundred or so will put on the event, and a pair of those watchful eyes will belong to Katharine “Kaye” Whaley, the newly-minted Silver Spurs Rodeo Big Boss.
For the fourth time in Spurs’ 83-year history, you can call her the Boss Lady. Whaley, who has the family lineage to prove she’s been around the rodeo all her life, was the Spurs’ Little Boss for the last year, and moved up to the title spot this summer, replacing outgoing boss Randy Booth.
Former Osceola County Tax Collector Patsy Hefner (1993), former County Attorney Jo Thacker (2015-16) and Sara Berlinsky (2023-24) came before her.
Whaley has spent over 30 years in education as a teacher, and now as a reading coach at Harmony High School, but serving as Big Boss with the Silver Spurs Riding Club is literally “keeping up the family business.”
“Just about everyone older than me in my family has been the Big Boss, so I guess I’m taking one for the team,” Whaley said. “The title might say ‘Big Boss,’ but I’m not really in charge. Everyone does their jobs every year, or pitches in when someone needs a hand. I just get to be the face out in front of it for a year.”
Whaley’s grandparents Doc and Petie Partin were among the Silver Spurs’ original members, and her father, 1972 Big Boss Doug Partin, was a longtime Spurs stock contractor, and his community contributions are honored each year as the Doug Partin Spirit Award is awarded at the Miss Silver Spurs Pageant each June. Kaye calls her husband, 2009-10 Big Boss Steve Whaley, her “ace in the hole” when it comes to the rodeo, and their children are also deeply involved with the rodeo, riding with the Quadrille team (Kaye is an alumna of it as well) when the team needs them. She was one of the driving forces behind the team earning a trip to Pasadena, Calif. to ride in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
“I kind of wear a cape,” she said between what she does at school and with the rodeo. “I have a lot of (family members) telling me what I should do. I hear them … it doesn’t mean I listen to everybody. But it truly is a blessing; there’s a lot of things people like Steve knows about how the rodeo works, and he’s keeping me sharp.
“I just want to keep what’s in place; it works so well with all of our volunteers pitching in. We keep up the ranching and rodeo heritage while realizing the diversity and growth in the county. We know the rodeo has to grow with it. Thanks to our marketing team and shows like Yellowstone which shows people that ‘Cowboys are cool,’ people are coming and we’re able to give more money to the community than ever.”
And, people are recognizing the Silver Spurs Rodeo Club’s work outside the community. It was recently recognized with a Bronze Flagler Award from among 300 entries in the Integrated Marketing Campaign category from VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s tourism marketing arm, for its “Tradition Rides On” marketing campaign that showcased its impact on the local community.
“The Silver Spurs Club has always been about more than rodeo,” Kaye said. “it’s about family, tradition, and giving back to our community. Winning this Flagler Award inspires us to keep finding ways to tell our story, welcome new fans, and ensure our traditions continue to thrive for generations to come.”
So, what can you expect from the Rodeo this year? Whaley said she’s hoping to lend “a teacher’s touch” to it this year. For instance, she is near and dear to the Rodeo Parade—she sat on its committee for years—and with it falling on Valentine’s Day in 2026, she is hoping to theme it, as February is Heart Month. And, with the popularity of the Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon rodeos—sellouts are a regular thing now—the Spurs added a Thursday night performance, and Whaley said she wants to work on filling that up.
“It just takes them to come one time and they’re hooked” on rodeo, she said.
As for Bulls, Boots and Barrels on Oct. 4, Kaye said she’s not nervous about being out in front of it.
“Should I be?” she asked. “It will be good to get one under my belt before February.”
