Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i The Team Roping Journal

American National, an insurance company that offers customized insurance packages ideal for the roper and rancher, signed on as a World Series of Team Roping sponsor for the 2018–2019 season. Based in Galveston, Texas, several American National agents across the country are active team ropers and World Series members and suggested to the company that they dive into the team roping industry with the WSTR, American National’s marketing manager Carrah Daley said. The company saw it as a great fit for its multiple-line policy business structure. “We offer home and life and auto and business products,” Daley said. “We’re a one-stop shop for our clients. Team ropers own farms, ranches, businesses, RVs, boats, and more, and we insure everything. We will be able to provide a great service to your…

In addition to placing fourth in the average of the Charlie 1 Horse Challenge, Lynn Smith of Cochise, Arizona, and Janey Reeves of Melba, Idaho, were the champions of the #8 Incentive with their time of 44.14 seconds on four. They earned $12,000 for placing in the main roping and another $5,000 for winning the Incentive. Reeves was recruited by Smith to become a student at Cochise College, where Smith coaches alongside her husband, former NFR saddle bronc rider Rick Smith.› “The incentive gives us two chances to win,” said Smith, who is in her third year entering the Challenge. “This is great. The best girls are here and it’s fun to compete against the best. Plus, Rick has friends in Nevada, so this is our mini-vacation.” Smith practiced this…

I don’t know what Babe Ruth’s strikeout percentage was, but every time he stepped up to bat he tried to hit a home run. It wasn’t so much about getting on base or driving in runs. He swung for the fence every time. At the very start of my professional roping career, I was kind of a gunslinger. I came out of the amateur rodeos in South Texas, where the scores were short and you could enter twice. In 1980, when I got in with Allen Bach, who was my first partner at the pro rodeos, there was some serious culture shock. We’d get in that truck and drive eight or 10 hours. The scores were longer and the cattle were bigger, so the conditions were really different than what…

Hereford, Texas’ Kevin Johnson’s shoeing clientele keeps him plenty busy—busy enough, in fact, that the 41-year-old flies a plane across the Panhandle and into New Mexico so he can get to all of his clients. But the Nebraska native isn’t one to miss an opportunity, so when the famed Lewis family gave him a chance to buy the generations-old Lewis Saddle Tree Company seven years ago, Johnson, along with partner Cody Parks, jumped. “We saw room for improvement in the quality of saddle trees and in the finished product, and we saw a tremendous amount of room for growth,” Johnson said. “Here we are. This is a full-time-and-a-half job.” When Johnson and Parks bought the business, the company was producing 400 to 500 trees annually. In seven years, that number…

CODY SNOW HORSE: Burt, 14-year-old; Annie, 8-year-old SPLINT BOOTS: Cactus Gear Axiom Equine Sport Boot WHY? I’ve used them for a while now. I like the Cactus Gear splint boots because I feel that they have good support for my horse’s legs, and they last a long time. The straps are nice because they’re little and they’re easy to put on. I feel like they hold everything in place really good. MORE: $77.99; cactusgear.com; 839-569-4666 PATRICK SMITH HORSE: Turbo, 7-year-old SPLINT BOOTS: Professional’s Choice Ventech Elite Sports Medicine Boots WHY? I love the way they fit. They are extremely durable. Everyone knows how much splint boots cost nowadays. They last, they’re easy to use. I feel like they fit, and comfort for your horse is what you’re looking for. A…

EDITOR’S NOTE: This past June, Contributing Editor Julie Mankin wrote a feature on where some of the greatest horses in team roping history are living out their retirement, as well as what they did to deserve the good life in green pastures. While Julie was working on that story, she came across so many good ones, we at The Team Roping Journal tossed around the idea of doing another edition of the story someday. But readers let us know quickly that we needed to do another edition of the story right away. It was such a hit, and there were so many great horses who changed the team roping industry, that we proudly present to you Part 2 of Where Are They Now?…

At press time (and all season long), Paul Eaves was the world’s number-one heeler. The grey gelding that carried him to this level was started by Shot Branham and sold to Allen Bach, which is where the kid from Missouri noticed him while learning “the ropes.” Eaves kept his eye on Cadillac, and finally took out a big loan to buy him from Trey Whiteman in 2009. “The thing that stands out most to me is that, when I bought him, he cost a bunch,” Eaves said. “Three or four days later, I went to the US Finals and paid for him that first week I had him.” Indeed, Eaves had placed third in both the US Open and #15 Shootout for a $36,000 haul on Cadillac that week. The…

For being “little and grumpy,” Dugout has proven himself a worthy companion and mount for Treston Brazile. The double-bred Doc Bar cutter that came through Clay Logan to Brady Minor has just enough Peppy San Badger blood to be described as “little and grumpy,” even now, at 21. But Dugout packed Minor to about half of his nine NFRs and career total $1.5 million, also helping rack up a national circuit finals championship in 2012. “He was really easy to ride for a long time,” Minor said. Jade Corkill won the George Strait on him in 2011, the year Dugout won the PRCA/AQHA Heel Horse of the Year award. And last fall, he was ridden by both Minor and Travis Graves—who was second high call—at Pendleton, but got hurt. Last…

The World Series of Team Roping pays out nearly $42 million to team ropers annually, and $8 million of that comes from the #10—a division made up of ropers from all walks of life, from ranchers to construction workers to school teachers and beyond. That’s why, when RFD-TV’s The American’s Randy Bernard came to his long-time friend and World Series of Team Roping president Denny Gentry with hopes of adding recreational team ropers to his mix of talent at The American March 2-3, 2019, Gentry offered up the #10 as the first division to highlight in the tournament-style format. The result: The American Cowboy #10. “The #10 is the honey spot in the team roping world. The handicaps of the ropers who compete in this group represent more than half…

Ropers in Wyoming have been stunned at the remarkable skills of the Johnson boys for the past couple of years, but it’s only been in the past two weeks that the teenage sons of 2011 world champion heeler Jhett Johnson have commanded national attention. Carson Johnson, 17, of Casper, Wyoming, put on a dominating show at the first Hooey Junior BFI Championships, a Junior NFR qualifier, in Reno on June 20, winning all three long-rounds with his respective partners. He won the average with Britt Smith, 17, of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, by three full seconds, and went home with $8,400. Smith, who earned $8,350, is the youngest brother of world number-one header Clay Smith. The roping was added this year to Wrangler BFI Week and patterned after the richest Open…

NRS [NRS Dally Wrap Black 40 Pack] nrsworld.com , $40  When it comes to wrapping your saddle horn, the NRS Dally Wrap is the ultimate in convenience and security. This product comes with 40 uniformly cut strips of new rubber that are exactly one inch wide and ready to wrap. For additional ease, a resealable package to help keep your wraps organized is included. Item #NRS1002. Classic Equine [ESP™ Felt Top Saddle Pad] classicequine.com , $222  The ESP is the one-system pad perfect for all disciplines. The new Xylafoam insert is open cell, breathable, lightweight, and provides the highest level of protection. Its self-adjusting profile conforms to your horse’s back, while maintaining density and providing excellent shock absorption. The 3/8” wool blend top offers superior shock absorption, while…

For more information, check wstroping.com , ustrc.com , and totalteamroping.com ARIZONA Linden, AZ 9/2 Chandler, AZ 10/13 CALIFORNIA/WASHINGTON/ OREGON Kennewick, WA 8/24 Corning, CA 9/15 Morgan Hill, CA 9/18 Paso Robles, CA 10/6 CANADA Claresholm, ALB 8/18–19 COLORADO/NEBRASKA Gill, CO 8/4, 8/18, 9/29 Loveland, CO 9/1 UTAH Vernal, UT 8/4-5 OKLAHOMA/KANSAS/MISSOURI/INDIANA/ARKANSAS/IOWA Lake St, MO 8/11–12 Enid, OK 8/17 Carthage, MO 9/29 TENNESSEE/FLORIDA/GEORGIA/ALABAMA/LOUISIANA/VIRGINIA North August, SC 8/4 Tunica, MS 8/11, 9/1 Franklin, TN 10/13 TEXAS Hereford, TX 8/2 Odessa, TX 9/8, 10/6…

a) HORSE Lex is 13 years old. He came from Blaine Vick. He’s really easy in any position you get in. He’s free and keeps a good distance. He keeps his shoulder up in the corner, which makes it really easy to get a good read. b) LOOP I felt pretty good about my loop. It was the first round so I wanted to make sure that I took a good shot and Cody was more aggressive. I just got a good entrance in the corner and put a pretty big loop down there. I took one swing over him and heeled him and took a pretty conservative shot. c) HANDLE Cody reached with probably two coils and stepped his horse up. He picked the steer’s head and shoulders up…

I had my shoulder fixed in May 2015. It took a full year—really a year and a half before I felt decent enough to rope. When doctors and friends told me I’d be good to go in six to eight months, they weren’t even close. It was a slow process because my shoulder was hurt most of 2014, and I had injections to where they finally said ‘We can’t inject it anymore.’ That year Jim (Ross Cooper) and I had a great year. But by Clovis (California) in early 2015, I couldn’t pick up a rope. I finally tore my bicep completely apart, so I started throwing some loops that weren’t usually my loops. When I knew I couldn’t rope and I had my arm in a sling it wasn’t…

For 16 years—or Cesar de la Cruz’s entire career—one outlaw gelding has been the elite heeler’s best friend. Johnny Ringo helped de la Cruz earn $1.3 million dollars and go to nine straight NFRs. The whole time, fans couldn’t get enough of the fire-breathing little bay with smarts and a mile-wide proud streak. “He was the best horse I’ve ever had,” said de la Cruz, who got Johnny from his uncle George Aros as a 5-year-old. “He took me to the final level in my roping. He loved to rope more than me. He’s why I got there.” Johnny, who sports Doc O’Lena and Two Eyed Jack blood, is 21 now and has an even more important job. “Now he’s teaching my boys—they are 7, 5, and 2—how to ride…

STEP 1 American Cowboy #10 Qualifier WHERE: Select World Series of Team Roping qualifiers and USTRC-sanctioned events WHEN: June 2018 through January 2019 FEES: $200 per roper ENTER: Twice FORMAT: Four-steer, progressive QUALIFICATION PAYOUT: $1,600 for each qualification spot (one qualification for every 60 teams), $1,200 for every other place based on The American Cowboy payoff and qualification schedule at wstroping.com. CAPPED AT: 6 heeler STEP 2 The American Cowboy Matches WHEN AND WHERE: Locally within each region, between January 24 and February 2. FEES: $0 FORMAT: Head-to-head rope offs; two matches or three matches based on number of qualified teams, beat two or three teams to make it to Dallas STEP 3 Final Rope Off–Four-Steer Jackpot WHEN AND WHERE: March 2 to March 3, Dallas, Texas FEES: $0 FORMAT:…

The World Series of Team Roping is proud to announce that Priefert Mfg. will take on the presenting sponsorship role of the association as Ariat moves to the position of title sponsor. “Priefert is excited to welcome a new title sponsor to the World Series of Team Roping,” Courtney Dyer, director of marketing for Priefert, said. “We have been honored to be a partner of rodeo and roping for over 20 years. From our very first sponsorship with the USTRC back in 1998 to our involvement as title sponsor of the WSTR since its inception, Priefert has long supported team roping. Today, we are pleased to be moving to the role of Presenting Sponsor of the World Series of Team Roping as we welcome new title partner Ariat to the…

A retired NFL tight end and a cattle contractor raked in $95,220 with their ropes July 19 at the 22nd edition of the #11 Reno (Nevada) Million. Californians Bear Pascoe, of Morro Bay, and Steve Simons, of Sanger, roped four steers in 34.21 seconds to win the event and $47,610 total per man. They needed only a 10-second run to clinch the win, but finished in 8.8 seconds. “I was just trying to not break out and go get him caught,” Pascoe said. “I knew Steve would rope him on the first or second jump.” His partner did just that, motivating himself by thinking of a couple of things his wife could use the money for. Simons, formerly in the construction business, provides steers for ropings across California. He and…

In the Hooey Junior BFI #10 roping, a Junior NFR qualifier, in Reno, a pair of 14-year-olds took top honors to earn $15,000. Jett Stewart of Heppner, Oregon, and Brayden Schmidt of Benton City, Washington, roped four steers in 33.39 seconds by a full second over the second-place team from Wyoming to earn $15,000. The top 15 in the point standings at season’s end will qualify to rope at the Junior NFR, held in December in Las Vegas alongside the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In fact, the weight of points available at the Junior BFI is second only to the #10 Qualifier coming up at the USTRC’s Cinch National Finals of Team Roping this fall. That’s where kids will have one last great chance to make the Junior NFR. In…

Annie Houston of Sutter, California, applied the heat to the high-call roper during the 2018 Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl Challenge Breakaway Roping in Reno on June 21, by winning the short round in 3.04 seconds. But Taylor Munsell of Harmon, Oklahoma, chased her last calf to the left and hung onto the lead with a 3.08 despite a field filled with world champs. “This morning, I wrote my goals down in my phone, and they were to win every big roping and to win the 2018 Charlie 1 Horse Breakaway,” Munsell said. She roped her three calves in 9.42 seconds to win the average and a record $7,090, plus the custom Cactus trophy saddle, buckle, and plethora of other BFI Week prizes.…

For the last 35 years, I’ve been helping people with their roping at schools, in magazines, and on websites. I’m sure it seems like such a common cliché to say that everybody has to learn the proper fundamentals before they can advance their roping. But it’s true. And my comments on every video that I analyze for a world-class or hobby roper always come back to core fundamentals. At the highest level, we break down every detail of every run, because the difference between winning and not is so small. Lower-numbered ropers always want to know what they can do to step up their game, and the truth is that the only thing the top ropers in the world have over them is they’ve spent the time to really solidify…

TAKING IT DOWN A NOTCH Sometimes you take a green heel horse, or even a more seasoned horse, to a roping and run fresher steers, and the horse gets to pushing into the bridle and gets chargy down the arena and through the corner. When that happens, it may take a while to get him tuned back down. I’m going to rope the sled and work on getting him slowed down. HOW TO DO IT I’m going to have my four-wheeler driver go decently fast down the arena, and then ask that he or she slows down in the corner to get my horse rating and reading the cow better. I’ll back him off gently, or I’ll let him run by a little bit to allow him to realize that…

It’s been said many times that Trevor Brazile owns the best horses in rodeo, and one bay Freckles Playboy/Doc O’Dynamite gelding helped reinforce that reputation. Brazile bought Lite My Dynamite for $4,500 as a cutter reject that was obviously too big—and bucked. He never bucked with Brazile. Six months from the day he started Sic ’Em, Brazile was entered on him at Kansas City and never looked back. The horse placed in voting for Horse of the Year as far back as 2007, and won it outright in 2012. That was the year he helped the King of the Cowboys win his record 10th world all-around championship. Now 19, Sic ’Em is owned by Gary McKinney of Reliance Energy and Reliance Ranches, which also owns Lazy E Arena. The horse…

It takes a special horse to out-rank Cave Man and Switchblade—and to hold today’s world record in team roping at 3.3 seconds—but this little, grade, sorrel outlaw is Jade Corkill’s favorite of all-time, and the foundation of Corkill’s status as one of the G.O.A.T. Corkill was just a teenager when he bought the green 5-year-old, and Ice Cube was his go-to at the Nevada high school rodeos. Ice Cube’s talent is best described by zooming in on one roping, one day, in 2009. Not only did he help Corkill and Chad Masters shatter the average record at the George Strait Team Roping Classic by more than a full second, but he helped them place in both the first two rounds against 485 teams. He gave Corkill a stunning three call-backs…

“If he tells you a chicken could pull a freight train, you may want to go find a harness.” That’s how World Champion header Steve Purcella illustrates the level of honesty with which his long-time friend and business partner, Johnny Trotter, operates. “He’s just an honest guy,” Purcella said of the Texan and 4-Elite header. “I think he’s been that way forever, and I think it’s had a lot to do with the success he’s had. People have a lot of trust in him.” By most definitions, Trotter, 67, has achieved tremendous success. To name a few of his ventures, he owns Bar-G Feed-yards in Hereford, Texas, which has a feeding capacity of 125,000 head. Locally, he also owns Whiteface Ford and operates a trucking outfit. He is on the…

What’s it like working for World Series of Team Roping producer Mathews Land & Cattle? I’ve known Chris Francis since I was 2 years old. He’s like a brother to me. I’ve lived here now for five years. We break in steers, take care of steers, and produce World Series ropings. We will spend two weeks breaking in 20 or 25 steers a day. I was an 8-Elite when I came here, and in two years I moved to a 10. Getting to rope every day and getting to have someone like Chris, who heads so good, has made it easier to learn. I like being around horses and cattle every day. It’s all I’ve ever done, and it’s what I truly love. Being able to get up every day…