Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i The Team Roping Journal

Dear Roper, This magazine starts its ninth year in existence as The Team Roping Journal this month. Nearly every anniversary is hard to believe—because sometimes those early days feel like yesterday, and sometimes they feel like a lifetime ago. Since its inception in 2017, this brand has evolved 100 times over. Our digital presence has exploded, our podcast took off, we acquired and expanded Roping.com and so much more. Within these pages, too, we've evolved. Our coverage has continued to honor the love you all have for this sport—with coverage of the everyday ropers who drive the industry—but we've grown across the rope horse industry, too, just like the sport itself. We're always talking about the best ways to entertain, inform and educate. Sometimes, that comes out most visibly online…

Hayes Smith and Jason Duby made it count at St. Paul's (Oregon) Cowboy Christmas, pocketing $8,792 a man after winning the average with a 9.7 on two head. Smith and Duby first cracked out as a team at the Music City Rodeo in Nashville back in May and, since then, snuck away with some cash in Elko, Nevada, and placed in the first round at Reno. But their biggest win yet came from one of the pivotal stops in the Northwest —St. Paul—a win that moved them to sixth in the Columbia River Circuit, with $9,398.83 for Smith and $8,791.95 for Duby. “I don't think I've missed St. Paul since I've had my card, to be honest,” Smith, 32, said. “It's the first rodeo entries open for over the Fourth—most…

If you're a team roping fan and haven't been listening to “The Score”, you're missing out on some of the most raw, real and revealing conversations in the sport. With 2025 halfway through, here are five fan-favorite episodes that brought insight, grit and plenty of personality to the mic. 1. The Doug Interview with World Champs Wade & Thorp Doug Arnew ropes in Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp fresh off their World Championship win. They address the great social media scandal of 2025 and how Doug is dealing with the aftermath. 2. Allan Jones's Story: Where Did $1.7 Million for a Rope Horse Come From? In one of the most talked-about moments in the rope horse industry, a single bid redefined the marketplace. What does it take to drop nearly…

People ask me all the time about kids and rodeo. Specifically, they ask, Should I push my kid? And I get it. I've lived both sides of that question. I've worked with young people, given lessons, competed at the highest level, and now I'm raising kids of my own. But here's the honest answer: there's no one-size-fits-all approach. What I can offer is what I've learned from being around it long enough to see what works—and what backfires. Rodeo, like a lot of things in life, is brutally hard. Even when you love it, it can break you down. If you're doing it for someone else? It's not just hard, it's miserable. I've seen kids light up in the arena, and I've seen kids get burned out because they were…

Remember how Jake Barnes and Clay Cooper's National Finals Rodeo average record of 59.1 seconds on 10 steers from 1994 felt like it stood forever before Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins finally cracked the code 27 years later in 54.7 in 2021 (then that only took two years to be replaced by Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith's 53 flat in 2023)? Now let's talk about that fast-time world record of 3.3 that was first set by Chad Masters and Jade Corkill 16 years ago in Round 9 at the 2009 NFR, and had been matched four times at pro rodeos since before being broken this summer. On June 19 at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho, Mason Appleton and Rance Doyal were 3.2 to win Round 2 and replace…

Abilene, Texas, is set to host one of the last 2025 Ariat WSTR qualifiers of the year: The Ariat WSTR Title Fights— Round 6! In 2024, over 110 individual ropers were qualified to the Ariat World Series Finale at the Title Fights. With the end of the WSTR season right around the corner, Abilene is a great place to punch your ticket to Las Vegas! Last year, the event paid out over $700,000 to ropers from the Open all the way down to the #7.5. The highlight of the weekend is the #9.5 Heartland Finale. Champions of the Heartland took home Trophy Cactus Saddles and Pads, Trophy Gist Buckles, and $30,200. Not to mention, winners at the Title Fights get to pose for one of the most iconic pictures in…

Whether you're tuning in to sharpen your horsemanship or improve your roping technique, Roping.com has a powerhouse lineup of educational and inspiring videos in 2025. From colt-starting gold to bit selection breakdowns, these five instructional videos struck a chord with viewers and brought elite-level insight straight to the screen. 1. Colt-Starting Series: 2-Year-Old Maternal Sibling to Pride And Joyy Miles Baker shows the foundation he's putting on a maternal sibling to his World Champion stallion, Pride And Joyy, by Solo Select's stallion Metallic Cattack. Started by Ty Benson, this colt gets his first rope session under Baker's hand. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how top-tier prospects get their start. 2. Colt-Starting Series: How Long Do You Need to Ride a 2-Year-Old? Miles Baker emphasizes time on a young horse, not…

WHEN: September 24–28, 2025 WHERE: Guthrie, Oklahoma WHAT: The Riata Championships WHY IT MATTERS: $1.8 million in added money. $4 million projected payout. The biggest Ariat World Series of Team Roping qualifier of the year. The Pinnacle of Fall Roping Dollar for dollar, there is no higher leveraged roping than the 2025 Riata Championships. Set for September 24–28 in Guthrie, the Riata is the richest and largest Ariat World Series of Team Roping qualifier on the calendar, offering $1.8 million in added money and more than $4 million projected in total payout. This is the event that blends horsepower and high-stakes roping into one elite arena (well, two arenas, technically, to make things move quickly). Whether you're a breeder, trainer or everyday team roper, there's money on the line and opportunity at every…

1. Bet Hesa Cat – $364,806 Sire: High Brow Catriatabuckle.com Dam: Bet Yer Blue Boonsriatabuckle.com 2. Woody Be Tuff – $341,447 Sire: Nitas Woodriatabuckle.com Dam: Tuffs Junieriatabuckle.com 3. Hickory Holly Time – $336,972 Sire: One Time Peptoriatabuckle.com Dam: _Hickorys Holly Ceeriatabuckle.com 4. Metallic Cat – $292,900 Sire: High Brow Catriatabuckle.com Dam: _Chers Shadowriatabuckle.com 5. Stevie Rey Von – $279,310 Sire: Metallic Catriatabuckle.com Dam: Miss Ella Reyriatabuckle.com 6. Four Bonnie Bay – $224,970 Sire: Figure Four Chexriatabuckle.com Dam:_Bay Bonnie Raindropriatabuckle.com 7. Travelin Jonez – $218,932 Sire: Smart Chic Olenariatabuckle.com Dam:_Travelin with Sassriatabuckle.com 8. One Time Pepto – $218,543 Sire: Peptoboonsmalriatabuckle.com Dam:_One Time Soonriatabuckle.com 9. Once In A Blue Boon – $200,931 Sire: Peptoboonsmalriatabuckle.com Dam: _Autumn Boonriatabuckle.com 10. CD Diamond – $199,875 Sire: CD Olenaweatherfordequine.com Dam: Shiners Diamond Girlweatherfordequine.com 11. Cowboys Cartel…

Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord teamed up to pick up one of the most significant titles and paychecks of the summer, winning the 2025 NFR Open for $15,250 a man on July 12. Egusquiza and Lord capitalized on a quieter short round with a 4.8-second run to win the sudden-death finals. Despite a 20-second run out front, the gunslinging pair knew they couldn't safety up with three teams to follow if they wanted to walk away with the $13,000 title. “I was hoping someone would put a decent time on the board so I wouldn't have to overthink it,” admitted seven-time NFR header Egusquiza. “There were still three teams after us, so if we just caught the steer without breaking the barrier or roping a leg, we'd be fine. I…

Q: How did the son of a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) star (Royd Doyal, who now does a lot of judging) become a professional team roper? A: I roped calves for a long time, and also rode calves and steers at junior rodeos. When I had to start getting on bigger stuff, I got stomped on pretty good. I was like, this is stupid. My dad broke his neck, back, both legs and had knee surgeries thanks to riding bulls. I decided that was not for me. As for the calf roping, I wasn't very big, so had trouble flanking. I guess team roping was just a better fit for me. Q: Has your dad taught you any lessons he learned from his bull riding career that apply to team…

Dakota Lindboe, 35, seemed a perfect candidate for our Military Salute, considering he spent his teen years spinning steers for Kaleb Driggers and Clint Summers and his adulthood in the Air Force calling air support in war zones. But when we phoned Lindboe in early July, he sounded distracted and said he'd have to call back. That's because, of course, he was literally walking the banks of the Guadalupe River to search for victims in the human recovery effort following the catastrophic flooding in Kerrville, Texas. He'd seen our post about rescuers needing old ropes, so he'd also gathered up all his used Cactus twines and recruited a buddy to stop at their headquarters and grab three boxes full. Lindboe was raised in North Florida where his dad and granddaddy…

By 2017, Joseph Harrison had been a cornerstone in the rope horse world for years. Working for Bobby Lewis, Harrison spent his days training and showing elite rope horses—but that season, he decided to gamble on a new path. Rodeoing full time wasn't just a career move. It was a dream long in the making. Only one thing stood in his way: money. “I didn't have the cash to get started,” Harrison said. “Mike Lane gave me $10,000 and told me to go rodeo. I never had to ask for more. At the end of the year, after the NFR, I handed it back. He didn't want it back, but I needed to do that for him.” He loaded his trailer with green horses—his standout mount Mainstreet Boon was sidelined…

In every run, there's a moment when your heel horse needs to lock in, hold position and give you the shot you want—not just the first shot that appears. This Figure-Eight Drill is one of the most valuable exercises I use to build that kind of reliability in my horses. Whether I'm riding a green colt or a rodeo-caliber horse, this drill helps me teach them how to stay soft, collected and connected to the steer through the entire corner and down the arena. Here's how I set it up, what I'm looking for, and how you can use this drill to build better habits in your own program. The Setup Start your sled drive about three-quarters down the arena. You'll want enough space to create wide, controlled turns on…

Coming off of his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification last year, Coleby Payne looks to be headed to his second-straight Super Bowl of Rodeo in 2025. If he stays the strong course he's started this season, he'll be there with two different human partners on the heading side. But one special horse has had everything to do with his recent-times rodeo success. The 16-year-old bay's registered name is Cut Off My Spots. Coleby, who's 26, calls him Coon, and he's the horse he earned that first back number on heeling behind Clay Smith. “I rode a good young horse that I've since sold at maybe a dozen smaller circuit rodeos last year, but rode Coon pretty much everywhere else,” said Payne, who calls Stephenville, Texas, home. “I also rode…

TRJ: WITH THE SOUTHERN BORDER CLOSED TO CATTLE ON AND OFF ALL OF 2025, WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR THIS YEAR'S NFR STEERS? “They're put back. I have right at 70 head put back, and the contract calls for 60 to bring to (Las) Vegas. We rope through 100 or so to get to that 60. I've talked to (Kaleb) Driggers, and we were hoping we'd get three loads at the end of July, and everything would be good to go. The guy at the border thinks it could be closed for a year, but some people think it won't be that long. It's possible we won't have any fresh M-branded cattle for a while now, and there's no telling what the prices will jump to.” — Bobby Joe Hill of…