superlooper-june 2010

ALSO INSIDE:

INSIDERLets Make a Deal

2010 USTRC Regionals

Feature

AppArel

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USTRC Championship Results80 Oregon Championships84 Arkansas Championships88 Texas Championships94 South Alabama Championships100 Idaho Championships102 Missouri Classic106 Panhandle Classic112 Blackhawk Championships

FEATURES8 Just the Way It Is by Ben Clements

10 USTRC Announcements

12 By the Numbers by John Findlay

16 Gold Plus Report by Ty Hillman

20 Champions Profile

Nicholas Thompson & Justin Pruitt

24 Top Tips with Rickey Green

26 USTRC InsiderLets Make a Dealby Gary Poythress

28 Horsemanship Setting a Horse in the Boxby Chris Cox with Cynthia McFarland

32 Horse Health Treatment for Joints

by Heather Smith Thomas

34 Profile Kollin VonAhnby Melinda Clements

46 Upcoming EventRocky Top Championships

48 USTRC On Tap

50 US Open Tour Standings

76

COVERPHOTO:Courtesy ofEquibrand and Lone WolfPhotographyKempner, TX

FEATURE

APPAREL38

2010 USTRC REGIONAL FINALS

07 TOC_TOC 5/12/10 3:05 PM Page 7

I Recently in our community there was a young womanwho was attacked by a crazy man in the park. She wasstabbed while watching her kids play. She was not killed,but was permanently paralyzed. This woman could haveeasily gone the poor me route and curled up and witheredaway, but that is not what she did. She has taken hersituation and made the best of it. The community hascompletely united in an effort to help out. People from allover have stepped up and given in so many ways. It is justproof that there is good out there.*

I also have some dear friends whose baby is having somehealth issues. They are going to have to go overseas forsome stem cell treatments that will make him better, but itis extremely costly. They make a good living but are notinfinitely wealthy in the ways of cash. However, they arewealthy with friends and family. People in the entire ropingcommunity have stepped up and are helping out to makethis a possibility. People have given and have beentremendously generous. I am not necessarily talking aboutjust giving money, but support and friendship. Again, this isproof that the world is filled with good and people are notall bad.**

As you can see you might not have a lot of money, butyou might be wealthier than you realize. I know my life isfilled to the max. I have a great family. I have a wonderfulwife and her family is awesome. I have tons of friends andsupport in all that I do. If you are feeling down, look aroundbecause I bet you are not as bad off as you may think. Fillyour life and your mind with rich and positive thoughts. Bethe best you can be and make the best of every situation.There is a lot more to this ol world than gold, jewels andcash. Wealth really is just a state of mind, so open yourmind and see what is out there waiting for you. Keep yourchin up and operate in a positive light and that my friends isjust the way it is

*Neighbors and strangers are working together to renovatethe home of a woman paralyzed last month when she wasstabbed in a Stephenville park. Brandi Todd, 28, of MorganMill was attacked from behind March 14 while she watchedher children play, and the attack left her with a serious spinalinjury. To make a donation contact Town and Country Bank254-968-4125.

**Joe Ross and Jill Jamesons son Jade is fighting for hissight. To make a donation contact Members Trust FederalCredit Union 254-968-8543.

JUNE 2010

Again here I sit at the 11th hour preparing my columnfor this month. It has been a crazy month and I am ready for a little slow down. The summer is uponus and with summer means lots of team roping. It is a reallybusy time of year for me, so I expect I will have to wait for theslow down. Oh, well, actually I wouldnt have it any other way.

Andrew Young once said, I have about concluded thatwealth is a state of mind, and that anyone can acquire awealthy state of mind by thinking rich thoughts. Mr. Youngwas a politician in the 1970s and 80s and was elected mayorof Atlanta. I do not agree with everything that Mr. Young didor stood for, but I do like his quote.

Think about it. Wealth is a state of mind. I believe it is. Iknow people out there who hardly have a dollar to their name,but I consider them some of the wealthiest people in theworld. They have their heath, a great family, and dont wantfor anything except an honest days pay for an honest dayswork. In turn, I know people who could buy anything theywanted and yet they are not happy and they yearn forsomething more. They go through life unfulfilled and strugglewith every aspect of life, except the fact that their pocketbookis filled to the max.

How do we get to be like that guy that has everything anddoesnt want for anything? We do it by thinking rich thoughtsand living a rich life. We make the best of every situation andwe work hard to be the best person we can be. We fill our liveswith love and compassion for others and we trust in God nomatter what situation comes our way.

As you can see, being wealthy actually has nothing to dowith having money in the bank. It has to do with having lovein your heart. It has to do with doing the right thing. It has todo with living your life in the right manner and treatingpeople with respect and in a fair and consistent manner.

Look at the quote again. I have about concluded thatwealth is a state of mind, and that anyone can acquire awealthy state of mind by thinking rich thoughts. Anyone canbecome wealthy by thinking rich thoughts. It is easy,especially in todays world to be bombarded and filled withnegative and sour thoughts. Everywhere we turn people areupset or have bad attitudes. If you look around, everyonewants something for nothing. The news media is alwaysreporting the bad. It is easy to get caught up in that. It is easyfor negative thoughts to outweigh the rich thoughts.

For everything bad and negative out there, there is tons ofgood. There is greatness everywhere you turn. Tune out thebad and look for the good. Think only about the good thingsand strive to be better in all you do.

JJUUSSTT theWWaayy IT IS

08 JTWii_Layout 1 5/10/10 4:00 PM Page 8

SUPERLOOPER MAGAZINE / 9

DEPARTMENTS126 Riding Herd by Lee Pitts

127 On the Edge of Common Sense

by Baxter Black

128 The Other Half by Gracie Mae

130 Sports Medicine Stable by Mark Duncan

132 Walt Woodard

134 SuperLooper Events Calendar

137 MarketPlace

193 Advertisers Index This Classic glove has an optimum fit and comfort that wont fatigue your hand. The body and finger tops, made of a spandex/neoprene combination, have an ergonomic cut. The palm and finger bottoms are Amara synthetic leather. The burn-resistant material where your rope runs increases durability. Cuffs are adjustable for a perfect fit.

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SUPERLOOPER MAGAZINE2340 Menaul NE, Suite 400 Albuquerque, NM 87107

Advertising or Editorial:505/899-1870 fax: 505/792-5678

Produced and published by USTRC

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISINGUSTRC Editor: Ben ClementsAssociate Editor: Ryan Davis

Sales Manager & Event Advertising: John EnglishAdvertising Representatives:

Elizabeth DominickCustomer Service Representative: Jules Price

CIRCULATION & PRODUCTIONArt Director: Marcia Rackstraw

Production Coordinator: Violet Sue AndersonGraphic Designer: Doug Purdy

Administrative Assistant: Kathy Williams

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June 2010 / Vol. 19, No. 6SuperLooper Magazine (ISSN 1069-5508, USPS No. 009983)is pub lished monthly by

Western Sports Publishing, Inc., 2340 Menaul NE, Suite 400 Albuquerque, NM 87107

Subscription price: 1 yr. - $20. Periodicals Postage Paid at Albuquerque,

New Mexico and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2000 by Super Looper Magazine. Material may not be used without permissionfrom the publisher. Deadline for editorial and

advertising is the 25th of the month,two months preceding issue date.

Advertising rates on request. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGE TO

SuperLooper Magazine c/o Western Sports Publishing, Inc.,

2340 Menaul NE, Suite 400 Albuquerque, NM 87107

Advertising claims are the sole responsibility of the advertiser, not SuperLooper Magazine.

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MENTSAANNNNOOUUNNCCEE

10 / JUNE 2010

USTRC

$1M

950,000

900,000

850,000

800,000

750,000

700,000

650,000

600,000

550,000

500,000

450,000

400,000

350,000

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

SHOOT-OUTFUNDUPDATE

Hot, Hot, Hot!!!Team roping is on fireas we approach thesummer season.Ropers love the newpayout structure andthe new draw-inoption. The USTRCShoot-Out Fund in onits way to the boilingpoint. In fact, theShoot-Out Fund hasalready bubbled tojust over $490,000.

Team roping andthe USTRC is ontarget with somegreat events comingup, and with summerhere people are readyfor roping. TheUSTRC is setting thetable for the bigpicnic and that willtake place inOklahoma City,Oklahoma the last fullweek of October.

The Cinch USTRCNational Finals is oneteam roping youwont want to missespecially in 2010.Get out the sun blockand load up becausethe heat is on andyou wont want to beleft in the coldwithout any USTRCFlex Earnings. Getready, the CinchUSTRC NationalFinals of TeamRoping is on thecalendar for October23-31, 2010 and thepayout is going to bephenomenal.

Rule Change Reminder:As published in the January issue of

SuperLooper Magazine and the 2010USTRC Rule Book, Rule 4.2.9, Enteringwith the same partner, has beenchanged. The new rule states thatropers cannot enter the same divisionat an event with the same partner morethan once. NO EXCEPTIONS!

This includes all Shoot-Outdivisions at the Regional and NationalFinals. Ropers, please be aware of thisrule change when entering theupcoming Regional Finals events.

Are you QUALIFIED? Be sure to check your Available

Earnings for qualification to the 2010Regional Finals Shoot-Out divisions,where lots of cash and prizes are on thegiveaway list.

To check your earnings, log on towww.ustrc.com and click on themember link at the top left side ofthe home page. Once you are signedonto your personal page, yourAvailable Earnings are displayed at thetop right side of the page. Click on theYour Available Earnings link for fulldetails. There are still plenty of eventsto accumulate Available Earnings

Draw-In Option at Regionals

Ropers will be allowed to Draw-In tothe preliminary divisions at theRegional Finals events. Partners will bedrawn on site at the event.

The Draw-In option wont beavailable for any Shoot-Out Division.

Member ReminderYou do not have to wait until your

70th birthday to be eligible for theLifetime Membership. If you turn 70within this calendar year, youreeligible now! In addition, after youreceive your Lifetime card, you will notbe sent another one, unless you lose,damage or request another one.

$1,000 Free FlexEarnings

Gold Spur members will receive$1,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings. Theseearnings have been deposited in yourFlex Earnings account and may beused in any Regional Finals or NationalFinals Shoot-Out division...your choice!

Gold Plus members will receive$3,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.Likewise, these earnings have beendeposited in your Flex Earningsaccount and may be used at yourdiscretion in any Regional Finals orNational Finals Shoot-Out division.

Gold Spur members that upgrade tothe Gold Plus membership will receivean additional $2,000 in Flex Earningsfor a total of $3,000.

You may view your member servicespage at www.ustrc.com. Click on theYour Available Earnings link on yourpersonal page.

Feedback For YourRoping Future

The USTRC wants to hear from you.The USTRC is breaking new ground inthe roping industry with its RopersVoice Surveys and USTRC web sitepolls that started in April. Check it outonline at www.ustrc.com.

To see all previous USTRCannouncements made for the 2010season visit www.ustrc.com and clickon the Announcements link.

Send Us Your Letter!Do you have a question, concern,

complaint or praise you would like toaddress to the USTRC? In todays high techworld it is easier than ever to send us yourLetter to the Editor. We invite you to sendus an email at [email protected] withyour comments about the USTRC, teamroping in general or the magazine.

10 Announcements_10 ANNOUNCEMENTS 5/10/10 4:09 PM Page 10

S06DF_ChrryCrk_P_Layout 1 5/6/10 4:51 PM Page 1

USTRC

BY JOHN FINDLAYby theNNUUMMBBEERRSS

Each year at the completion of theNational Finals in October, I havealways regaled you on these pageswith tons of statistics derived from thatyears USTRC National Finals of TeamRoping. Everything from winners by name,state, zip code and hair length to catchratios, fast times, aggregate times, whereeveryone was from, and the list goes on.But if you will recall, in honor of the 20thanniversary of Finals 2009, I gave anoverview of the last 20 years in theDecember and January issues. In thoseissues I highlighted such things as the totalcash payout of each Finals, the number ofparticipants, who won the Open that yearand other crowning moments. But whatthat walk down memory lane forced me todo was gather information from each ofthose Finals into one place. And then thatled me to realize I had never looked at acompilation of all those yearly Finalsstatistics jointly. With this issue I hope tobegin rectifying that oversight.

Unfortunately, I found, the early Finalsstatistics were quite spotty. Over the courseof years, with the changing of systems,office moves, turnover of personnel,ownership changes, and the like, many ofthe first years of National Finals numbersare incomplete. As much as I would haveliked to have had a full set of Finalsstatistics since year one (1990), I foundthat our numbers were not reliablycomplete until 1998. But a lot is betterthan none at all, and 12 years of Finalshistory is more than sufficient. So with thismonths issue, I will start to mine all thatdata. And in the months to come I willreturn to this mine field every once inawhile for more bygone Finals figures forwhat I hope will be an absorbing read.

My initial effort consists of four Tablescovering four different cumulative aspectsof the last 12 years of USTRC Octoberproceedings. Table 1 looks at stateachievements at the Finals, Tables 2 & 312 / JUNE 2010

186373754210192926143938123584041434516111730252041334362242732282221193323314415

ALARAZCACANCOCTFLGAHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENMNVNYOHOKOROtherPASCSDTNTXUTVAWAWIWVWY

$664,809$1,747,767$3,487,356$1,713,188

$36,600$2,107,770

$26,225$1,090,450$511,425$139,550$268,425$826,339$32,750$35,400$880,763$42,850

$1,344,525$28,400$28,250$14,800$6,460

$703,822$892,525$701,312$127,838$268,800$483,100

$2,650,278$846,784$48,025$41,550

$5,635,711$327,600$145,108$80,100$142,845$367,650$423,025

$11,857,475$1,220,708

$77,450$350,650$127,368$9,550

$728,036$43,291,412

105 212 410 293 17 313 4

115 97 34 52 101 13 5

193 12 192 1 5 10 5

143 107 89 37 32 88 421 69 10 15 800 53 29 12 27 76 64

1,679 152 16 35 31 2

128 6304

296 605

1,107 824 38 852 15 444 264 102 128 287 23 9

456 19 537 2 10 19 11 340 264 241 75 84 210

1,180 235 18 28

2,382 145 71 32 60 162 188

4,817 456 34 104 91 12 296

17573

121212127123121212121285127121465121112111012121278121286101212121281210212

200220072006199920032007200720062007200120062007200720072009200120091998199920021998200720072001200420072005200520081998200120092004200620082009200720022008200619992004200919982008

$134,350$279,700$576,575$293,384$11,250$335,050$21,200$203,250$120,300$28,800$94,800$126,650$12,350$20,400$160,792$16,500$226,875$28,400$17,000$5,700$1,410

$153,500$163,850$123,450$32,300$76,900$67,250$363,750$187,350$28,400$24,500$883,442$60,450$50,150$26,650$34,700$90,550$87,800

$1,592,050$185,750$26,950$143,800$43,275$6,250

$104,500

Total # of # of Years With Best Amount WonRank State Amount Won Ropers Checks Earnings Year Best Year

Table 1USTRC National Finals 1998-2009 by State

A Modest Compendium ofStatistical Nuggets from

12 Years of National Finals

12-14, 117 By the Numbers_Layout 1 5/6/10 1:46 PM Page 12


32nd), and Michigan (43rd to 38th). Sothese guys won more often than the othersbut did not necessarily get enough of thosereally big checks.

A quick word here about checks . . . Iincluded in checks ropers that earnedShoot-Out spots in their Finals preliminarybut did not actually win any money. Eventhough there was no money that officiallychanged hands, I figured these ropersearned their entry fees into the Shoot-Out which is just as good as money. I alsoincluded checks earned at the ChallengeArena. After all, it is, technically, moneyearned at the Finals.

There have been 43 states that havetaken money back home from the Finalsover the years plus several provinces inCanada and a few other countries. TheOther row includes all those fromoutside the United States and Canada plusa few ropers for whom we no longer havevalid addresses. Out of the 43 states, 25have earned money at the Finals everyyear since 1998. And the state that had thebest year ever? Texas when in 2008 wonnearly 1.6 million dollars.

Table 2 lists the 20 individuals whohave won the most money during the 12years of Finals. Scanning the list you will

individual achievements, and Table 4, zipcode achievements. Lets start with Table 1.

Table 1 lists the states by the amount ofmoney contestants WHO CURRENTLYLIVE IN THAT STATE have won. Iemphasize the who currently live inbecause I want that clear. We do not keeprecords of where a particular contestantwas living WHEN he or she won theirmoney. We only have records of where theyare living now or to be really moreaccurate, the last current address we havethat has been provided by the roper. Soeven though you may have lived in Texaswhen you won the #9 Shoot-Out back in01, if you are now living in Oklahoma,Oklahoma is going to get credit. The moststartling figure in this whole article, I think,is at the bottom of Table 1 under TotalAmt Won . . . $43,291,412. Over the last 12National Finals, the USTRC has awardedover $43,000,000! And remember, we aretalking just cash here. On top of thatimpressive figure are gobs of DodgeTrucks, Case Tractors, Tony Lama Boots,Purina Feed, Gist Buckles, Martin Saddles,and oodles of other neat stuff. But in cash,thats an average of over $3,600,000 eachyear for the last 12 years. The bottom ofthe next column reads 6,304 which meansthat 6,304 different ropers have each won apiece of that 43 million dollar pie. That is,

on average, over $6,800 apiece. I just haveto marvel at those numbers.

OK, enough marveling, back to theTable. In column order the Table lists foreach state: the amount of money it haswon, the # of ropers who have won checks,the number of checks they have won, thenumber of years the state has earnedmoney at the Finals, the states best yearand the amount of money it won in its bestyear. The first column ranks the states bymoney won. The Top Five are, in order:Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico,and Colorado. Texas has earned awhopping $11,857,475 over the years. Thatwas just about how much Texas GovernorRick Perry spent of federal stimulus moneyto repair the arson damaged governorsmansion. Maybe you Finals winnersshould all go in together and pay thefederal government back. (That was a joke,son, a corny side-splitter.)

Texas also leads in the number ofchecks department, to no ones surprise.The rankings in checks parallel therankings in dollars for the most part butthere were some states that did a fewnotches better in the check than dollarrankings. Some of them were Kansas (12thto 9th), Missouri (16th to 12th), Alabama(18th to 13th), Hawaii (29th to 26th),Wisconsin (31st to 27th), Canada (37th to continued on page 14

1234567891011121314151617181920

Dublin, TXDe Leon, TXLipan, TXRingling, OKWillcox, AZHelm Grove, LAClaremore, OKLlano, TXPima, AZCaddo Mills, TXSumner, TXStephenville, TXEagle, IDBroken Bow, OKMammoth, AZReddick, FLEllensburg, WAJay, OKSanto, TXSalado, TX

$147,100 $141,225 $137,950 $131,633 $130,700 $129,300 $116,183 $115,750 $115,600 $113,600 $106,875 $105,600 $104,850 $104,350 $103,900 $91,258 $89,750 $88,650 $87,425 $85,950

14262422102317241781473178252017199

Total # of Amount Rank Roper Hometown Amount Won Checks Biggest Win Won

Table 2USTRC National Finals 1998-2009 Top 20 Ropers by Money Won

2007 #12 Shoot-Out 1st2002 Open Shoot-Out 1st2007 US Open 1st2008 US Open 2nd2006 US Open 1st2008 #15 Shoot-Out 1st2008 US Open 2nd2002 Open Shoot-Out 1st2005 US Open 1st2007 #15 Shoot-Out 1st2007 #15 Shoot-Out 1st2009 #9 Shoot-Out 1st2007 #12 Shoot-Out2009 #13 Shoot-Out 1st2006 #12 Shoot-Out 1st2002 #5 Shoot-Out 3rd2004 US Open 1st2005 US Open 1st2004 #9 Shoot-Out2004 #6 Shoot-Out 1st

$52,850$36,000$50,000$26,650$50,000$44,750$26,650$36,000$39,300$46,800$46,800$49,000$52,850$46,800$50,000$17,500$35,000$39,300$37,200$48,000

T. J. TeagueSpeed WilliamsClay TryanCharles R. PogueColter D. ToddCole EcholsBritt W. BockiusRich SkeltonMatt SherwoodCody McMinnDaniel C. ReedGary CamposKatlen E. SchimmelpfennigClay O. SmithRudy ClarkJerry BaileyBrady MinorTravis L. GravesTravis J. TryanBilly Pipes


14 / JUNE 2010

find that it is primarily dotted withwell-known luminaries of theprofessional team roping world.Familiar names like Williams, Tryan,Pogue and Todd. Its not particularlysurprising that these are the guysthat lead the way in the Finalsearnings department. With so manyprofessionals attending the lucrativeUS Open of Team Roping each year,many of them were bound to comeout near the top of this list. By thesame token, however, a lot of thegentlemen on this list beganwinning good-sized purses at theFinals as youngsters or at leastbefore they had advanced fully tothe professional ranks. Colter Todd,for instance, won his first check wayback in 1999 finishing 26th in theaverage of the #8 Preliminary at the

money but how many times youvebeen in the money. To me, theability to earn checks on aconsistent basis is just as, if notmore, impressive as earning the bigdollars. Having a really good 2007Finals propelled T.J. and Katlen intothe Top 20 in earnings. But beingconsistently in the money over a lotof years is what thrust the guys intoour Top 20 in checks list. Numberone on that list is Steve Baber ofDevol, Oklahoma. While hisearnings of $32,650 was the lowestof the 20 guys on this list, thenumber of checks he earned, 32,was six better than his closest rival.Steve has won a check at everyNational Finals since 1998 except

CONTINUED FROM PAGE13

by theNNUUMMBBEERRSS

continued on page 117

age of 15. Brady Minor also won hisfirst check in 1999 when he was just14. He came in 6th in the Average ofthe #9 Shoot-Out. But over the years,none of these guys have done quiteas well as T.J. Teague. He won hisfirst good check back in 2005coming in 4th in the Average of the#11 Shoot-Out for $13,550. But theyear that he had the dream Finals ofdream Finals was 2007. With KatlenSchimmelpfennig, who you will findat number 13 on the list, T.J. wonboth the #13 and the #12 Shoot-Outfor a grand total of $103,850between them. 2007 was the richestFinals in USTRC history with nearlya $5,000,000 cash purse and thesetwo guys won two of the richerShoot-Outs at that event.TABLE 3 measures not just

122455777101012121414141418181818

Steven BaberSpeed WilliamsJake CooperJerry BaileyRich SkeltonClay TryanBrandon BeersCole EcholsTodd SmithRichard DurhamCharles R. PogueScott ElliottJade CorkillBrady MinorClint SummersJimmie R. CooperAllen L. BachTravis J. TryanHarold JonesBrock G. HansonBubba Bohac

Devol, OKDe Leon, TXMonument, NMReddick, FLLlano, TXLipan, TXPowell Butte, ORHelm Grove, LABroken Bow, OKMorgan Mill, TXRingling, OKLive Oak, FLFallon, NVEllensburg, WALake City, FLMonument, NMMillsap, TXSanto, TXParis, ARCasa Grande, AZVictoria, TX

322626252424232323222221212020202019191919

$32,650$141,225$77,800$91,258$115,750$137,950$70,892$129,300$50,736$47,350$131,633$78,225$81,792$89,750$56,050$72,400$42,975$87,425$60,800$57,900$32,700

# of Total Amount Rank Roper Hometown Checks Amount Won Biggest Win Won

Table 3USTRC National Finals 1998-2009

Top 20 Ropers by Number of Checks Earned

2000 #8 Shoot-Out 5th 2002 Open Shoot-Out 1st2007 US Open 2nd2002 #5 Shoot-Out 3rd2002 Open Shoot-Out 1st2007 US Open 1st2004 US Open 2nd2008 #15 Shoot-Out 1st2007 #15 Shoot-Out 3rd2002 #9 Shoot-Out 4th2008 US Open 2nd2005 #15 Shoot-Out 2nd2008 US Open 3rd2004 US Open 1st2005 #10 Shoot_out 4th2007 US Open 2nd1998 Open Shoot-Out 3rd2004 #9 Shoot-Out 1st2004 #5 Shoot-Out 3rd2003 #11 Shoot-Out 1st2000 #6 Shoot-Out 3rd

$9,250$36,000$28,650$17,500$36,000$50,000$21,000$44,750$20,900$11,500$26,850$20,550$35,000$21,300$15,000$28,650$12,000$37,200$18,550$36,150$15,800


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USTRC

Hello Team Ropers,I hope this article finds you all doing

well. My new job here is going very wellas I am learning all of theresponsibilities as your Gold PlusRepresentative. I have enjoyed visitingwith many of you on the phone as wellas meeting some of you at the TexasChampionships. I appreciate all of yourfeedback and I encourage you to

contact me with any comments orideas. Like I mentioned last month, Ifeel very strongly that the mosteffective way for a business to providethe best service to its customers is tolisten to them. Whether you have apraise, problem, concern, orsuggestion, please do not hesitate to letme know how we are doing so we can

better serve you. We want to provideyou with the best experience possible,but we need your feedback.

We have started emailing surveys toropers after they attend USTRC producedand sanctioned events. This is a greatchance for you to tell us how we canimprove our service and ourorganization. Please fill them out, as theywill take no more than two or threeminutes of your time. We have also begunposting a weekly poll on our website atwww.ustrc.com and I encourage you toparticipate in that as well.

Roping and competing in USTRCropings most of my life, I thought Iknew a lot about the USTRC until Istarted working here. There are manythings that I did not know and I heldseveral misconceptions. I would like totake this opportunity to clarify a fewthings I have learned since I havestarted working here.

The biggest misconception I had as aroper is that the USRTC withholds 45%

GGOOLLDDPPLLUUSS

by Ty Hillman

16 / JUNE 2010

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The team of Brittany Tirpak whohails out of West Palm Beach, FLand Ed Allen, Jr. from Dadeville,AL took home $1,551 in cash,trophy Gist buckles and a Gold PlusShoot-Out worth $6,000 in USTRCFlex Earnings for winning the GoldPlus roping at the South AlabamaChampionships, and they did it witha four-head total of 42.70 seconds.

The Canyon, Texas team of Lance Cristand Joe M. Hughes cleaned up big inthe Gold Plus roping at the Panhandle

Classic. They took the win, worth$3,480 in cash, trophy Gist Gold spurs

and a Gold Plus Shoot-Out worth$6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings afterroping four head in 31.99 seconds.

16-18 Gold Plus_Layout 1 5/10/10 3:59 PM Page 16


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to 50% stock charge at their ropings.Even though theres a detailedexplanation of payout in the rule bookand a percentage breakdown in theresults articles of the SuperLooper, I justwent along with what everyone elsesaid. While reading the rule book,something I have never done as a roper,I found in Section 7.10 that a producerscommission cannot exceed 33.33% (1/3)of the total entry fees. In fact, after theproducer makes a mandatory Shoot-OutFund contribution of 1.7% of his 1/3stock charge, hes left with only 31.6% topay for all event expenses. With 66.66%(2/3) left in the ropers pot, the USTRCwithdraws an additional 5% to add backas added money via the Shoot-Out Fundto the Cinch NFTR. Thats it! Ropers willnever rope for less than 61.66% of thetotal entry fees.

Another false impression I had is thatthe prize line at a USTRC sanctionedroping is paid with money withheldfrom the ropers pot (61.66%). This isalso incorrect because the prize line ispurchased by the producer out of his33.33% (1/3) commission; therefore, theprizes are not purchased using moneyout of the ropers 61.66% pot. When youadd the value of the prize line back into61.66% of the ropers pot, ropers areusually competing for 75% to 85% of thetotal entry fees in cash and prizes.

Hopefully this clears up a fewmisunderstandings. Also, I have beensurprised at how many Gold Plusmembers I have talked with who do notknow all of the individual benefits thatcome with their Gold Plus membership.Having the ability to rope in the GoldPlus Shoot-Outs at the Cinch NationalFinals of Team Roping (NFTR) and win aDodge Truck or Case IH tractor is one ofmain reasons many members choosethis value added membership. Whatmany people do not know is there is aCentury Bonus with 100% payback in allof the Gold Plus ropings heldthroughout the year, excluding theCinch NFTR. The entry fees are anadditional $100 per team and bothpartners must be 50 years or olderduring the calendar year to be eligible.Another obvious reason many roperschoose the Gold Plus membership isthey can reserve stalls and pre-enter allsanctioned events. You can call theoffice and I am happy to take yourentries and stall reservations no laterthan the Friday preceding the event. Iunderstand we all have busy schedulesand you may not know how manyhorses you are hauling, but please makethese reservations by Friday at 5 p.m.CST so I can help you. Writing checks atcash only sanctioned events or affiliateropings is another great benefit Gold

ss

Lyn R. Lamon, Sr. teamed up with John M. East to lay claim to the Gold Plus title at thisyears Texas Championships held in San Antonio. Their fast, four-head total of 31.93 secondsearned them $5,660 in cash, trophy Gist Gold spurs and a Gold Plus Shoot-Out worth $6,000 inUSTRC Flex Earnings.


18 / JUNE 2010

USTRC

GGOOLLDDPPLLUUSS

c o n t i n u e d

Plus members receive. If your spouseand/or your children rope, the Gold Plusmembership may be the most costeffective membership package. Bypurchasing one Gold Plus membership,your spouse will also receive a Gold Plusmembership as long as he/she is at least18 years old. If you have children wholive at home and who are 20 years of ageor younger, they will receive Gold Spurmemberships. Gold Plus membersreceive $1,000,000 excess personalliability coverage for any horse relatedaccident at a USTRC sanctioned event.Other insurance services include$25,000 death or disablement and

$2,500 for loss of one or more fingers.Insurance is not automatically includedfor Gold Plus family members unlesspurchased for an additional $75. Whenapplying for a double number, Gold Plusmembers do not pay the $40 fee that ischarged to Gold Spur members. WhenGold Plus members purchase theirmembership, they receive $3,000 in FlexEarnings which basically means theyqualify for half of a National Shoot-Outthat they can use with any partner inany division at the Cinch NFTR or any ofthe seven USTRC Regional Events.Finally, Gold Plus members receive a10% discount when purchasing items

from National Roper Supply.As summer is rounding the corner,

it is time to start thinking aboutentering the first few of our sevenRegional Finals events. The West CoastRegional Finals in Paso Robles, CA iscoming up June 24-27 and the EasternRegional Finals in Murfreesboro, TN isJuly 8-11. Please keep an eye on theentry deadlines and feel free to call meto enter, reserve stalls, ask questions,give me some feedback, or just tointroduce yourself.

I look forward to visiting with you.Ty Hillman

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Roping tough, the home-state team of Kailey L. Freed and Cody G. Soffel finished on top of thepack in the Gold Plus roping at the Blackhawk Championships in Salina, Utah. They roped fourhead in 33.87 seconds to win $1,618 in cash, trophy Gist buckles and a Gold Plus Shoot-Out

worth $6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.

Bill R. Barcus, Jr. (Paola, KS) and Ross Keesling(Perry, KS) roped four head in 31.38 seconds for$3,914 in cash, trophy Gist buckles and a Gold PlusShoot-Out worth $6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.

The Oklahoma team of Ralph W. Carter and TroyB. Stoner roped four head in 35.23 seconds totake the win in the Gold Plus roping at theArkansas Championships. The duo collected $3,854in cash, trophy Gist Gold spurs and a Gold PlusShoot-Out worth $6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.

Home-state cowboys, John Herkner and Troy D.Pfeifer took home the Oregon Championships

Gold Plus victory after roping three head in 39.28seconds. Their hot streak earned them $658 in

cash, trophy Gist buckles and a Gold Plus Shoot-Out worth $6,000 in USTRC Flex Earnings.


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20 / JUNE 2010

USTRC

championsPPRROOFFIILLEE And Then There Was Oneby Melinda Clements

things seemed to be just enough to put together a greatheading and heeling duo.The #12 Shoot-Out would pay the first-place team

$94,000 plus a Martin Championship Trophy saddle, TonyLama boots, Western Horseman Collectors Prints andbeautiful Gist Trophy buckles. The prize line was enough tomake your mouth water and Thompson and Pruitt felt theyhad been paired for a reason. The pair was the high team coming back into the short

go round for the #12 Shoot-Out. They had a time for 21.87and the second place high team of Ty Yost and JosephKimball were breathing down their necks. There would beabsolutely no room for mistakes. This was the real deal andit involved some high stress roping. When Yost and Kimball posted a time of 7.77 to upset

the current leaders in the short round they took a verystrong lead in the Average. Pressure began to build as thelast team prepared to rope.Pressure! said Pruitt. Let me tell you about

pressure. You cannot even imagine the pressure that wasinvolved there.I so wanted this to all come together, Thompson

ne cannot attend the Cinch USTRC NationalFinals of Team Roping without encountering great

experiences that transpire during the nine days ofroping. It is, perhaps, the one thing that holds the greatestattraction for ropers who do all they can to attend the event. Theteam roping is one of the best in the country and through thecourse of the Cinch NFTR lives are changed, people meet underthe most unusual circumstances and the event leaves anundeniable mark on everyone involved.Ropers may live far apart and in totally different lifestyles

and circumstances but the common thread among them allseems to be the compatible philosophy of winning, ropingaggressively and having a good time. That is the commondenominator for most all of them.Nick Thompson lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Justin Pruitt

lives in Greenbriar, Arkansas and the duo had never ever ropedtogether. They hardly knew each other. However, through anunusual play of events and a little strange twist of fate the pairended up roping together in the #12 Shoot-Out at the CinchUSTRC National Finals of Team Roping. About the onlycommon ground between them was they both wanted to winand they both were sponsored by Revolution Ropes. Those

#12 SHOOT-OUT2009 USTRC

National Champions

Nicholas G. Thompson Justin L. Pruitt

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2CHAMPIONS0

09

22 / JUNE 2010

the clocks. It hadhappened almost toofast to register.

There is no waywe could haveplanned all this,Thompson said. Welive in two differentstates, too far awayto rope or practice.We came together forone reason and thatwas to do well ropingwith each other. Weaccomplished morethan we ever thoughtpossible.

I have beenroping all my life,Pruitt commented.This is just sounbelievable. Youalways want to ropeand rope right and

you dont want stupid shots and you try to practice to get it allright. Here we came together and it worked. Unbelievable!

You will find as you travel lifes highways that things happenfor reasons we never fully grasp or understand. The pairing ofThompson and Pruitt was one of those phenomenal eventsthat thrust them into the limelight and changed them forever.When it was all over Then There Was Only One, the #12 Shoot-Out Champions of the Cinch USTRC National Finals of TeamRopingNick Thompson and Justin Pruitt.

Nicholas G. Thompson and Justin L. Pruittat the 2009 Cinch USTRC National Finals in

Oklahoma City.

said. Im not sure Ihonestly had oneconscious thought as Irode into the box. Atthat particular point intime it really didntmatter if we won orlost. We were the highteam back in the #12Shoot-Out at theNational Finals ofTeam Roping and notreally much elsemattered after that. Wehad never practiced orroped together and yethad done remarkablywell to have beenthrown together. Wehad accomplished somuch. It wasunbelievably exciting.

Both men wantedto rope aggressively.When Thompson nodded and the gates banged open, Pruitthad a reality check. His focus realigned when Thompson ropedthe horns. He had one thing on his mind; two feet.

I just wanted to knock one down, Pruitt said. I wanted totake a smart shot and bring all this together. We got togetherand prayed it would work and it did.

The pair needed a 9.72 to take the lead and win the #12Shoot-Out at the Cinch USTRC National Finals of TeamRoping. When the dust cleared a 7.98 illuminated the dial of

20, 22 Champ Profile_ CHAMP PROFILE 5/5/10 4:48 PM Page 22

S06DF_MGMGrndH_P_Layout 1 5/3/10 1:31 PM Page 1

24 / JUNE 2010

RickeyGreen

with

o be smooth and consistent in your heeling delivery, there is acertain feel that you need to have. That feel takes a lot of practiceto master. What does it feel like to have a pure delivery that comes from the swing and

moves into the delivery with a smooth, effortlessmotion? It feels like pouring water out of a glass.

Only the higher numbered heelers ever reallydevelop it, and maybe thats how and why theybecome higher numbered heelers.

I would like to share a drill with you that canhelp you master your delivery so it smoothes outand you stop fumbling your slack as you deliver.Take the tail of your rope Photo 1. Then swing thetail and swing it planed out toward the bottom ofthe front feet. This is the correct plane of the

delivery Photo 2. Iremember Clay and I werepracticing and Bailey, Clays

SmoothDelivery

daughter, was having a bad day. Clay said, Bailey aimat the front feet and hold onto your loop as long as youpossibly can. All of a sudden the loop stops hitting inthe dirt and starts coming through.

Notice Photo 3, as the tail swings out toward thelegs, my thumb is on the left side of the top strand so Ican feel the contact on the leg with my index finger.Then you just roll your hand over the top strand andyou have your slack, so you will be smooth and notfumble your slack.

After you master the one strand of the tail, then getyour loop and try to hit the front feet with your loop,

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

24-25 Rickey Green_Project1 5/11/10 10:55 AM Page 24

but dont release the loop until it has crossed to the left, like inPhoto 4. Make sure you keep your thumb on the left side of thetop strand like Photo 5. Then, after the loop is in place roll overand pick up your slack.

With this drill it wont be any time at all and you will start tofeel a big difference in your delivery.

Your Friend,Rickey GreenProverbs 18:24


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26 / JUNE 2010

ome people avoid conflict at allcosts, most people avoid conflictif possible, and a few people

thrive on conflict. This explains whymost ropers get involved inclassification issues only when theyaffect them directly. USTRC welcomesyour suggestions about improvingclassifications, but a recent call from aroper in Colorado demonstrates that notenough has been done to explain WHYclassifications are determined the waythey are.The Colorado roper is a #5 heeler.

His problem is that USTRC lowered alocal #6 heeler to an Elite #5. Since inhis area there are very few Elite ropersfor partners, he contends that for allpractical purposes he and the Elite #5now have the same number. He insiststhat USTRC made him lose his partnersand must now make him an Elite #4 tobe fair. So Now What?How would you find a solution to this

problem that works fairly for everyone?You might consider the easy options first.Why not just lower this guy to an

Elite #4? That will make HIM happy.You on the other hand, can plan ongiving the same answer to the #4 heelerthat loses his partner. That will befollowed by the #3 and so on until yourun out of numbers.Why not raise the Elite #5 back to a

#6? Elite TRIAD gives all ropers a chanceto be competitive based upon theirperformance, or lack of it. Performance(how the roper competes) gets roperslowered and performance will get themraised. How do you explain to the newest#6 heeler in the USTRC that you raisedhis number because he was takinganother ropers partner?

TO BE FAIR, THE BIG QUESTION ISWHETHER A ROPER AND HIS PARTNERARE COMPETITIVE AS A TEAM. Theonly way to know is to find out whathappens WHEN they compete.Would data from jackpots held last

summer be accurate enough to provethat the #6 heeler should not have beenlowered to an Elite #5?Are all teams entered at local events

competitive? Does the Elite #5 have an advantage

with the new partners he can acquire? Is the caller competitive with his new

partners? How competitive will teams

containing these ropers be if they went toArizona, Florida, or Texas for the winter?What will happen when Arizona

and Texas ropers visit Colorado in the summer?The old way of solving classification

problems involved using the best toolavailable, the telephone. Whenconfronted with a complaint it was astandard practice to begin calling thegood ole boys. Many of thosecontacted are the most reputable andhonest people I have had the pleasure toknow. Everyone enjoying our sport owesthem a great deal. But, as you mightimagine, they were not involved inEVERY dispute. As a result things didnot always go well for the roper. When asking the good ole boy his

opinion on a roper, you may get thefollowing responses:I dont like it at all. You cant trust

him. (What you do not know is that theroper sold this good ole boy a lamehorse two years ago.) I heard a couple of months ago he

won a roping -hes doing alright.I think if you lower this guy he will

go to every little punkin rollin he canand embarrass us.He used to rope awfully good, dont

think you should take the chance.Nobody likes him because he is kind

of a jerk, dont listen to his whining.Or:I swear hes never roped anywhere

but on the ranch before.But he is only 14. Oh, no! He

doesnt take after his 4-time worldchampion father.

We just want to rope together in theeight-point. Hes not really working onhis roping. Playing varsity basketball,baseball, and football take up most ofhis time.He only won those trucks because

nobody else could catch.Youve got a number 4 over here that

ropes way better. I think you need togive him a chance. You let that kid from Oklahoma win

over $500,000 my boy hasnt won nearthat much.If all else failed, the roper or parent

would keep complaining louder andlouder until he reached the top dog andeither cut a deal, wore him down, or ifpossible, played one association againstanother. The hard part of refereeing thesedisputes was not what you heard, buttrying to determine what was TRULYbeing said. High rollers seemed to havelittle or no difficulty working the dealmaking system of classifying. Othersfound that if they were not overbearingand abrasive they got frustrated in anendless loop of he said-she said. This cycle of frustration was

responsible for a great many hard feelingsand the creation of more than one teamroping association. More important thanWHO makes the decision, is the REASONthe decision was made. Usually it takes afew years of deal making to drive thatpoint home. You know you have reachedthat point when one morning:The NUMBER MAN wakes up to find

himself in hot water with all the ropersbecause of his deal making.The ROPER wakes up to find that he

did not make nearly a good enoughdeal. Remember, if you were able tomake a deal so did at least 50 others. Ifyour deal wasnt the best of the 50,YOU LOST! The PRODUCERS wake up to find

that they are losing teams to other

by Gary Poythress

S

26-27 Insider_Layout 1 5/11/10 1:54 PM Page 26


arenas in a bidding war over numbers.In team roping, paying more, betterprizes, better cattle, or even free beertake a back seat to giving away numbers.

Getting the opinion of a differentgroup of good ole boys does not solveproblems, it just changes names.

In the beginning, deal making wasthe best classification method with thetools at hand. The fact that it isimpossible to do fairly and makeseveryone feel like banging their headsagainst a brick wall has always kept itfrom being supported by the majority ofropers. The day of deal making hasfinally come and gone!

Only a complete change inphilosophy and years of hard workallowed USTRC to end this process eventhough it continues to be used byothers. Nowhere but Elite TRIAD, doropers find their information takenseriously enough to truly help themsolve their problems. This brings usback to our Colorado #5 heeler. He mayhave a valid point when he suggests thatthe small number of Elite ropers in hisarea puts him at a disadvantage. Today

that roper and the producers hesupports can prove his case. This willbenefit both of them. Producers, allother things being equal, accurateclassifications are the best way to keepropers from becoming discouraged andmoving on to other arenas.

The fastest, easiest way for ourColorado #5 heeler to prove he deserveshelp is for USTRC to receive the localroping data and let the computer analysisdetermine the solution. The more datasubmitted, the sooner the answer. Thiswill allow him to quickly receive the helphe needs. Let an impartial data analysislook at how you compete. Then we canwork together to make it right. It is assimple as it sounds!

USTRC is committed to creating alevel playing field, and willEVENTUALLY find an answer to thisropers problem. In Colorado this maymean several months of waiting for helpif the USTRC only receives occasionaldata on the roper. It does not have tobe that way! For the first time localproducers are actually in a position toTRULY HELP THE ROPER!

A producer submitting roping datawill further your cause far moreexpeditiously and accurately than callsbeing made on your behalf will.

USTRC no longer uses opinion todetermine classifications. If you are notcompetitive, the computer analysis willprove it. Let the facts speak forthemselves. This is a huge opportunityfor ropers to support local producersthat will help them fix their numberproblems. Producers can finally showropers how much they appreciate theirsupport. Both groups can dothemselves a favor and become part ofthe solution and not the problem.

Do you have a question, concern,complaint or praise you would liketo address to the USTRC? In todayshigh tech world it is easier than everto send us your Letter to the Editor.We invite you to send us an email [email protected] with yourcomments about the USTRC, teamroping in general or the magazine.

26-27 Insider_Layout 1 5/11/10 1:54 PM Page 27

28 / JUNE 2010

he roping box is, without a doubt, a pressured environment for

the horse.Going from standing still to running

as fast as he can in mere seconds tocatch a steer or calf definitely putspressure on the horses mind.

Roping horses can develop a varietyof problems in the box. Most of the time,these problems start as mental issues,but if not dealt with, they can lead tophysical problems over time.

Ive been fortunate to learn to

understand how a horse thinks, and Iuse this knowledge more than anymethod or technique. Being able tounderstand and guide the horsesthought process in the box is key tosolving problems, and most importantly,to avoiding them in the first place.

The horse usually has a great deal ofanticipation when he goes into the box.We have to learn how to put the horse ina mindset where he can be supple andrelaxed. Once he can get to this point,hell be able to read the situation and

the steer/calf, and do his job. We do thisby giving the horse specific exercises inthe box. Ill do this during initial trainingand later on, Ill use exercises asmaintenance on an older horse.Theres a common thread that relates toeverything we do with the horse duringtraining. My cues for ground work aresimilar to my cues while riding; theres asystem that all ties together.

For starters, before you ever go toroping a steer or calf, your horse needsto be truly broke. This means you must

SET

TLIN

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HORSE

IN THE BOX

By Chris Cox

with Cyn

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cFarland

Photo by

Dav

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lein

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be able to move all his body partsthrough your cues without anyresistance on his part. He also needs tobe familiar with cattle and feelcomfortable tracking them in thearena. Before you put a horse in thebox, you should teach him his joboutside. A lot of ropers miss becausetheyve never given the horse theopportunity to learn to read and ratecattle first.

If the horse offers any resistancewhen youre riding in the arena oroutside, this will only be magnified inthe roping box. You need to get anyresistance issues out of the way earlyon before you ever think about ropingoff that horse.

The horse must be soft and supplethrough the poll, ribcage andshoulders, as well as balanced on bothleads. When I say soft through thepoll, I mean that I want the horse toimmediately give me vertical flexionwhen I pick up my reins. This softnesswill carry all the way through his bodyand down to his feet. If a horse is stiffthrough the poll, hell be stiff andresistant through his body and maylock up his hind end.

When a horse is soft through theface and head, this doesnt mean hishead is against his chest. Softness is sodesirable because it shows a total lackof resistance. When I pick up thosereins, I want vertical flexion andsoftness because this will help his backcome up under the saddle and his hindend become more collected. If hespushing on my hands, hell be hollowin his back and his hindquarters will beunbalanced; hell be stiff and jerkywhen he leaves the box.

Practical ExercisesI like to take a young horse in the

box and teach him to maneuver withinthe confines of that box. Ill do circles,back up, sidepass in both directionsand even do rollbacks off the rails. If Ihave control of the horse, I should beable to put him in any position I wantin any area of the box. The more I canuse the horse this way, the morerelaxed he becomes, and relaxation ismy goal.

If a horse is getting upset or

nervous, I make him move his feet bygiving him exercises to do. The more Ido this in a confined area, such as theroping box, the more the horse wants torelax. Even though relaxation is the goal,it must become the horses idea. Youcant make a horse relax by trying toforce him to stand still. This will justmake him want to move, so thats wheredoing exercises comes in handy.

A lot of people do repetitive exercisesin the box, but I like to change things upand not keep to a set pattern. I dontwant the horse anticipating what Imgoing to ask him to do next. Ill do anassortment of exercises, includingwagon wheels, sidepassing and rollbacksto move the horses hindquartersaround, make him bend his ribcage andget his body supple.

With any pressure situation, youwant to take away the anticipation.Scoring is good for this, but I also likedifferent drills when developing andtraining a horse in the box. Even with anolder horse, I will still do maneuverswith him in the box, but Ill expect thosemoves to be more refined than with ayoung horse.

Whether Im riding a young ormature horse, my goal is that when I putmy hand down, the horse should bewilling to stop and relax. Once a horselowers his head, endorphins are releasedthat automatically help him to relax.Think about a horse grazing; his head islowered and he is relaxed. A nervoushorse has his head elevated and youwont see him casually grazing.

When the horse does stand, I alwaysreward him. Scoring is one way to do this.

Be PreparedRemember that preparation is your

key to success. I always do my dry workuntil the horse is responding well andwith consistency before ever putting asteer/calf in the chute.

A lot of horses have trouble in thefront of the box, but this is because theyhave not been properly prepared. Forinstance, if a horse is ducking hisshoulder, this is because his weight isntdistributed evenly on his two hind legs.If necessary, I will back my horsestraight back into the box and get hishind end up underneath him. When I go


out of the box, I always want the horseto be relaxed and straight.

With a young horse, I also like to pickthe stock Im working with to help thehorse. I dont want to use fresh steers orones hell have to struggle with everytime. I want to build up gradually toworking tougher cattle so my horsebecomes more and more confident.

Any time Im developing a younghorse in the early stages, I dont alwayswant him coming out of the box at fullspeed. Its easy to get a horse to go fast,but its harder to get him to be relaxed,so we can develop speed as we go along.As ropers, we have to understand thatthe horse must come first; then we canconcentrate on the roping.

In putting the horse first, we have todevelop feel, trust and confidence. Youcant achieve this if the horse has toomuch pressure, too many runs, or isgoing too fast too soon. You want tocreate a situation so that when the horsebacks into the box and you nod for thatsteer, your horse is confident and ready,and not having to scramble to get inposition to do his job.

We must set things up so its thehorses idea. Once the horses mindaccepts and understands something, hisbody will easily follow. If its the horsedecision, hes more determined andfocused. As a horseman, you have tohelp horse make that decision so hewants to be relaxed and focused.

Because of the way the horses mindworks, you must maintain his dignityand build his confidence every time youwork with him. You cant just run steersover and over when training a horse. Beaware of his mental attitude so youarent putting him in a situation wherehes going to feel overwhelmed andpressured. You want him confident inthe box and as relaxed as possible. To dothis, you must be able to reward himand scoring can be part of that reward.

Always keep in mind that the 10 x12-foot area of the roping box should be asafe place for the horse. Just as whenyou teach a horse to load in a trailer, youwant the box to feel safe andcomfortable for him. It shouldnt besomething he dreads and wants to leaveas soon as possible.

ss


30 / JUNE 2010

n April 12 14, Chris Cox and 8Time World Champion Team

Roper Rich Skelton held a TeamRoping and Horsemanship Seminar atChris Diamond Double C Ranch inMineral Wells, Texas. Over 30participants from several states,including World Champion All-AroundCowboys Larry Mahan and ChrisLybbert, took part. With studentsranging from beginners to a #7 heeler, it

was a diverse and enthusiastic group. Chris worked with the students on

fine-tuning their horsemanship andgaining control of the horse from noseto tail in order to improve their runs andoverall ability. Rich offered groundinstruction for both headers andheelers, focusing on position, building abalanced loop, swing, feeding the loop,target, and delivery. Speed Williams,Richs former team roping partner, was

also part of the clinic, and showed howheaders can handle cattle to result in amore successful team effort.

Watch for scenes from the seminarto air on future episodes of Chris CoxHorsemanship on RFD-TV. After atremendous response to the event,Chris and Rich plan to hold anotherseminar in the near future. Visitwww.chris-cox.com or call 888-81-HORSE to learn more.

Team Roping &Horsemanship Seminar withChris Cox & Rich Skelton

Photos Courtesy of Connie Bally Photography

Two-Time Road to the Horse Champion, Chris Cox, has been ranchroping most of his life, but recently started competing in USTRC andother roping events as a header. For the past two years, Chris hasbeen invited to the prestigious Reno Rodeo Invitational TeamRoping, and this year heeled for World Champion Jack Roddy. World Champion All-Around Cowboys Larry Mahan and Chris Lybbert with

Cox and Skelton

O


S06DF_RnngPRps_P_Layout 1 4/28/10 11:22 AM Page 31

32 / JUNE 2010

oday there are hundreds of treatmentsand therapies for joint problems. Sometreatments are therapeutic, aimed at

helping an injured joint heal or to minimizethe pain and inflammation within a joint, whileothers are prophylacticgiven to the horse inorder to prevent joint damage and injury.Dr. David Frisbie, Associate Professor in

Surgery at the Orthopaedic Research Centerat Colorado State University and partner inEquine Sports Medicine, Pilot Point, Texas,says that corticosteroids are still themainstay, in joint treatment.These have been in use since the 1950s

and are still probably the best medication wehave, in many ways. There are basically 3common steroids used. They all reduceinflammation, but one of them(triamcinolone acetonide, trade nameVetalog) has actually been shown to beprotective to joints with arthritis. Somesteroids, even though they reduceinflammation, can be detrimental to thetissue. Vetalog is the one we most commonlyuse, he says.There are a few contraindications for

steroid use, such as in horses that have ametabolic disturbance and/or are old or haveCushings syndrome or previous laminitis. Many people mix steroids and HA

(hyaluronic acid) together for a joint injection.There is evidence that the combination

has an added beneficial effect since HA is anatural lubricant and helps reduceinflammation. This is one of the mostcommon mixtures used. If you look at 100

horses that have had joint injections, mostwould have received some form ofcorticosteroid mixed with HA, says Frisbie.The HA is the more expensive portion of

the mix, costing two to three times more thanthe steroids. Some people just use straightHA or a steroid in the joint.The people using just HA would be a

small minority, since the potency of thatparticular drug alone in the joint is low.With the other medications we have, Idhave to question the use of HA by itself.There are a few specific indications, such asfollowing surgery, however, where this mightbe appropriate, using HA without thesteroids, he says.From there, treatments may become

more exotic, depending on what yourveterinarian thinks the horse needs.Some joints are nonresponsive to

corticosteroids so you have to use somethingelse. One of the newer treatments is calledIRAP (interleuken 1 receptor antagonistprotein) a natural anti-inflammatory proteinthat is produced by the body. This is injectedinto the joint, he explains.There are several ways of creating IRAP.The gene sequence for that protein can

be put into a virus, fooling the virus intomaking the protein in the joint for us. This isone of the few therapies thats actually beenshown to be more effective and moreprotective than corticosteroids. The problemis that its basically a one-time shot. It is veryeffective once, says Frisbie.After that, the body builds some

resistance to the virus, just as humansdevelop resistance to a cold virus afterexperiencing a cold. This defense processdoes not allow the treatment to take affect asecond time.The other way to make the protein is to

take whole blood from the horse, and usesome of the white blood cells, which whenstimulated in the correct fashion increasetheir concentration of that particular protein.This is a treatment you can repeat, eventhough the concentration if IRAP is notnearly as high. It is still effective in treatingjoint disease and at this point is the onlycommercial method of using IRAP right now.When people talk about IRAP its a bit of amisnomer, because the term just denotesthat one particular protein. The commercial

kit is called IRAP, using this technique ofstimulating blood cells to produce serumthat has a higher concentration of IRAP, butthere is also a high concentration of a lot ofother things in this serum as well, that youinject back into the joint. Its actually anautologous conditioned serum (ASC), heexplains.The IRAP treatment is usually one

injection weekly, for 3 weeks.You have to pull blood, culture it, then

get the product and inject it 3 separatetimes. By the time you are finished with this,its about $1500 to $2500, which makes itmore expensive than the steroid injections.The good news is that its a natural productand people like this idea. There are caseswhere steroids dont work and the IRAP doeswork, he says.In our practice, this is how we tend to

use itreserving it for cases that are non-responsive to steroids, or for a surgery casewhere you dont want to put steroids intothe joint because they do affect the immuneresponse. So we use the IRAP instead. Thereare definitely indications for use of IRAP,and its a good product, says Frisbie. Todate, weve found no contraindications forthis therapy.Adequan (polysulfated

glycosominoglycans, or PSGAGs) is anothertreatment, given as in injection either intothe muscle or directly into the joint.Some recent work suggests that this is

more potent and also protective to the jointwhen used straight into the joint rather thanthe IM route. So intra-articular PSGAGs inthe U.S. translates to Adequan since there isno other PSGAG that has been tested orlicensed here. There may be some peoplecompounding it, but we know nothing aboutthe efficacy of those compounded products,he explains.Adequan is a good product and we often

use it post-surgery because it seems toreduce the amount of scar tissue in the jointcapsule and soft tissues that surround thejoint. This can be very beneficial when theresinjury, he says.There is another drug called Polyglycan

which is a combination of chondroitinsulfate, glucosamine and hyaluronic acid.This particular product right now is

licensed for use to treat osteoarthritis in thehorse, but is only registered as a post-surgicallavage in the joint. Arthrodynamic, thecompany that makes Polyglycan, has beenconducting research on the usefulness of thisproduct for treating equine arthritis. Until it islicensed for treatment of OA, it is technicallyillegal to use it for that indication, since thereare other drugs that are licensed for intra-articular treatment of OA, he explains.The veterinary community

Treatments for JointsBy Heather Smith Thomas

HORSEHEALTH

T

32-33 Horse Health_Layout 1 5/6/10 4:12 PM Page 32

acknowledges its use but doesnt talk aboutit much because of the licensing issues.Arthrodynamic has funded a major studyusing Polyglycan both IV and IM, to test itsefficacy. The work has been completed, butthe data has not been analyzed.

There are other things that may bebeneficial for joints, including oral andintravenous products. There have beensome beneficial effects from use ofintravenous HA, for instance. The onlylicensed intravenous HA product is Legend.It is being used for treating joint disease,and there is some potential for aprophylactic effect as well. The standardprocedure is three treatments if you aretreating a disease, or giving it once or twicea month if using it as a prophylactic to try tokeep a joint healthy, says Frisbie.

The important thing in looking attreatments is to consider the potencyfactor, and the relationship of potency tocost. Some of these things are a lot morepotent than others. If you are usingsomething that isnt very potent but costs alot, it may not make as much sense to useit. Most of the oralmedication/supplements fall into thatcategory, with the exception of one, whichis ASU (avacado/soybean unsaponifiables).The oil from the soybeans and avacodos(the part that cant be used for makingsoap) is used as an oral supplement. Workin the lab, and clinical trials in people, haveshown that this supplement is effective. Werecently tested it in the horse and haveshown it to be effective in arthritis in thehorse, he says.

The particular product we tested hasnot been brought to the US market. ButNutramax combined ASU with Cosequin,and more recently Platinum Performancehas combined their Platinum products withASU to create what they call a completejoint supplement. We havent tested either ofthose, but the ASU by itself has shownsignificant beneficial results. So if werecommend oral products we suggest thathorse owners use something that containsASU. Anything short of that, we usually dontrecommend. Weve tested oral HA products,with less than significant results, he says.

Oral products are something that canbe used if the horse doesnt have a specificproblem and the owner has the money tospend. They may be worthwhile as aprotection, especially those with ASUcomponent. The potency of that componentis relatively high. But if the horse has aproblem, its better to treat that specific jointdirectly, he says. Prices for oral productswill vary.

ASU as a product is pretty expensive.Most horses in working careers get some

form of routine maintenance. Their hocksget injected once or twice a year, forinstance. The ASU products, givenroutinely, will come to about that sameprice. In the end you have to decidewhether you are getting the biggest bangfor the buck. Oral products probably arentthat great a deal unless you are actuallygetting some prophylactic benefit fromthem. We tend to tell people that if theywant to do some prophylactic things, IVLegend once or twice or month is probablyhelpful. If they want to do more than that,we recommend they use an oral productcontaining ASU. But none of that would beas good as treating the joint directly, if thehorse is actually sore, he explains.

About a year ago I went through the laymagazines and came up with more than 200different oral products that are being usedto improve joints. The problem is there is noregulation of these, so we take a practicalstance. There are so many products outthere that youll have to choose, and youdont know if they will work. What we doknow, without a doubt, is there is a hugevariation in quality and concentration ofthose products. Unless its one that has beentested and shown to work, we dontrecommend it, says Frisbie.

Theres been some work done inhumans and repeated it in veterinarymedicine, in which they took oral productsand checked them to see if they containedwhat the labels said were in them. There wasa very poor correlation between what thelabel said was in the bottle and what wasactually in the bottle. And there was nocorrelation of price, relative to what was init. There were a lot of expensive productsthat didnt have what they said they had,and there were a lot of cheap products thathad what they said they had. In the end, theresearchers recommended using a mid-range product, based on those data. But thebottom line is that there is no real way for aconsumer to know whats in it, unless its aproduct that has been tested, says Frisbie.

You can only go by the reputation of thecompany. When somebody asks us, thatswhat we tell them. We are not saying thatany particular product is a bad product;there is just no clinical research that says itsa good product. We do know that theres alot of good research on products that havebeen put out by Nutramax, for instance.They do their homework and do what needsto be done, he says. If you are going tospend money on oral products you shouldspend it on something that gives someassurance about what you are getting.

Another class of therapies is thenonsteroidal antiinflammatories (NSAIDs).

These are good, for short term use. If

there is inflammation in a joint you mightuse NSAIDs for a 2 week period. These canwork for a soft tissue injury such as a pulledligament, or a flareup of an older injury. TheNSAIDs (bute, Banamine, naproxine, etc.)can be a good short-term fix, says Frisbie.

There is also a new product that worksfairly well. There are good and badinflammatory cascades that result frominjury. COX2 is the one thought to be the badone we want to inhibit. Celebrex and all ofthe newer human drugs are COX2 inhibitors.There is now a COX2 inhibitor for the horse,called Equioxx. For joint-related issues wetend to use it, rather than bute, Banamine,etc. There is still a place for those, but from aGI side effects standpoint, Equiox would besafer to use, especially longer-term he says.

Another drug, called sodium diclofenac(Surpass) is also in the non-steroidal class,but is used topically.

If you have a solitary joint injury, thisdrug works really well on the soft tissues. Infact, we did a study where we showed itcould actually protect the joint or decreasethe progression of arthritis, he says.

Some adjunctive therapies are beingused for joint injuries, and these includethings like cold saltwater spas,electromagnetic therapy, laser therapy,therapeutic ultrasound, etc. The most potentadjunctive therapy, according to Frisbie, isshock wave therapy. That has been shownto be significantly beneficial in joint relatedproblems. With other therapies it boils downto potency/efficacy relative to cost. Withsome of the adjunctive therapies, thepotency is low yet the cost is about the sameas other therapies that we know areeffective, he says.

Cold water therapy, salt water, etc. mighthelp an injury, since it tends to relieve painand inflammation.

These would help pull out edema,which helps with blood flow, which helpsreduce inflammation. Those are goodthings, but they are adjunctive and not verypotent compared to a medication ortherapy that works.

They might be most helpful when used inconjunction with other treatment, but areusually not the primary modality.

In some instances, the therapy of choicewould obviously be surgery.

If theres a chip, for instance, theinflammation will not go away until thatchip is removed. There are a lot of cases,however, that are just strain issues orrepetitive trauma, and theres inflammationwe need to quiet down.

In these instances the joint can betreated non-surgically, with one of themany options now available to thehorseman and veterinarian. n


32-33 Horse Health_Layout 1 5/6/10 4:13 PM Page 33

34 / JUNE 2010

By Melinda Clements

He speaks with a voice of authority. This isnt

his first rodeo. For 2009 World Champion heeler,

Kollin VonAhn, there is a subtle air of humble

confidence that radiates from his being, that

defines his mental toughness, his aggressive

roping ability and his commitment to hard work

and discipline. He has champion written all over

him and yet his polite manner makes him

accessible and easy to talk to.

It is evident he knows what he wants and he goes afterit with a flair for planning, commitment, courage andtalent wrapped tightly into twenty-seven years of roping.VonAhn has been at it all his life. He definitely remembersroping his first steer off a horse at age five and ever sinceit has been a life of working hard to make it all happen.

Following graduation from high school in Sac City,Iowa VonAhn made the move to attend college atSoutheastern Oklahoma State University in Durant,Oklahoma. He snared the College National Finals RodeoTeam Roping championship in 2005 and his resumebegan to grow. He joined the PRCA in 2006 and with oneworld title under his belt his PRCA career earningsamount to approximately a little over $237,000.

ShootingThree Pointers

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LONE WOLF

Sound Advice from

2009 World

Champion

Heeler

Kollin VonAhn

34-36 Profile_Layout 1 5/6/10 2:05 PM Page 34

VonAhn consistentlychallenges himself to always bethe best he can be. Wondering if his life had changeddramatically since nailing downthe World Championship inDecember of 2009 he explains ithas changed in some ways butnot all that much.

To me nobody ever gets itcompletely mastered, VonAhnelaborated. If you arent workingat it every day there is alwayssomeone out there who is. Ittakes working your tail off everyday. The hard work, thecommitment, the discipline, it allstays the same.

VonAhn points out thechallenges are always there. Heexplains you need the mentaltoughness and the hard work tostay on top of your game.

You get out of it what youput into it, he says. Those guysthat put in the extra hours arealways working to beat you.Someone is always putting in theeffort and time and doing what ittakes to win and you have tomaintain the discipline and hardwork or it wont work. I dont knowthat you ever truly relax or take itfor granted.

VonAhn feels he ropes with thecaliber of ropers who always keephim on top of his game. He believesin a strong work ethic and puttingin the time it takes to win.

All these guys rope good, hesaid. At this level where I ropeevery single roper ropes good. Youtake the good with the bad andmaintain a work ethic that will giveyou the advantage of staying ontop. Im blessed. I want to show up confident and do my best.If Im not busting my tail consistently I will be beat.

VonAhn believes there is a fine line involving the headgames. He has a set run in his head that he calls par. He knows beyond any doubt that he can pretty much maintain par.

I pretty much have a set run in my head that Im sure I canalways execute, he continued. I aim for a short five secondrun and I feel I can make this run consistently. That is par forme, so to speak.

Perhaps the greatest issue for VonAhn as a heeler is the facthe cannot always keep enough horses on hand and havesomeone turn cattle for him if his header isnt there.

I want to keep myself sharpand it is hard to have someone to rope with when my partnercannot always be there forpractice, Von Ahn commented.It is hard to find someone toturn cattle at the caliber I need them turned to keep myself sharp.

VonAhn makes both rodeoruns and slows things down forhis horses in the practice pen. Hewants to slow things down to helpkeep his horses honest.

You want a controlled run,he said. Sometimes just ridingyour horse is enough. However,you wont shoot three pointers ifyou arent practicing threepointers. A good philosophy, no doubt!

VonAhn struggles unfailinglywith keeping enough horses andkeeping them sound. It is a dailybattle to keep them healthy, inshape and sound to haul. He feelshorsemanship is essential and he

works hard to keep enough horses on hand andready to go.

It is a constant battle to keep horses ready andhealthy to haul, he explained. Hauling is hard onthem. You have to take care of them, keep them inshape and conditioned. The key is to have enoughhorses to turn to in the event you need them. Youhate to have a $25,000 heel horse at home and nothauling him but there again if something happensyou have him to fall back on.

Despite hauling about the same as last yearVonAhn and his partner are being much moreselective about where they go. Last year he felt herodeoed so hard he wore his horses out by the timethe Fourth of July rolled around. He has more or lessbacked off some and works at choosing better inorder to keep his horses fresher before the comingFourth of July run this year.

We are hauling about the same but we are doing a betterjob of picking and choosing so our horses stay fresher and atthe top of their game, he explained. Last year we just overdidand so we are backing off and choosing more carefully.

At the end of April VonAhn and partner, Nick Sartain wonthe Open at the Sweetest Loop 2010 held in Hamilton, Texas.They made a haul from Guymon, Oklahoma to Hamilton,Texas because with the added money the roping paid well.They felt it certainly was worth the trip and the miles to getthere. The Open put $10,000 in the pairs pockets and madethe trip quite worthwhile. The pair rope well together andVonAhn feels blessed about the pairing.

Im fortunate enough to have found a partner like I have,


. . . you wont

shoot three

pointers if

you arent

practicing

three

pointers.


36 / JUNE 2010

VonAhn commented. We satdown and planned it out and weare on the same page as far asroping is concerned. When youget two guys who have the toolsto do what we do and want thesame things, well, I am blessedthat has happened and cametogether the way it did.

VonAhn plans to continueroping for awhile. He figures thereare records at the finals that aremade to be broken and he wantsto take a shot at those records.

I want to rope for awhilewhile the roping is good, hereiterated. Maybe someday Illhave some good horses thatpeople will come look at andknow they are good horses.

The statement I couldnt getout of my mind as I visited withKollin VonAhn was, You dont shoot three pointers if youarent practicing three pointers! With the competitive edgeand discipline that VonAhn exhibits it is obvious hisphilosophy leans a bit in the direction of you have to workand practice at the level you want to compete. He has beendoing that a long time and it has worked incredibly well tohis advantage. Perhaps as team ropers we could all take alesson. Hard work is essential. There is always someonewaiting in the wings; someone out there working as hard orharder than you are and you have to maintain that winningedge and mental toughness.

Dont let his quiet demeanor and humble air fool you. Beneaththat exterior is a champion who works his tail off to stay there. Heshoots three pointers because he practices and ropes that way andif there is any doubt just take a long look at his track record. Itspeaks for itself. Kollin VonAhn is a man doing what he wants to do and is willing to make it happen through hard work, discipline,commitment and the control of making those winning team ropingruns happen. There is no doubt he is going to show up confident,ready and tuned in to doing all it takes to win. He ropes andcompetes at the level that makes him a well defined champion and they dont get any better than that.

If you arent

working at

it every day

there is

always

someone

out there

who is.


)NTERVET3CHERING0LOUGH!NIMAL(EALTHs,IVINGSTON!VENUEs2OSELAND.*sINTERVETUSACOMsEquiRab is the property of Intervet International B.V. or affiliated companies or licensors and is protected by copyrights, trademark and other intellectual property laws. 2010 Intervet International B.V. All rights reserved. Photo Melanie Snowhite. EQ-BIO-1107-AD 39507-EquiRabHO - 2/10

www.equirab.com

Were for saving lives.

NEW EquiRab the only rabies vaccine designed specifi cally for the horse.

There are more than 6,000 reported cases of rabies every year. Were for making sure your horse isnt one of them. EquiRab is the fi rst rabies vaccine designed specifi cally for the horse, with an emphasis on low reaction rates and long-lasting protection. Equine rabies is a real threat and always fatal. Why take the risk?

Tell your veterinarian you want your horse protected with EquiRab.

Were for the horse.And for helping the unwanted horse. Visit www.uhvrc.org

S06DF_IntrvtInc_P_Layout 1 4/28/10 11:29 AM Page 1

38 / JUNE 2010

Fashion

ach weekend, from coast to coast,thousands of individuals chase their

dreams inside the team roping arena. Some ofthese folks are descendants of cowboys of long ago,while others come from totally differentbackgrounds but together they have found the sportof team roping and its addictive and fun competitivenature. These mingled groups of individuals have allbrought their own fashion styles to add to the trueWestern flair of the sport.

Head to any event and you can find thetraditional cowboy look with the wild-rag snappingin the wind, to the more popular rodeo cowboy styleswith starched shirts and jeans. Not to be outdone, thewomen team ropers bring their appealing fl

superlooper-june 2010

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