Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i The Team Roping Journal

Dear Roper, This is a fun issue. I hope you sit down with a cup of coffee and flip through it— because it’s packed with the goods. Calli Montague (our newest hire) took on the task of rounding up all the famous steers standing in pastures living the good life, starting on page 110. There are some massive corrientes tucked into the pastures of the best in the world, living the life of luxury after being the one stretched for a big check in the most famous setups in the roping world. Julie Mankin crafted a heart-wrenching follow-up to a story we ran in 2019 about Michelle Arbizo, a mother who picked up roping after the tragic death of her son. The follow-up was long overdue, as Arbizo qualified for…

The World Championship Junior Rodeo brought the heat to Guthrie, Oklahoma, July 22-26, 2025, as youth rodeo athletes from across the country packed the Lazy E Arena to battle for their share of the $400,000 in guaranteed payout and season-long points on the WCRA Division Youth leaderboard. This year’s team roping crowns went to one familiar face and one fresh family duo. Missouri’s Bronc Evans dominated the Youth Division once again, locking down the heading title with 12,656.75 points, the heeling title with 13,227.25 points and the all-around with a total of 25,884 points—earning $1,842.50 at the event. In the Junior Division, Texas brothers Casper and Cross Ringelstein earned their first WCJR titles, with Casper claiming the heading championship with 8,616.25 points and Cross edging out the heeling race with…

Monty McNair’s phone starts buzzing before sunrise. Don’t worry, it doesn’t wake him; odds are the busiest man in Guthrie has been up since around 3 in the morning. He has the Lazy E Ranch to run. Since 2021, McNair has been the Lazy E’s ranch manager, at the helm of game-changing programs for some of the best horses in the industry. He oversees every facet of Lazy E’s massive operation—from managing an elite stallion roster and breeding some 2,000 mares a year to preparing more than 500 horses for the country’s premier sales. “Every day is something different,” MrNair said. “And every day is something fun.” The born-and-raised horseman is the perfect man for the job. He grew up roping and rodeoing in nearby Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and his grandfather…

There’s one thing that’s going to be constant with people who win a lot— they are confident. I mean, not arrogant, but confident. And so with that confidence, in order to have true confidence, they’ve had to put in the work. And that’s the stuff that you can’t fake. If you put in the work, chances are you’ve sowed that seed, you’re going to be able to reap that harvest. And so as long as it’s not a false confidence, I think that’s a key factor. For me, confidence came from preparation, and that’s the only true confidence in my mind. Everything else is just fake. When I retired, I found myself still roping “retired” with no plans of going anywhere, still roping more than most people who are building…

If I had to pick one thing that seemed different to me this time, it was that it was the first time nothing was stressful, really. Which, of course we were catching, but it just felt like we drew a little bit of everything; we had some runners, we had some good ones, we had some medium ones. And it just felt like we made the best run we could on the steer we had and went on to the next one. There was no stress of trying to do more than we could do. For once I made it through the whole thing without trying to do too much. Experience in those situations definitely helps and just knowing it’s a marathon. When I was younger, you think of the…

When Dominic Romero was alive, he would tell his mom, “All I want to do is rope in Las Vegas. I can’t wait until I turn 21.” As we detailed in our November 2019 story “A Mother’s Love,” Michelle Arbizo’s youngest of five sons was already 13 when he decided he wanted to become a team roper after watching a perf at his local rodeo, Tucson’s La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. So, she’d bought him his first horse and he’d spent a year learning to ride in the desert every day after wrestling or football practice. Then she’d gotten him a job working at Rudy Clark’s Arizona ropings, pushing up steers. He began practicing and, with Clark’s help, eventually began entering. Clark and Arbizo became engaged and the three lived…

STEVIE REY VON x FUN N FANCY FREE x PEPTOBOONSMAL Stallion Breeder: TY M SMITH Owner: KILO PARTNERS Career Highlights: Pride And Joyy—now the winningest son of the $20 million sire Stevie Rey Von—started out in the cow horse under Chris Dawson, placing at the 2022 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity before the Relentless Remuda and Solo Select purchased him and transitioned him to the heeling. The double-registered APHA/AQHA stallion has won under the likes of PRCA world champions Jeremy Buhler and Paul Eaves, as well as trainers Miles Baker and Trevor Brazile. He’s won in timed and judged competition, too, including the 2024 AQHA Junior Heeling World Championship and placings at the Riata and Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale. Future Plans: For “Kilo,” the next chapter is less about…

Las Vegas is where fortunes are made in the blink of an eye—one roll of the dice, one flip of a card, and suddenly you’re living the dream. Under the bright lights of Sin City, the stage is set for one of the most electrifying roping showdowns in history. Friday night, the South Point Arena will come alive as 50 elite teams chase nearly $500,000 in cash and prizes—all in just about an hour. In partnership with Laredo Conversions, the WSTR Finale proudly presents the exclusive #9.5 Laredo Custom Haulers Invitational. This high-stakes division—limited to only 50 teams at $5,000 per roper—is destined to be one of the marquee moments of the week. And the prize? Nothing less than life-changing. First place earns a chance at the ultimate gamble: a…

From past champions to decorated rookies, the official roster is set for rodeo’s Ironman, March 5-7, in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The Lazy E Arena has announced the 25 all-around cowboys invited to the 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship, with defending champion Ketch Kelton leading the way. The top 25 ironmen of rodeo fill the list of one of Western sports’ most coveted back numbers, featuring five rookies in 2026. Kelton earned the top podium spot in 2025 with an aggregate time of 338.6 seconds and took home the $109,000 payday, winning Rounds 1, 2 and 5 along the way. Dylan Hancock secured second place in the aggregate with 436.3 seconds and $36,000, highlighted by a third-place finish in Round 5. Brushton Minton finished third overall, with 437.2 seconds and $15,000. Seth…

Q: What’s life like in Santa Barbara do Oeste? A: I was born in a big city, and lived on a sugar cane farm in the country about 15 miles away until I was 15. My dad managed the sugar cane farm where we lived on a dirt road, and I taught all the kids in our area to rope on foot—dummies and each other—so they would play with me every single day after school. Q: Who taught you to rope? A: My dad (Sergio Sr.) introduced me to team roping, and a close family friend, Devanildo Santos, started really teaching me fundamentals when I was 9. When I was little, missing was the end of the world for me, so I would throw my rope on the ground and…

Speed Control Comes First When I’m working with 2-year-old head horse prospects, speed control is the number one thing I focus on. I want to be able to go from a run to a lope, down to a trot, and all the way to a walk— smooth, with no resistance. That’s the baseline for everything else. To get there, I do a lot of galloping and turning them loose, then breaking them down consistently. I’m not afraid to redline one a little—to really move out—then ask them to come right back to me. When I pick up, I want them to give their chin and rate their feet back immediately. I want them to feel good in my hand and be confident relaxing into my ask. That’s what sets them…

Deliberate Swings in Short Arenas Pro: Trevor Brazile The arena at the South Point can force ropers into a speed trap if they’re not careful. Trevor Brazile explains how deliberate swings can eliminate that problem, resulting in faster, more consistent catches for big money at the Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale. Heeling Against the Wall Pro: Clay O’Brien Cooper What do you do if your run isn’t quite perfect in Las Vegas and you get up against the wall? Clay O’Brien Cooper has some experience with that and breaks it down here. Finale Mental Prep Pro: Patrick Smith The Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale is undoubtedly the most money any roper has ever competed for. How do you prepare to be under the bright lights of…

Stallion Breeder: BOBBY LEWIS Owner: TIME TO GLO PARTNERS Career Highlights: Time To Glo started his career under legendary Bobby Lewis, who also piloted Time To Glo’s dam, Look At Her Glo—team roping’s all-time leading producer of money earners. With Lewis, Time To Glo won the Tulsa Holiday Circuit Junior Heading Championship in his first trip away from home, netting over 30 AQHA points in that inaugural outing with Lewis. Lewis would go on to place at the AQHA World Show in the Level 2 heading and heeling, and Joseph Harrison would win the Gold Buckle Futurity’s 2023 Super Horse title later that year. Time To Glo was the highest-earning rope horse of 2023, and Trevor Brazile and Miles Baker partnered with Solo Select, 3String Cattle Co. and Las Tunas Cattle…

Gelding Breeder: KEVIN G CANTRELLE Owner: KEVIN G CANTRELLE Career Highlights: Smartlookncat—a full brother to NRCHA Snaffle Bit Champion Plain Catty—is the winningest horse on this list that was not mainly shown in Open competition. He’s won for every level of roper, and trainer Cord Forzano even qualified for the California Circuit Finals Rodeo on him the same year he won the #14.5 at the Riata Championships. He won two intermediate heeling titles at Royal Crown events and he placed in the Open and intermediate heeling at the 2024 Old West Futurity. “I’ve had him since he was a 3-year-old, and he’s a big, strong, athletic horse but he doesn’t take your shot away,” Forzano said. “He just doesn’t get in your way. You can go be fast on him, but…

TRJ: THIS IS YOUR THIRD CALIFORNIA RODEO SALINAS BUCKLE. DOES IT JUST GET BETTER EACH TIME? “It’s a pretty special rodeo; anytime you win this, it’s so cool. All the history here, like the Camarillos, and it’s just a team roping rodeo. Five head, you get to stay here for four days and it’s kind of like a little vacation. It’s really nice this year. Nampa (Idaho), moved up a few weeks, so we got to just hang out here. That made it really nice; we didn’t have to leave, so it’s a pretty special rodeo.” — Travis Graves on winning the California Rodeo Salinas on “The Score,” available anywhere you stream podcasts. Listen to “The Score” anywhere you stream podcasts, and find every episode on teamropingjournal.com.…

Just days before winning the 2025 Cheyenne Frontier Days with a 9.3-second run July 27, Aaron Tsinigine and Jeremy Buhler were roping in Canada under the impression their chance at the Daddy of ‘Em All title was shot. After turning in a 10.9 in the quarterfinals in Cheyenne earlier that week to tie Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp for fourth, Tsinigine and Buhler assumed the tiebreaker would go to the team with the faster first-round time, like it had in previous years. They headed north, and Friday, just as they were starting a long day in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Tsinigine got the call they had indeed advanced to the semifinals in Cheyenne. “After we made it back, we didn’t draw very good on the last one, but I kept thinking,…

Kisha and Jason Itkin have purchased Stevie Rey Von from legendary breeders Alvin and Becky Fults in a history-making acquisition that reflects the growing national spotlight on Western performance horses. The Fults name is synonymous with excellence and integrity. Over the years, Alvin and Becky set the standard for breeding Western performance horses. Their innovation and commitment to doing things the right way has shaped generations of elite horses, including Stevie Rey Von and his extraordinary offspring. That legacy will continue without interruption. The Itkins confirmed that the stallion’s elite breeding team—led by cutting icon Beau Galyean—will remain in place. The Team Roping Connection: The Itkins also own stallion Pepinstep, shown by Colby Lovell through ARHFA competition. Lovell won the #14.5 Riata Championship in 2023 on the son of One…

The kind of people who want to serve their country just also seem to want to help others. A couple from Oklahoma are that kind of people. Jessica Beck is a Navy veteran who grew up barrel racing in Texas, and has since started heeling and breakaway roping. Her husband, Travis, is also a timed-event guy—a Nebraska native who retired after 20 years in the Air Force. They met at a military rodeo and married in 2012. Now living in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, the Becks have two arenas and do plenty of team roping. Travis, a retired master sergeant and straight 5 on both ends, introduces veterans to roping and often invites bulldoggers and ropers to practice. “I try to keep at least 10 steers around, so people can come…

READ YOUR HORSE’S STYLE Tight Horse – A tighter horse watches the cow hard and reacts fast. Separation happens quick after you turn. On these horses, I need to be a little closer down the arena and a touch narrower so when the steer turns, I’m in range before that window closes. Free Horse – A freer horse with a bigger stride gives me more time. I stay a half-jump off the steer, keeping space so I don’t get too close and take my own shot away. I can always close the gap if I need to. ADJUST FOR THE STEER Fast steers that corner hard? Get up a bit closer. Slower steers? Give yourself a touch more room. It’s all about matching your horse’s style with the steer’s speed…

Aaron Tsinigine is a quiet master at making a mighty splash. His 2025 rodeo season has been something of a roping revival, after taking some time away to heal up his roping shoulder, build a business beyond rodeo and put his horse herd back together. Tsinigine has headed for nine different heelers this year, but has relied heavily on two horses. He won Reno on one, and Cheyenne on the other. We’re here today to talk about the gray. At press time the third week in August, Tsinigine had worked his way into the Top 15 in the world heading standings roping with Chase Tryan, Ranger Hill, Whip Peterson, Jade Corkill, Justin Davis, Ty Romo, Sid Sporer and Jeremy Buhler. Tsinigine won Reno and Cheyenne with 2016 World Champion Heeler…

ONE TIME PEPTO x NU BAY BE BLUE x NU CASH Stallion Breeder: RYAN O SELLERS Owner: GUCCI EQUINE LLC Career Highlights: Nu One Time Blues and Joseph Harrison started winning in the horse’s 4-year-old year, and they’ve never stopped. “Boujee” started in the cow horse with Matt Koch, making the finals in the 2022 Snaffle Bit Futurity before Harrison took the reins in 2023. They won the ARHFA’s 4-&-Under World Championship that year, and since then have racked up big checks at the Old West, Gold Buckle, ARHFA and Royal Crown futurities. The horse already entered Open jackpot competition, placing third at the 2025 Bob Feist Invitational and winning Heel Horse of the BFI. He won the first round at the Spicer Gripp Memorial Foundation roping in Hereford, Texas, too.…

Gelding Breeder: JIMMIE MILLER SMITH Owner: X PERFORMANCE HORSES Career Highlights: Copperton had his biggest splash at the Old West Futurity in 2024, topping the field with Joseph Harrison aboard for the $102,000 payday. The horse’s earnings have all come on the heel side in judged competition, and he is the 2023 AQHA World Champion in the Junior Heeling. In 2025, he joined J.D. McGuire and Hunter Koch’s lineup, finishing out his futurity year under Harrison. Future Plans: McGuire will take the reins of Copperton after the horse’s 6-year-old campaign ends at the Gold Buckle World Finals in November, giving the horse a transition year between the shows and the rodeo road with Koch. “I plan to jackpot on him for the winter, spring and summer, like I did with Bama,…

Gelding Breeder: SLATE RIVER RANCH Owner: TJ GOOD Career Highlights: Woodie got a big hit with 2020 PRCA World Champion Colby Lovell when he rode him at the 2024 Riata Stallion Incentive Pro Futurity, picking up $13,000 in front of Jade Corkill. Otherwise, the bulk of the horse’s money has come with owner TJ Good in limited or handicapped competition. “I’d ridden him at TJ’s house before, but I just caught a ride on him at the Riata,” Lovell said. “TJ and I have the same expectations on what we want out of a rope horse. We’ve broke down the rope horses and young horses and bridles, so we’ve dissected it so much I guess it was easy to ride behind him. That horse was good-minded, tries hard and can run.…