I'm pretty picky when it comes to my horses. I know what I like, and I'm kind of spoiled, too. I had a horse (Ike) for 10 or 12 years that was so tough that I expect them all to be that way. And they're just not. It takes an incredibly tough, strong, good-minded horse to take the pounding they take at our level of roping. We're pushing the pedal down to the max all the time.
Most horses that are really good and solid are 10 and older. They're their best into their teens because they're mature. They've been there, and you can really count on them the most. You generally won't find a lot of young horses at the big-money events, because that's when we tend to call in the veterans. I have several nice young horses at home, but they're not ready to go anywhere yet.
Good horses are a big part of this game. You're only as good as the horse you're riding, no matter how good you rope. Staying mounted is part of the challenge of roping for a living, and none of us ropes good enough to get by on a subpar horse.
Throughout the years, if something happened to Ike it put me in a panic. There were times I didn't have anything else to ride that I felt very comfortable on. Not going hard now, I'm taking this time to haul this horse and hopefully get him ready for next year. Or hopefully, with some rest and time off, Scout will be ready to go again in a few months. I'm hoping it'll all work out-it always does.
