We’ve all heard about those equestrian-oriented online dating services. They’re part of the increasing specialization of the Internet matchmaking business, which now generates roughly a billion dollars in revenue in the U.S. each year.

But...do they actually work? Do they enable horse people to find real love-with a soulmate who shares their enthusiasm for country living and all things equine?

To find out, we decided to talk to the folks at EquestrianSingles.com, the most recognized dating service for horse people worldwide. Founded in 2001, the Texas-based Web site boasts over 10,000 marriages and success stories around the globe, according to founder Marcia Zwilling. She helped us locate five couples willing to tell us how they went about finding their horsey sig-o through cyber dating.

Here are their stories.

Connie and Han courted and wed on horseback; they and son Wyatt, now 2 years old, live on their Colorado guest ranch, the Rusty Spurr.

Photo courtesy of Connie Smith

Connie and Han: Best First Date Ever
Connie Schuh of Fort Collins, Colorado, had just lost her childhood horse to old age when she decided to try online dating. She joined EquestrianSingles.com in January of 2004—but with some trepidation.

“I was nervous about putting myself out there for strangers to see,” she explains. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get to know someone well enough via e-mails to feel comfortable meeting him in person.”

A month later, she connected with A. J. “Han” Smith, owner and general manager of the Rusty Spurr guest ranch in Kremming, Colorado. The two corresponded by e-mail for three weeks before speaking on the phone.

“Han didn’t brag or boast about his achievements,” she recalls, noting that e-mail turned out to be a good way to get acquainted, after all. “Instead he’d write about how amazing it was to watch the moon rise over his cabin, or the wonderful smell of sage when he galloped his horse through it. All that evoked a feeling and image that can’t be portrayed in a regular conversation.”

When they did finally connect by phone, they talked for hours, “as if we’d been friends for a long time,” says Connie. They also planned a day to meet in person a week later.

“I’m cautious, so for our first meeting I had my sister in tow, and we all went skiing. A short time later, we had our first real date—he took me horseback riding through the snow all around his ranch.

“It was a gorgeous, sunny Colorado day in February, and the horses were perfect,” she continues. “Han packed us a saddlebag lunch and even remembered what I liked to drink. We never ran out of things to talk about. I believe it was the best first date ever because we’d had a chance to get to know each other so well through all those prior e-mails.”

Connie says she knew things were serious several months later, on another ride.

“He took me out along a beautiful stretch of the Blue River. We stopped for a break and got off the horses, and he held me in his arms. The look in his eyes when he told me he was falling in love with me was when I knew he was ‘the one.’”

They were married in 2008 on horseback, at the ranch. “We gave each guest the option of a trail ride through the ranch with one of our wranglers at some point over the weekend. People still talk about that!”

Today, the couple manages the guest ranch together, providing cattle drives and trail rides through the Rocky Mountains with a string of mostly Quarter Horses, which are treated “like family.”

And speaking of family, the couple’s son, Wyatt, is now 2 years old. (You can visit the Smiths’ ranch online at rustyspurr.com.)

Christy and David went to see her horse and would up driving to the coast; a year later, they wed.

Photo of Christy Hartman DeCourcey

Christy and David: Skip the Horse, Take the Girl
A client prodded real estate broker Christy Hartman of Gresham, Oregon, to join EquestrianSingles.com in 2005. She’d earlier tried Match.com without much success, but over the next few years, she met many interesting people on the equestrian site, some whom she dated and some who were just friends.

Then, in 2010, the need to sell her Quarter Horse gelding Commando (because of the economy) prompted her to put out the word through the Web site. This eventually led to contact with David DeCourcey, a real estate title examiner from Bend, Oregon, who was also a member of the site. Christy sent him photos of her horse, and the two began corresponding by e-mail and phone.

“On the phone he was warm, witty, and smart,” Christy recalls. “He was comfortable talking about anything from politics to raising kids.” Eventually David said he wanted to come see Commando—and his owner—in person.

“I told him I prefer a cowboy, not some city-slicker type,” Christy recalls with a laugh. “The day he came, he showed up at my door early, and my hair was still in curlers. I told him I wasn’t ready, so he went out for breakfast. When he returned, he was adorable—all dressed up in Western clothes and a cowboy hat and with two-dozen red roses in his hand. The chemistry was there, and it really was love at first sight.”

They went to see the horse, and wound up driving to the Oregon Coast, “singing crazy songs we both knew by heart, eating great food—the day seemed to last forever and it was wonderful,” she says.

The pair wed a year later. They now live on a 40-acre farm outside of Bend, with five horses they use for trail riding, sorting, and cowboy mounted shooting. One of the horses, by the way, is Commando—Christy wound up keeping him.

“Friends tease David that he should’ve just bought the horse—and saved himself a lot of money,” says Christy. “He always laughs and says he’s very happy with how it all turned out.”

Adam Gray was hands-down the most consistent force in tie-down roping at 2012’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. We caught up with him a few weeks after his big win to ask him your questions. To join in the discussion next month, visit facebook.com/spintowinrodeo.

Susan King Neighbors: How did you get started calf roping and how old were you?
Nobody in my family has ever rodeoed. My dad can ride a horse but he can’t swing a rope. When I was growing up, my dad and grandfather had a small farm and ranch. We had one horse, before the four-wheelers, and we’d use him to pen sick cows and so forth. When I was 4, I refused to go to the babysitter with my sisters, and I would go with my dad and ride with him on my horse all day long, and if I got tired or sleepy, I would load my horse, sleep in the truck, and then get my horse off the trailer and get back on and lope back to wherever he was at across the huge pastures. I really enjoyed riding, and they had a playday in my hometown when I was 6, and I was a really good rider by then. By the time I was 6 I rode good enough that I could win every little event and get ribbons, because that’s all they gave.

I was hooked. We started going to everything we could. When I got to be 8, we went to a junior rodeo association. I won the all-around saddle. When I got to the 9-12 division, breakaway was one of the events. We still had that same one horse, and he was not a rope horse, and we didn’t know the difference. We took some big calf, and I just chased him around in the arena. It took a lot longer to learn to rope than it should have because we didn’t have any idea what we were doing. My dad read a lot about it, and we bought every roping video there was. We watched every video, and we’d go outside and try that. When I was 9 or 10, a guy told us we needed to actually get a rope horse, and we bought a little horse for really cheap, and we built the arena. Where I lived in Seymour, Texas, it’s really isolated from people and it wasn’t like there were 15 men in that town that roped. It really wasn’t until I went to college that we kind of learned the difference. I trained all my horses, and it wasn’t really until I came across Cletus, and in three months (that’s no recipe for success for any young person and horse) I was hauling him to the college rodeos. At six months, he was good, and after I got him and he was so much better than anything I’ve ever rode, that was when everything really clicked. It was nice to have a horse that actually worked.

Wes McKee: What portion of your success do you attribute to having a good horse heading into the NFR?
Every bit of the runs boils down to the horse. I’d say Cletus was 80 percent of it. There’s no calf roper out there that can win without their horse.

Tyler Glasses: What kind of saddle do you ride, and do you think the saddle makes a difference in your roping?
Saddles make a huge difference in your roping. If your saddle doesn’t fit your horse, your horse is not going to work. The saddle I ride mostly at the rodeos is a Billy Hogg saddle. It fits that horse really well, and it fits me really well. The seat keeps me from getting blown back because that horse is really powerful. That’s the best saddle I’ve got. It just makes a huge difference. There are so many good saddles, the Sloans are a good tree if your horse is round backed, and I’ve got one of those, too.

Garrett Stewart: What’s in store for you in 2013?
I don’t know what’s in store for me, I wish I could tell the future… My goals are the same, though, they’re really simple. I want to enjoy my season. My success in the arena doesn’t determine my success in my mind. My goals are not to let opportunities slip through my hands. If I draw a calf I can win on, I want to win. I break my year down one calf at a time. If I can score good, rope the neck and tie good, I don’t want to lose any chances to win any money.

Susan King: What is your most memorable moment in rodeo so far?
My most memorable moment in rodeo would have to be in 2007, I bought my permit, just got out of college, and accepted a job. They didn’t want me to start working right away, so they told me to take the summer off to go to Europe or something. I bought my permit, and decided to try the ProRodeo thing. I had that great horse Cletus, and I won $35,000 on my permit that summer alone. Anyway, I won Prescott, Ariz. That was over the Fourth. I remember calling home, and I called the company that morning and turned the job down and decided to make a go at rodeoing full time. That’s why I wear the buckle from Prescott. If I hadn’t have won that one, I’d have never made the others. I may not be here today. I had no idea I would get to rodeo for a living. It had just paid for my college, I always rodeoed, I always loved roping, and I just thought I’d try it. I felt like the Lord was calling me into a different career path than I had intended, and as long as I feel like I need to be I’ll be here. I don’t want to be one of the guys that’s here until he’s 40, and with rodeo you’re married to your job. I don’t want to live my whole life that way. I don’t like being gone three straight months and not having weekends off. I’m just thankful that I’m here and get to pursue this for a short time. It’s been kind of neat for a kid that’s not born into a rodeo family, and we don’t know anything about it, and here we are. Other than being born in Texas, that’s my only tie. My family, they’re cowboys, but they’re more cattleman. My grandfather always hated me roping them when I was growing up when he was trying to let them grow, he just didn’t get why I’d rope them.

“That is definitely true,” said Chad Masters, the heading half of the top 2012 NFR team roping tandem. “It’s the biggest rodeo we go to, and it’s something you look forward to getting to practice for. It’s the funnest practice you’ll ever have. The fun doesn’t wear off of practicing for the NFR for me.”

Masters and Clay O’Brien Cooper were the only team at the $6.125 million 2012 NFR to stop the clock 10 times. They roped 10 steers in 73.4 seconds. To take it round by round, their 5.1-second run placed fourth in round one; they were 9.6 in round two (including a leg); 14.7 in round three (including a barrier); 4.9 in round four (they placed third); 4.9 in round five (split fifth and sixth); 4.7 in round six; 6.2 in round seven; 5.3 in round eight (fifth); 12.8 in round nine (leg); and 5.2 in round 10 (fifth). Subtract those 20 seconds in penalties, and their 53.4 on 10 would have erased the 59.1-second 10-steer record set at the 1994 NFR by Clay and his fellow seven-time World Champion Team Roper and ProRodeo Hall of Famer Jake Barnes.

“That’s always a goal going there—to get the record on 10,” Chad said. “Clay roped a leg (in 1994), so that means Jake Barnes turned 10 steers in an average of 5.4 seconds. That’s a big challenge in its own, trying to turn 10 steers under 5.4. That’s hard to do. Any one little thing and Clay wins it (the world). Me not breaking the barrier; the two legs; me handling the ninth one better. We were really close to placing in a lot of rounds, and didn’t.”

It was Chad’s second NFR average title. He also won the Finals in 2006, the year he helped Allen Bach win the world but just missed his first world championship before closing the gold buckle deal in 2007. Clay’s won the Finals four times now. He and Jake won it the same year as their first world title, in 1985, and again in their last world title season, in 1994. They struck again in 2007—when Chad won his first (and last until now) world championship.

The gold-buckle margins in 2012 were so minimal they deserve immediate mention. Chad edged 2012 World Champion Heeler Jade Corkill’s partner, Kaleb Driggers, by a mere $1,211, and Jade won just $1,131 more than Clay over the course of the entire 2012 season.

“I won the average and the world, so no one wants to hear me complain,” Chad said. “But there were lots of mistakes I made that would have made the difference for Clay. I had a goal to go catch all my steers, and did that. Everybody goes there to do that, but so many things happen that you’re not really in control of, even when your goal is to go catch 10 steers.

“The ninth round is a perfect example. My goal was to catch that steer, we had a great opportunity in an easy round, we had a great steer, I missed the barrier, and before you know it, I’ve missed my slack and about missed my dally. If there was one run I’d like to change it’d be the barrier on that one. As bad as I wanted Clay to win, all the stuff that had to happen for things to turn out like they did proves it’s just how it was supposed to be.”

Chad knows all about the short end of the stick in a tight race. Let’s not forget that he watched his partner, Allen, get the gold in 2006, and showed complete grace when Matt Sherwood took center stage on the heading side, after slipping past Chad by $848. Chad’s been oh so close more than once in the last few years, and was sincere in his happiness for those who pushed past him to the ultimate podium.

“As happy as I am for Jade and as bad as I feel for Clay and Kaleb, it is nice to have won it this time,” said Masters, 31, of Cedar Hill, Tenn. “I’ve had a chance on the last one a few times in recent years and it didn’t go my way. So it’s nice for it to go the other way. Several other guys headed to win the world. I’d have been happy for any of them if they’d won it, because they roped really good. I didn’t do anything spectacular. I just caught all my steers. Things just went my way this time.”

If you’re going into a 10-steer war, there’s no more consistent warrior to have on your side than Clay Cooper. “You know going into it that as long as you worry about yourself and do your job, Clay’s going to give you a chance to win the average,” Chad said. “He’s one of the greatest catchers ever alive. He knows where he’s going to catch from. It’s just instinct for Clay to catch.

“Everyone wants to win the average. My goal was to come here and give Clay Cooper a chance to win a gold buckle. It’s weird to be sitting here, because without Clay I wouldn’t have this one. Clay was the first one to shake my hand. The only thing he was worried about when we rode out of the arena was whether or not I won it.”

Chad is 20 years Clay’s junior, and talks to and about Champ with sincere respect. Chad roped at his first of nine NFRs in 2003, and says, “It was such a huge deal to get to rope at the same NFR as Clay. I think the world of Clay. Words aren’t enough when people ask me what it’s like to rope with Clay Cooper. His attitude toward life and everyone he meets—he’s so nice. He won’t say a bad word about anybody, no matter what. Anything bad or negative is not coming out of his mouth. You can’t tell in the arena, on the way to the truck and trailer, or in the truck and trailer if he just won or lost.”

Chad’s cheering section always includes his dad and stepmom, Bob and Randee Masters; his mom and stepdad, and Debbie and Fred Head; his girlfriend (and Jade’s little sister), Bailey; and the entire Masters and Corkill clans. Clay’s cheerleaders include his wife, Alisa, and their daughters, Bailey, Quinn and Jessica. With his gamer girls by his side, Champ has, at 51, taken up snow skiing since the NFR.

“I’ve been skiing, and it is so much fun,” said Clay, who now calls Gardnerville, Nev., home. “It’s 40 minutes from my house to getting on that chairlift in Heavenly Valley. I started with a three-hour lesson, and learned how to turn and stop. It is so much fun. It’s so beautiful up there. They named it right. Heavenly Valley is what I think Heaven is going to look like, and it’s so accessible for me.”

Chad started the 2012 season heading for Jake Long. Clay kicked off his 2012 campaign with Charly Crawford. Chad and Clay first joined forces at the spring rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho. The head horse plays a huge hand in the success of any team, and it’s somewhat ironic the way this story played out, in part because Corkill’s the one who brought the black horse into the picture. Jade bought Warthog from Britt Williams, and let Chad ride him at the 2011 NFR. Chad loaded him up at that week’s end, and rode him at all but about 10 rodeos in 2012, including every round at this NFR.

“He’s hard to beat when it comes to riding one at every setup,” Chad said. “I don’t know that I’d have won the NFR without him. I dang sure wouldn’t have had a chance to win a world title. I felt really focused and confident in my horse this time. It was only between me and the steer. The crowd and nerves weren’t involved as much.”

When they set sail for what was Clay’s 26th NFR, which ties him for second on the all-time team roping NFR qualifications list with Tee Woolman—second only behind Allen Bach at 30—Clay had a clear plan.

“I was thinking that if a guy could win the average and place four, five, six times, you’d have a good chance to win it (the world—and they did place in five rounds along the way to the NFR win),” Clay said. “And at the very last you’d have a good week. Everybody who goes to the Finals is looking to win some good money for the week, so you’ve got to be able to put together at least seven or eight good runs. You can either go wide-open fast and try to win it that way, or you can try to make as good a run as you can make without messing up, place in the easy rounds and then be there to win first or second in the average when it’s over.”

Clay noticed early on that his mindset seemed to be a minority among game plans. “It looked like everybody but us, and Keven (Daniel) and Chase (Tryan, who finished second in the average with 65.2 on nine steers—Keven missed their ninth steer) were going wide open,” Clay said. “I was surprised they missed a steer, because it looked like Keven was trying to rope the same kind of roping as Chad. But even going at it that way, things can happen along the way that aren’t foreseeable. I didn’t really know what Chad’s thinking was going in. I just figured I would adapt to whatever he wanted to do. Wherever he decided to turn them, I was going to try to heel every steer.

“A lot of teams were going at ’em so strong that the odds of getting through 10 of them coming over the chute every single time are against you. But there are different ways to go about it. Just like Erich (Rogers) and Kory (Koontz, the winningest team at the Finals—they won the third round, and placed in six others). They went at ’em strong every night and won third in the average (with 46.4 on eight for a $91,875 per man week). They did a lot of winning and put together a lot of money. The average ended up wide open, so that turned out to be a pretty good strategy.”

Clay played wide receiver for Chad and Warthog aboard LB, the little bay horse he recently bought from Kory. “I was a little bit concerned about LB, just from the standpoint that I hadn’t ridden him a lot yet in competition, which is different than practicing on one,” he said. “When we got in there to rope the steers (the team ropers run the steers in the Thomas & Mack Center a couple days before the rodeo starts), LB showed me what he was wanting to do and where he was wanting to go. It gave me an idea of how to ride him.

“Once I started riding him like that, from the first steer I was OK and comfortable with him. He was very consistent all week, and he was easy to ride. I was proud of him. I thought he did a good job, and I got more confidence on him as the week went on. My concerns going in went away. As a result, I’ve got a lot more confidence in him now than I did going in.”

Like Chad, Clay praised Warthog for being a pivotal part of their team all year long. “Chad has a couple horses he thought he could be faster on at the Finals, but he knew what the black was going to do,” Clay said. “We just roped steer after steer. After the fifth or sixth round, he came to me and asked if I wanted him to switch horses. I told him it was his decision to make—that I didn’t care what he did. I was going to try to heel them wherever he turned them. He said, ‘Thanks a lot.’ I told him to go with his gut, and that I didn’t think we needed to panic about the rounds. We were trying to make a 4.4- to 4.5-second run doing what we were doing, and kept being just a little longer than that, just because we weren’t getting very good finishes.

“As a result, we just couldn’t get it to 4.4 or 4.5. We kept talking about it and telling each other to go make that run, place in the round if we could and stay in the average. We didn’t want to panic unless we really felt we needed to there at the end. We scratched and clawed our way all the way to the last one.”

Regular-season leaders Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith, who had a $50,649 per man Finals and finished third in the world, were right in the middle of the race start to finish.

“After the sixth round, every night I expected Trevor and Patrick to blitz one,” Clay said. “They’re so great at their run and their run is 3.8. For some reason, it stopped working for them. We just kept doing what we were doing. Chad’s projected average money was going to put him over the top. We still kept thinking if we could be 4.4 or 4.5 that was going to place somewhere along the line. And that strategy worked. It worked out perfectly for Chad, and we never really had to expose ourselves. We utilized that head horse, and he worked outstanding all week long. We stayed with our game plan and the strategy worked.”

I saw and heard Clay’s reaction to the news that Chad and Jade won the world by a photo-finish margin with my own eyes and ears. Right there in that tunnel, after stepping outside the arena gate from getting their average saddles and buckles and without pause, he said, “That’s awesome!”

“The way it all worked out was the way it was supposed to be—it was perfect,” Clay said. “The guy who headed the best was Chad, and he won. The guy who heeled the best was Jade, and he won. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to work out. I thought it was awesome. I was really happy for Chad, because winning the championship was something he really wanted to do.

“During Ellensburg and Walla Walla (Wash.) weekend, we had a decision to make about going to Filer (Idaho). It was going to be all day down there and all night back, and we were up the next morning back at Ellensburg. We were up in the first perf at Filer, which was not a good run on the cattle, and I didn’t really want to go. So I left it up to Chad. I told him I’d do whatever he wanted to do. He said, ‘I don’t want to go either, but this is one of my only chances to rope with the Champ and to win the championship.

“Right then, I knew he was all-in ’til the bitter end to give himself—and me, too—the all-in effort to try and get the job done. So I said, ‘OK, I’m in.’ We went down there and placed, won a couple thousand, and that was more than the margin that got him over the top—making that one decision. It also told me what it all meant to him. Chad wanted to win it, and he wanted to win it with me. So when he won it, it was the greatest gift for me to be a part of it. I’ll always cherish that.”

My son Lane pointed out an interesting thought that struck him deja-vu style when the dust settled on the 2012 race. Clay just missing what looked to be his eighth gold buckle reminded him of the 2005 NFR, when it looked like Jake had a lock on his eighth world championship, roping with Kory. Against every odd in the book, Jake cut his thumb off in the heat of world championship battle. It was heart-breaking and bizarre, and only explainable to most of us by the hands of fate. For whatever reason, it just wasn’t meant to be.

“Chad and I had a pretty special year,” Clay said philosophically. “We did not start out good. I was struggling terribly. We finally we got to clicking over the Fourth, then we were like a steamroller fighting our way all the way to the end. The last mountain to climb was to try to win more than Trevor and Patrick. They made the best runs all year long, and made believers out of everybody.

“To Chad and my credit, after we got the ball rolling our catch-rate percentage as a team was extremely high. We placed a lot, did good at the right places and somehow or another we got ’er done for Mr. Chad. On the other side of it was Jade. Everybody who’s rodeoed the last several years understands what a special talent he is, and that winning a championship was all but inevitable—with more to come. Chad and I buddied with Kaleb and Jade all year long, so we were two teams against the whole world. It was our tandem against the rest of the field, and we pulled for one another all year long.”

Leo Camarillo, who’s won the NFR team roping average six times, owns that record. He’s followed by Tee Woolman at five, and now a four-way tie between Clay, Jim Rodriguez Jr., David Motes and Leo’s cousin Reg with four NFR average championships apiece.

“Like my hero Leo says, the NFR is the best of the best, it’s a 10-head contest and they give away the biggest check to the guy who wins the average,” Clay said. “They call you the NFR champion, and they give you a saddle and a buckle. Only the average champs and the world champions get those things. I grew up that it was a big deal to win the National Finals. It means you beat the best of the best on 10 steers.

“I’ve gone into every NFR wanting to win the average. That’s the first goal out of the box and it’s not easy to do. A lot of things can happen. If you go out on one steer, you’re toast and your whole game plan changes. In the end, even going in with a lead, no average money is what happened to Trevor and Patrick. The average is always part of the equation if you’re going for the championship. That’s the easy money. It’s easier than trying to be 3.7. The average is always in play.”

Trevor and Patrick roped such a memorable 2012 season, including the mega-wins in Salinas (Calif.) and Cheyenne (Wyo.). “Those guys are special as a team and as individuals, obviously,” Clay said. “I really respect the fact that they’ve stuck together through tough times and good times. They work hard at it—as hard as anybody in the game. As a team—and it is team roping—they have the best run in my book. They can go win Salinas and Cheyenne in one week, then turn around and be 3 four or five times in a row and rack up about $30,000 in about 10 days.

“Their run is the best run right now, and it’s a result of their hard work. They’ve figured out what they want to do in their run, and they can do it over and over again. Look out, because they will be back and they will be right back at the top, ready to blast off and get another championship. The week (at the Finals) just didn’t go their way, and that can happen to anybody, as they well know. They’ve experienced both extremes at that rodeo. But they aren’t going away. I still think they’re the best team out there. I’m excited to see what Chad and Jade will do with Chad on this black horse, because that could be really special. Those two teams will be fun to watch in 2013. I would bet a lot of money on those two teams being a good race to watch.”

Clay is ringing in the new year with Justin Davis from Madisonville, Texas. “He’s been down there rodeoing for a while,” Clay said. “He’s a young guy who’s built like an athlete. He’s strong, he rides his horse good, likes to score and get a lot of run out of his horse, and has a real sharp, tight loop. He makes things happen fast. He’s going to be a really good partner, and he’s got some good horses. He’s never really gone out there and said, ‘I’m going to make it,’ but he’s been out there enough that he knows the deal and it’s not new to him. He’s a great kid. I’ve known him awhile and he’s got the best attitude.”

No one out-attitudes Champ. And one of the coolest things about the true legends in any game is that they have the rare confidence it takes to sincerely applaud whomever deserves something most—even when it’s not them. May the best man win. They live that.

“In today’s game, there are just a few guys who really just go all out, 9-0, 100 percent to try and achieve what they’re after,” Clay said. “At all levels of the game in every area, Chad’s the ultimate professional. He’s non-stop trying to get better at every part of it—horses, technique, practice, you name it. As the winter ended and the spring started, I had a decision to make. I figured if I could somehow rope with that guy—a guy like that takes you where you want to go. He had the horse equation figured out.

“Chad and that black horse were a special combination this year (2012). They were wow, and that’s what it takes. It takes a guy who’s a fanatic about what he does. Then put a great horse under him and watch the fireworks, because something’s about to happen.”

No one could blame Clay or Kaleb for any disappointments they might have felt that last night at the Finals, when the news came down that tunnel that they basically lost the year-long battle that might as well have been decided by a coin toss.

“I’m kind of glad that I’m not eaten up with it and really bummed,” Clay said. “If I was then my priorities are wrong. I’m truly happy for those kids. I had the best time rodeoing with them this year. I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know them and rodeo with them and to have a successful year. They all encouraged me all year long. I have a lot of friends out there who are young guys. I enjoy bragging on them and telling them how good they are. They’re talented kids with dreams and goals, just like I had when I was young. Not very many 50-something guys get to go back and live things like when I was a young man.

“Being part of Chad and Jade’s success makes me feel better than if I’d won it. I’m OK not having eight. I’m perfectly fine with Rich Skelton being the all-time best heeler until somebody comes and gets him. Because in my book, he’s the greatest. I love the way he ropes, and I totally admire him as a person. I have a good time every time I’m around him.

“All I can do is the best I can do and enjoy what I’m doing. I’m having a ball. It’s all good for me. What I feel like is that I should be grateful just to have the opportunity to do what I’ve done. I don’t want to be a person wishing for what I don’t have. I want to be totally thankful to my God for being healthy, having a great family and friends, and getting to do what I love to do. Gold buckles are great, but they aren’t the No. 1 meaning of life. Being content with what we have is where fun and peace are. That’s where enjoyment of life is. People who are eaten up with the stuff they don’t have aren’t happy people.”

{Western Wishes - Santa Maria, Calif. 805-929-8590, westernwishes.org}

Larry Mahan takes a young cowboy for a ride.

Donnalyn Quintana was raised in a rodeo family. She’s well-connected in the Western community, and saw an opportunity to grant wishes to and spotlight children and young adults who live and love the cowboy lifestyle but are facing tough challenges. And the program is not just limited to those facing illness or disability. Those who have had accidents or have lost family members, for instance, can get involved, too.

“I remember a kid that I read about in a high school rodeo paper,” says Quintana. “He was a roper and battling cancer, and I had this passing thought to call Roy Cooper for help. Well, that boy passed away. I found out later and thought: ‘I could’ve made a difference with one phone call.’ So that’s when I started Western Wishes.”

Founded in 1994, Western Wishes is now a national organization with 16 chapters in many states and regions of the country. “Wish Kids” are mostly found through word of mouth or by meeting people at rodeos, horse shows, and expos. Approximately 5–25 wishes are granted annually, depending on funding.

“Too many kids fall through the cracks, and it just breaks our heart when we find out too late,” Quintana says.

Western Wishes has also fostered a special partnership with horseman Chris Cox, who dedicated his Road to the Horse win this year to the organization. He and Quintana are working to develop a Wish Kid program to be held at Cox’s ranch. They hope to have a camp for Wish Kids to attend for an entire week, where kids can work the Western lifestyle and interact with different Western personalities in a faith-based environment.

“I’m so glad that he was so on the same page as I was, because we’re all such close friends,” says Quintana. “We’ve become like family, so I never wanted to obligate Chris. I never went to him, he came to me.”

Quintana likes fostering the national community that has grown out of Western Wishes. In fact, wish recipients have returned to help make other’s dreams come true as well. For instance, one leukemia survivor had her wish granted by meeting Reba McEntire; she later attended the NFR through the efforts of Western Wishes and now serves as the Utah chapter director. As their motto states, Western Wishes is “leaving a legacy of goodwill.”

{Honor Flight - Springfield, Ohio 937-521-2400, honorflight.org}

Honor Flight cowboys.

In 2004, 59 years after the end of World War II, President Bush dedicated the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. By then, many of the nation’s WWII veterans were into their 70s and older, and making the trip to see the memorial was a hardship for many. Earl Morse, a retired Air Force captain and physician’s assistant, had some veterans under his care and offered them private flights—free of charge—to see their memorial in D.C. The idea struck a chord with other private pilots, so Morse formed Honor Flight. The first flight included six small planes that flew out of Springfield, Ohio, in 2005. Since then, Honor Flight has expanded to 109 chapters in 33 states, each devoted to flying as many veterans as possible to the WWII Memorial.

In the fall of 2008, WWII veteran Gus Fleischli took the flight to D.C. with the Northern Colorado hub and subsequently started a program in Wyoming in the spring of 2009. Honor Flight Wyoming is the only Honor Flight “hub,” or locally based chapter, within that state, and each flight requires military-like coordination. Veterans take charter planes from Cheyenne or Casper and are accompanied by a staff of guardians and a medical team. Upon arrival in Washington, D.C., the veterans are treated to a banquet at a D.C. hotel and visits from state and national politicians. The next morning, the veterans are greeted by welcoming committees and schoolchildren at the memorial, honoring their service.

“The veterans don’t expect any of this, they think they’re just going on a little tour,” says Operations Officer Larry Barttelbort. “When they get off the plane, there are ladies waving flags and men shaking their hands and hugs and kisses. They get the royal treatment everywhere we go, and they are just floored by that.”

The so-called Greatest Generation, many of these men and women returned from war, rolled up their sleeves, and went to work building America into a Superpower. Known for being humble and proud, WWII veterans seldom talk about their combat experiences or efforts.

“Many of them have not left the ranch, or left their homes that much, so we provide that support network to allow them to have a very enjoyable trip,” says Barttelbort.

In a very moving gesture, each flight brings a casket flag from a Wyoming veteran who passed away to place at the memorial. A moment of silence and the playing of Taps recognizes those who were not able to make the trip. The day in D.C. concludes with a bus tour around the Nation’s Capital to see other war memorials and landmarks. Then it’s back on the plane to Wyoming, where throngs of people greet the veterans at the airport to give them a hero’s welcome home.

{Tough Enough To Wear Pink - Hughson, Calif.  866-910-7465, toughenoughtowearpink.com}

Are you tough enough to wear pink?

Terry Wheatley, then an executive with Sutter Home Winery, attended the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2004 to watch her son, a roper, compete on rodeo’s main stage. A breast cancer survivor, Wheatley asked her son if he would wear pink in support of breast-cancer awareness—and to ask other cowboys to do the same. The response was overwhelming, and Wrangler solved the lack of pink shirts with a special FedEx delivery.

“We challenged the cowboys if they were tough enough to wear pink,” says Wheatley, who is married to Jim Wheatley, a six-time NFR roper. “That first event, every single cowboy wore pink (with the exception of two, who weren’t allowed to because of their sponsors).”

She went on to found Tough Enough To Wear Pink (TETWP) in 2004, which has raised more than $10 million for local and national breast-cancer causes. Anyone who wants to host an event can contact TETWP for permission to use the slogan.

“I attribute almost all the success to the fact that the funds are kept locally,” says Wheatley. “The events are created by the independent rodeo committees and some of these folks are quite creative in how they motivate their community to wear pink or support pink during the lead up to their rodeo.”

While the individual events decide which breast-cancer initiatives to support, TETWP asks that they report how much was raised and to whom they donated it. Participants have done everything from raffling off pink-painted tractors to dying their hair pink to hosting “Pink Glove Dances.”

While Wheatley may have passed on day-to-day TETWP operations to her daughter and daughter-in-law (and has since moved on from Sutter Home), she started Purple Cowboy winery, which donates 10 percent of its profits to TETWP.

“It proudly states on the back of each label that we support Tough Enough To Wear Pink and the fight against breast cancer,” she says.

Wheatley also believes that TETWP plays an important role in highlighting the softer and caring side of the rodeo community—something that can be overlooked during all of the action and excitement at performances. Even though cowboys are known for being macho, they will gladly let their guard down for the well-being of the women in their lives.

{Horses for Heroes & New Mexico, Inc. Cowboy Up! - Santa Fe, N.M. 505-798-2535, horsesforheroes.org}

Horses for Heroes.

During last summer’s raging wildfires, Rick Iannucci, founder of Horses for Heroes, temporarily boarded up to a dozen horses at his Crossed Arrows Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M. It’s just one example of the generous and helping spirit that inspired Iannucci to start Horses for Heroes in 2009. He had been working with a local 4-H club, when he received a call from a woman in the area who worked with disabled children.

Iannucci remembers: “She called me and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a veteran on hand, and you’re the only Green Beret and cowboy I know. Could you maybe see if we could get this guy horseback?’”

Iannucci was inspired and began reaching out to more veterans with disabilities and had them work in conjunction with 4-H riders. He also started a “cowboy camp,” where in-patient veterans from the VA hospital were invited to come work with horses for eight-week sessions. After that first camp, one of the veterans kept returning and eventually joined Iannucci at working cattle for the neighboring Bonanza Creek Ranch. The positive impact on that veteran made Iannucci realize that the focus of Horses for Heroes needed to be on more than just horsemanship and riding skills. So he started the unique Cowboy Up! therapy program, which gets veterans involved with ranch work. Soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or combat trauma discover a road to healing via non-judgmental, gentle partnerships with horses.

Ranch work is a safe, focused way to wind down after combat. And for soldiers who have seen some of the longest deployments in history, Iannucci has also found that the transition from the military lifestyle to the Cowboy Way is natural for veterans. The physical and emotional discipline required to care for cattle and horses is somewhat similar to qualities that veterans draw on for military service.

“We give these guys and gals a new mission, and that’s important,” says Iannucci. “These are mission-oriented folks. When they return from combat, the sudden shift from being Joe-Bad-Ass Marine can feel like becoming a nobody in their minds.” Horses for Heroes gives access to a team, and a communal feeling is built between the veterans and staff. In addition to riding and ranch work, participants see movies together, attend rodeos, and share meals.

Iannucci likens this to “mission training,” which relaxes the new riders and helps them relate to working cattle. He also encourages soldiers to orient their combat patrol experience to looking for strays.

“I’ll say, ‘Go work that little draw there and make sure there’s no mamas and babies laying down there.’ So they go out, and come back exactly where they left the formation, so to speak,” he says.

In other words, this training helps veterans transform military skills into new skills for the next stage of their lives, whatever that may be.

“We’re going to take those skills and show you how to apply them to something as obtuse or counterintuitive in your mind as jumping on a horse and wading into a herd of cows,” Iannucci explains. “Then, once they feel that, it’s like, ‘Dang, I can do just about anything.’”

Need help finding your favorite H&R article from 2012? This complete list of 2012 articles should help.

Al Dunning’s How’s My Riding?
"Sitting Pretty,” Practice Pen, Jan., pg. 32
“Hard-Working Pair,” Practice Pen, Feb., pg. 32
“Trail-Course Prep,” Practice Pen, March, pg. 32
“Al Says, ‘Relax’” Practice Pen, May, pg. 46
“Small-Fry Horsemanship,” Practice Pen, June, pg. 28
“Rail Work,” Practice Pen, July, pg. 38
“Fence Work,” Practice Pen, Sept., pg. 40
“Reining Prep,” Practice Pen, Oct., pg. 40
“Schooling Session,” Practice Pen, Nov., pg. 34
"Sit Up in the Saddle," Practice Pen, Dec., pg. 34

Barns, Property Maintenance
“Melt Ice Safely,” Your Horse, Your Life, Jan., pg. 18
Stable Gear: “Stall Fronts,” Jan., pg. 64
“Savvy Storage,” Your Horse, Your Life, Feb., pg. 20
“Spring-Clean Your Barn,” Your Horse, Your Life, March, pg. 20
“Messy Job Made Easy,” Your Horse, Your Life, March, pg. 20
Special Advertising Section: “Barn & Ranch Makeover,” March, pg. 57
Stable Gear: “Barn Carts and Caddies,” April, pg. 78
“Nip It in the Mud,” May, pg. 80
“How to Handle a Hay Shortage,” June, pg. 56
“Three-Pronged Fly Control,” Your Horse, Your Life, June, pg. 30
“Small Size, Big Benefits,” Your Horse, Your Life, June, pg. 28
“Tack Theft—Now What?” July, pg. 68
Stable Gear: “Barn Fly Control,” July, pg. 78
“Winter-Prep Steps to Take Now,” Your Horse, Your Life, Sept., pg. 26
“Easier Hay Soaking,” Your Horse, Your Life, Oct., pg. 24
Stable Gear: “Winter Water Options,” Oct., pg. 70
“While You Wait,” Your Horse, Your Life, Nov., pg. 20

Behavior
“Sore Back; Foal Eats Manure,” Whole Horse Q&A, March, pg. 14
“Hematoma; Saddling Woes,” Whole Horse Q&A, April, pg. 14
“Rearing to Go—In A Bad Way,” Problem Solvers, June, pg. 88
“Club Foot; Sometimes Spooky,” Whole Horse Q&A, July, pg. 20
“Trailering Fears; Bowed Tendon,” Whole Horse Q&A, Aug., pg. 12
“Pasture Predator?” Your Horse, Your Life, Aug., pg. 19
“Clinician On Call,” Aug., pg. 43
“Keeping Kelly,” Aug., pg. 62
“Trailering Fears; Bowed Tendon,” Whole Horse Q&A, Aug., pg. 12
“Popped Splint; Trail Fears,” Whole Horse Q&A, Sept., pg. 14
“Barn Sour; Shoe Boil,” Whole Horse Q&A, Oct., pg. 15
“Eye Discharge; Pulling Back,” Whole Horse Q&A, Nov., pg. 12

Bob Avila’s Winning Insights
“Breeding Time Machine,” Practice Pen, Jan., pg. 30
“How Not to Lose,” Practice Pen, Feb., pg. 30
“Don’t Skip the Basics,” Practice Pen, March, pg. 30
“Tire Kickers,” Practice Pen, April, pg. 33
“Industry Update,” Practice Pen, May, pg. 38
“Horse Divorce,” Practice Pen, June, pg. 45
“What You Need to Succeed,” Practice Pen, July, pg. 36
“Know When to Quit,” Practice Pen, Aug., pg. 32
“Neck-Reining: Part 1: Introduce the Concept,” Practice Pen, Sept., pg. 34
“Neck-Reining: Part 2: Introduce the Curb Bit,” Practice Pen, Oct., pg. 32
“Neck-Reining: Part 3: The Romal Advantage,” Practice Pen, Nov., pg. 28
"Rules of Engagement," Practice Pen, Dec. pg. 26

Breed, Show Associations
“Did You Know? Surprising Facts About 10 Breeds,” Jan., pg. 50
“Once More, for the Memories,” Your Horse, Your Life, Feb., pg. 18
“New National AQHA Championship for YOU!” Your Horse, Your Life, Feb., pg. 18
“Important USEF Drug-Rule Changes,” Your Horse, Your Life, Feb., pg. 18
Gallop Poll: “If Wishes Were Reiners,” Your Horse, Your Life, Feb., pg. 18
Have You Tried: “Entry-Level Reining,” Practice Pen, Feb., pg. 38
“New Show Options for All Breeds,” Your Horse, Your Life, March, pg. 18
“Happy Birthday, APHA!” Your Horse, Your Life, April, pg. 18
“PtHA, AQHA Innovations,” Your Horse, Your Life, May, pg. 20
“Inudstry Update,” Practice Pen, May, pg. 38
Have You Tried: “Saddle-Log Programs,” Practice Pen, May, pg. 48
“Save Big at AQHA Novice Championships,” Your Horse, Your Life, pg. 24
“Painted ‘n Pretty,” Your Horse, Your Life, pg. 24
“Genetic Test for Appaloosas Now Available,” Your Horse, Your Life, June, pg. 26
“Arabians Slide to Paychecks,” Your Horse, Your Life, July, pg. 24
“AQHA Video Delux,” Your Horse, Your Life, Sept., pg. 20
“Find a Trainer, Help a Youth,” Your Horse, Your Life, Sept., pg. 20
“Philanthropy at Pinto World,” Your Horse, Your Life, Oct., pg. 22
“Numbers Up at Quarter Horse Shows,” Your Horse, Your Life, Nov., pg. 18
“ACTHA Rides Benefit Service Members,” Your Horse, Your Life, Nov., pg. 18
"Not Too Common: Grullas," Your Horse, Your Life, Dec., pg. 16

We talked to Mitchell about how he plans to prepare for the 2012 NFR.

To prepare for those types of quick setups, you’d think you need to focus on being fast. But because of the arena conditions, everything’s going to happen fast anyway. So as far as me preparing for a situation like that, I want my horse scoring good and leaving the box good and strong, and under control. That way, I can set up my position right out of the box and be in the place I want to be as the steer’s being turned in the corner.

With that good start out of the box, I can put myself in a place to get a fast shot if it presents itself and also a high-percentage shot. A lot of times you make a run in that situation, it’s just as consistent and faster than you’d expect, simply because things are set up to be fast.

The rookie guys comment that they’re all keyed up and on edge trying to be fast. A lot of times you run over yourself doing that instead of doing what you did all year. Setting up good position and taking your first available shot instead of trying to be super, super fast is the ticket.

The guys who’ve been there and done that a few years are more relaxed this time of year. They know you can only be as fast as conditions and the steer you draw dictate, so they don’t try to force things. That’s typically when mistakes are made. Remember, patience pays.

The basis of my roping foundation, in every situation, is the position I try to set up. If I can do that correctly, I can make an easier, faster shot, because I’ve laid the groundwork for that to happen.

When preparing for these different finals situations, you want to set your practice sessions up to be as similar to the real thing as possible, including your cattle. When getting ready for the U.S. Finals, you want to rope some fresher, stronger steers, like the ones you’ll run there. When getting ready for the NFR, I like to rope some fresher type steers also, because cattle that are strong jump faster and take the corner differently, so it’s more of an authentic look at what you’re going to see at the finals. Fresher cattle handle differently than those that have been roped quite a bit. Last year was a great roping at the NFR, because the cattle were fresh. But regardless of the conditions or the cattle, in the end the people who are the best prepared when they get there will have the biggest advantage when it comes to winning. Success is all in the preparation. SWR

Charles Gregory Hamilton: How many horses are you competing on? And do you have one for the Thomas & Mack?
I have three right now that I’m competing on. I have a longer score horse (Spanky), a shorter score horse (Muley) and just a jackpot (Blacky) overall kind of horse that I can ride in different situations. I ride Muley in the Thomas & Mack, and he scores really well¬¬--when I drop my hand he fires. He’s really good in the walls and he keeps moving and he doesn’t get quick with me ever.
Lisa Kesek: What characteristics do you look for when choosing your roping partner?
I look for partners that can do more than one thing. I look for a partner that can throw fast and on the other hand can be consistent. When we just have to catch to win, I want them to just catch. But, it’s so fast anymore that the heeler has to be ready to set it down on the first or second hop every time. I like to make sure they’re a little bit experienced and know where they’re going and the set ups. Also, of course, they’ve got to have good horses. And I like to have a partner who is easy to get along. That means they don’t get down on you if they mess up. We need to be a team and supportive in and out of the rig and arena. I’ve had some awesome partners, and I’ve learned that from the partners I’ve had. Cody Hintz, who I made the Finals with in 2010, was that way in every aspect. Rich knows how it goes and he never gets down on you, and that’s how you’ve got to be to win. If they header or heeler is throwing a fit and you go to the next rodeo, that’s still going to be on your mind. We have so many different scenarios we face, you’ve got to have a good partnership.

Abi Garate: How do you throw your loop so far?
That’s hard to explain. There are a few different strategies I use on different set ups. Sometimes I feel like I’ve got to have my tip more in the air to have more send on it when the steers are really running out in front of you a long ways and maybe have their heads down a little. Most of the time I’m throwing two coils away and I like to just have everything flat and have an open swing. I have more of an area that can be covered, even if the steers might be ducking left or right. I’ve learned it since I was young--I reached and I reached and I reached. It’s something you have to work at, and I practiced it a lot on the dummy. It has to be tight, you can’t have a lot of slack out. The exact amount of coils I throw has to be measured out just right. People who don’t reach too much will try and throw and extra coil and that puts too much slack on the steer, and then the handle is really rough for the heeler.

Josh Talseth: So how can you handle cattle on a long line and give the heeler a fair shot?
For that, I want it measured off tight so I can have the steer’s head. I really use my horse a lot more than I used to. If your horse is ducking straight back, it’s going to make the steer handle terrible. Your horse has to keep moving forward and be wide so you can get that steer’s head. I like to get his head and keep my horse moving forward three or four strides, and as I’m moving forward, come up the arena a little bit so I can keep that steer’s head the whole time.

Dennis Dorr: How do you keep your horse honest when you need to run up to one instead of reaching?
What I do in the practice pen on my good rodeo horses is that I do not turn off very many steers. I have my heeler go with me and then I reach and then keep moving my steer all the way down the arena. I’ve had horses that will never cheat me in the practice pen, so now even if I miss I just come across there and just reach every time and keep my horse running no matter what. I will go ahead and make a couple runs sometimes but I always finish my practice sessions reaching and running down the pen.