SWR: How much did your great spring (winning the Cow Palace in San Francisco and the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round Up) play into your decision to come back?
Green: Not much. My winning out here in California didn't have anything to do with my decision. If I had work out here, I'd be here. That's the long and the short of it. I enjoy getting to compete out here, but when the rodeos are over and everybody goes home, I've usually got work to do. The desire is still to be with my family. There's just not much to do here now.
SWR: How about your horse situation. You told us after winning Red Bluff that your roan mare, Marabell, lets you win. Describe what you expect from her.
Green: She's a nice horse. Roping against the best in the world takes a special horse. I can tell she gets a little bit more nervous. She's doing good-she's done good everywhere I've taken her-but I can tell she's stressed a little bit. She scores good, she runs enough, she does everything good and nothing bad. I don't know if you saw her somewhere, you'd say "Wow, that horse stands out" but she does everything good enough and she'll let you win. She's easy to rope on. She stays out of your way. She won't impress you the way, say Charles Pogue's old gray horse did, but she's a good solid, well-rounded horse. She gives me confidence and at the rodeos it's been easy so far. It hasn't been hard for me to get out, it hasn't been hard for me to catch and it hasn't been hard for me to stop the clock fast so that gives me confidence.
SWR: How about the partner choice. I'll bet at least half the heelers going would drop their partner for the chance to rope with you. Why did you choose Cody Cowden?
Green: I really like roping with Todd Hampton, but his job requires him to be home. Just like in Red Bluff, he had to stay home and take care of stuff at work. Cody was out of a partner and he and I roped as second partners out here at the U.S. ropings and the jackpots around and stuff. It's pretty natural. We've roped together a lot here the last few years. He's helped me at the World's Greatest Roper and the Timed Event so we've got some chemistry there and know what to expect from each other. Since Todd couldn't go and Cody was there without a partner just 25 miles or so away from me, that's the first guy you think of.
SWR: What are the practice sessions like preparing for the summer run?
Green: Practice has been going all right. I'm trying to get things sped up and get my horses prepared for all the big money. You try to ride them maybe not as hard but more often and keep them on an even keel. Then you're trying to prepare yourself. If you're not sharp you're trying to get sharp. By the time you get to Reno you've got to be sharp. That's when the big money's up and the Fourth of July starts.
SWR: So what would be the ideal summer rodeo run for you?
Green: Ideal would be to go dominate in July. I think I'm about $9,000 or $10,000 out of the top 15 right now. I've got about 36 tour points which might make the first tour stop, I'm not sure. If I have a really good Reno and Fourth of July and a good Cheyenne and Salinas and be caught up to everybody. Then after July there's two months until the season ends. Then continue for two more months, and then go to the National Finals. Get all clean-shaven and on TV with my family in the stands. I love that. That would be awesome.
We'll look up after July and see what it looks like then. Being that I only rodeoed around home this spring, I'm not that far back, so that's a bonus. But believe me, if I had no money won right now, I'd make the same decision. Things in construction could change by July, but if I'm going to get a good partner and have a chance, I have to commit to that right now.
SWR: Well, it makes for a great story, thanks for sharing it with us and best of luck.
Green: Maybe I'll be Cinderella this year. Who knows?
