The Score from The Team Roping Journal

The first team out of the 2025 NFR took top honors in the team roping with Lightning Aguilera and Kaden Profili stunning the field.

The pair of two-time NFR qualifiers set the pace with a 4.0-second run that stayed No. 1 for the remaining 14 teams. Aguilera and Profili pocketed $36,667.95 apiece to bump them to No. 8 and 7 in the world with $161,403.70 and $160,203.50, respectively. The round was a first for Aguilera and a second for Profili, and they join The Short Score to break down their win.

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This episode is brought to you by Oz On A Hot Strea...

When the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo kicks off on December 4, first-time NFR qualifier Lane Mitchell will be backing in the box on a 10-year-old gray stallion named Oz Ona Hot Streak, owned and raised by Nebraska breeder Nate Osentowski.

Oz is a 14.3 hand rocket by A Streak Of Fling and out of Oz One Hot Mama, a One Hot Jose daughter. He is fast, honest and about as drama free as a stallion can be. He is also making history. Oz won the 2019 AQHA Junior Heading World Championship and is the first AQHA roping world champion to...

Clint Summers' Mr Joes Shadow Bar and Coleby Payne's Cut Off My Spots are the 2025 Nutrena Head and Heel Horses of the Year, presented by AQHA.

This is Mr Joes Shadow Bar's second award and Cut Off My Spots first.

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This episode is presented by Fast Back Ropes. For close to thirty years Fast Back Ropes has been developing best selling ropes by listening to our customers. Fast Back offers a variety of ropes with a size, weight and style to fit every team roper.

Kaleb Driggers and Jade Corkill won The CoJo—worth $72,000, Bill Fick Fords and Bloomer Trailers on Saturday, October 11, 2025—capping off Driggers' biggest year ever and Corkill's comeback.

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This episode is brought to you by Dechra. Dechra is a global specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals and related products. Our expertise is in the development, manufacture, and sales and marketing of high-quality products exclusively for veterinarians worldwide. We are driven by our purpose of sustainable improvement of local animal health and welfare.

Dechra’s equine portfolio is diverse andfocuses on mobility, joint health, reprodu...

In December 2025, Lightning Aguilera will back in the box for his second NFR, three years after his first qualification.

The Florida transplant finished the regular season No. 15 in the PRCA world standings with $114,735.75 won on the year after battling it out near the bubble the last month of the season. On this episode of The Score, Aguilera talks about his 2025 season, returning to the Thomas & Mack and how he's preparing for his second NFR.

The Riata Championships paid out $5.5 million crowing its 2025 champions. From the Riata Pro Futurity featuring some of the best team ropers and 5-year-old rope horses, to the Cowgirl Steer Stopping, the stories that unfolded are worth listening to on The Short Score.

Logan Allen and Ketch Kelton paired up to win $149,500 in the 2025 Riata #14.5 Championship after roping four steers in 29.33 seconds Sept. 25. They also won the 6-&-Under Incentive for another $8,000 apiece. Iowa’s Allen was aboard I Got Dibs Doc, a 2020 stallion by Aint Seen Nothin Yet out of MS Docs Poco Leo Bar and owned by Lis...

Who deserves the PRCA/AQHA Head Horse of the Year title? Clint Summers' Joe? Riley Minor's Bob? Tyler Wade's Spur? Or... someone else all together? We deep dive with Summers, Wade, Kaleb Driggers and Minor in this always-anticipated episode.

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This episode is brought to you by Equinety, the supplement that fuels most of the Horse of the Year contenders, year after year.

The rope horse world is about to get another financial boost.

In this episode, host Chelsea Shaffer is joined by Melanie Smith, founder of Solo Select, and Clay Logan, event producer, to unpack the brand-new Solo Select Stallion Incentive Futurity — launching with a jaw-dropping $465,000 payout in its inaugural year.

They cover everything you need to know before entries close on September 21:

In one of the most anticipated episodes of The Score, host Chelsea Shaffer brings back the annual deep dive into the top heel horses of the year. This year’s conversations are full of insight, loyalty and a bit of friendly debate among elite ropers.

We’re hearing directly from the best in the business:

Coleby Payne – breaking down why his bay gelding may be the new frontrunner over the three-time Horse of the Year, Kadabra King.

Travis Graves, Jake Long, Levi Lord, and Wesley Thorp, offering their personal picks, stories, and what really makes a...

In this episode of The Score, host Chelsea Shaffer sits down with Shane and John Philipp of Philipp Ranch to preview their 2025 Production Horse Sale, happening September 6 in Bryan, Texas. The brothers break down the pedigrees behind their standout rope horses, their unique approach to training and development, and what makes this year’s set of 39 head one of their deepest yet.

From proven head and heel horses to standout breakaway prospects and elite-bred prospects, this sale offers something for every roper — including the emotional Lot 39 filly, with proceeds going to the Ace Ashford Foundation.

Wheth...

The field for the 2025 Cinch Playoff Series in Puyallup, Washington, is set after the Aug. 18 cutoff, and the lineup is packed with storylines that could reshape this year’s NFR race.

The top 23 in the Playoff Series standings—plus NFR Open winners—will head to Puyallup Sept. 4-7, with a shot at a $75,000 purse on each end, with as much as $20,420 per man up for grabs. That kind of payday, paired with a berth to the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, makes Puyallup one of the most critical rodeos of the year.

On this episode of...

Karl Stressman and Tammy Canida of the American Quarter Horse Association are at the forefront of record keeping and pedigree information, and The Score caught up with them to talk about what role the AQHA can play in the team roping industry.

About AQHA

From the back of the box to the barrier, and from the break of the steer to the dally—roping demands a partner who knows the job and lives to do it. The ideal partner? An American Quarter Horse. For decades, AQHA has been the standard-bearer, preserving the bloodlines, honoring the lega...

The summer is winding down, but the ProRodeo action is not. From Greeley and Cowboy Christmas, to Salinas and Cheyenne, The Short Score is covering everything that has happened this summer as we roll into August.

Andrew Ward and Jake Long got Cowboy Christmas rolling earlier this summer with the Greeley Stampede win in June for $11,225 a man. And while Ward and Long were amongst the top of team roping's Cowboy Christmas earners, Clint Summers and Jade Corkill led the pack with $29,897 apiece.

Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord capitalized at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs...

When TRJ's Chelsea Shaffer picked up the phone to call Bobby Joe Hill of Hill Rodeo Cattle, she had no idea the U.S.-Mexico cattle border had closed just the night before. What started as a routine check-in turned into a breaking-news conversation about a closure that could ripple across the roping industry.

In this episode of The Score, Bobby Joe breaks down what he knows about the shutdown, what it means for ropers and producers, and how the situation is more political than biological. From skyrocketing steer prices to a dwindling supply of cattle for ja...

When a $1.7 million bid stunned the rope horse world, everyone asked the same question: Who is this guy? In this exclusive episode of The Score, we sit down with Mr. Jones—the man behind the record-breaking purchase that turned heads across the western industry.

Jones didn’t set out to make headlines. He thought he was just buying a horse. But what followed was an industry-wide ripple effect, elevating the rope horse market and reshaping expectations for what's possible. From his humble beginnings in a radiator shop to building a successful manufacturing business and ranching legacy, Jones shares...

The Old West Rope Horse Futurity paid out over $1 million in 2025 and saw ropers and horses make history. 

Tate Kirchenschlager and Almost LostMy Ticket won the Old West Futurity Heading for a life-changing $100,000. Coming from second call, Kirchenschlager topped the field to mark a major milestone in his rope-horse training journey.

SLR Swinging Hickory's $100,000 Old West Futurity Heeling win with Jeremy Buhler earned her the title of the winningest mare on the heel side of the rope horse futurity industry.  

Joseph Harrison also changed history becoming the first $1 million rider in ARHFA history. Harris...

When the gavel dropped on a $1.7 million sale at the Old West Futurity Rope Horse Sale in Heber City, Utah, Steve Friskup fought back tears. He'd sold horses before for $1.5 million, but Crosby Ray Von broke every record he'd ever set.

Some 48 hours after the sale, we caught up with Friskup as he'd had time to process the significance of the moment and what it means for the horse industry as a whole.

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This episode is presented by Fast Back Ropes. For close to thirty years Fast Back Ropes has been developing b...

June kicked off with a busy weekend of 2025 ProRodeo team roping action. With rodeos in nearly every circuit, there was a lot of rodeo action to unpack. On this episode of The Short Score, we break down who won what the final weekend of May to kick off June, who the biggest earners were and talked ProRodeo world standings.

More from The Score

Andrew Ward and Jake Long had a dominant performance at the 2025 WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi, winning $28,000 a man en route to the title. 

With 19 NFR appearances between them, Ward and Long won Rodeo Corpus Christi with a 5.43-second run in the three-man round May 10, to clinch the $18,000 win and secure Ward a spot on the Free Riders team at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo. Ward and Long kicked off their week with a 6.04-second run in the Wild Card Round for $2,500, followed by a 5.82 to win Progressive Round 1 for $5,000. Their consistency landed them second in the Progressive avera...

Miles Baker kicks off this episode after a big win at the 2025 Oil Can Classic heading futurity aboard Sevens Hank 2—a bay gelding making a triumphant return. Baker explains the horse’s background, why he’s in Miles’ program instead of Trevor’s, and how time off may have preserved his expression. He breaks down the run that earned the high score of the day and shares insight into how short-round judging dynamics favor a horse that stays sharp under pressure. He also weighs in on Nala, his veteran mare, and how the bay might be her biggest competition this seaso...

Billie Jack Saebens won both the heading and heeling pre-futurities at the Oil Can Classic, an American Rope Horse Futurity Association show in Ardmore, Oklahoma, that ran April 25-27, 2025.

In the heading, Saebens rode Una Furiosa, a 2021 gray mare bred by the Flag Ranch and owned by Shane Boston. The gray powerhouse, by Bobby Starlight out of a Furyofthewind daughter Playin For Fury, earned a composite score of 912.18 on four head to take home the title. For the win, Saebens and Southern Ranches pocketed $6,080.

In the heeling, Saebens topped the field aboard Hallle Berry, a 2019 red ro...

We're kicking off our 2025 Rope Horse Market Series with J.D. McGuire, a Midland, Texas-based heeler who's partnering with Hunter Koch and going all-in on the rope horse business.

What is driving a businessman to invest in the horse industry so heavily, and where does he see the business going?

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This episode is presented by Fast Back Ropes.

Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira get REAL about the problems they've had connecting this winter after they win $154,000 at the BFI to redeem their jackpotting on the year, marking their second-straight BFI win. This victory puts them in rare company as only the fourth team to win back-to-back Feist titles in the event's 48-year history.

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This episode is presented by Cactus Ropes' new Kool Kat CoreTX Rope. The Kool Kat is a 4-strand, poly-nylon blend rope that creates optimal weight and balance. This rope has a unique diameter to weight ratio, slightly on the me...

We continue the chaos with the 2023-2024 World Champs Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp, as they talk to Mike Ramsey, the heeler for the Facebook famous Doug Arnew.

We gave Mike the chance to clear his name on this episode, and we also provide details on the BFI Cowboy Auction, where Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp will auction off their John Deere Gator to benefit the Golden Circle of Champions, the Live Like Ace Foundation and the World Youth Team Roping Championship. Bid online: https://bit.ly/BFI-Cowboy-Auction

More details on the Gator auction: https...

Troy Ashford is navigating life after the loss of his 18-year-old son, Ace, who died in a cowboying accident last August. Along the way, Ashford has found purpose in giving back, and that brings us to the purpose of this episode: to tell you about the charity auction for the Live Like Ace Foundation, the Golden Circle of Champions and the World Youth Team Roping Championship at the 2025 Bob Feist Invitational Cowboy Auction.

Link to bid: https://bit.ly/BFI-Cowboy-Auction

The 2025 Bob Feist Invitational Cowboy Auction will this year play host to a special charity...

Doug Arnew caused quite the stir when to took to social media to lament the trials of a header just trying to find a good run in the 7. The team roping industry took notice, including World Champs Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp. Thorp, for his part, had recently given a lesson to Arnew, so getting a hold of him and visiting was the easy part. Now, Wade and Thorp are making it their mission to help Doug improve and find heelers who are ready to work for it, too.

The roping world knew Ketch Kelton was an animal, but walking into the Lazy E and winning the Cinch Timed Event Championship in his rookie appearance at just 19 made some jaws really drop—except, perhaps, anyone who knew Kelton and how absolutely cowboy this guy really is.

In the last year, Kelton has won the JR Patriot, the NTR Finals, the High School Finals Rodeo, the South Point Super Qualifier and placed at the Bob Feist Invitational, and he won the Cinch Timed Event Championship with ease. But for all Kelton's talents, telling us long stories in in...

Jr. Ironman rookie James Mann took home the 2025 title for $20,000 after finishing the 12-head battle in 138.4 seconds March 1 inside the famous Lazy E Arena. Mann, a 19-year-old from California, also won the first round, second in Round 2 and third in Round 3 in pursuit of this year's Jr. Ironman title.

The Patriot is gracing Fort Worth once again March 9-16. The Ariat WSTR Open to the World will kick off the Patriot Fort Worth as part of the Texas Two Step Super Qualifier on March 6, followed by multiple ropings through March 8. The Patriot team roping gets underway Sunday, Marc...

The 2025 Cinch Timed Event Championship kicks off inside the Lazy E Feb. 27-March 1, with five rounds of Ironman competition.

While the event can be streamed on Roping.com for free, we break down the need-to-know information for this year's CTEC on The Short Score. Timed Event contestants Marcus Theriot, Kyle Lockett and Nelson Wyatt also share how they're preparing and what they've learned over the years inside the Lazy E.

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2025 Cinch Timed Event Championship schedule

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 

The Royal Crown took on Buckeye, Arizona, for the roping portion of its 2025 futurity Feb. 5-10. 

The team roping kicked off with Miles Baker and Relentless PYC winning the 6 & Under Heading. Relentless PYC is the richest futurity rope horse mare of all time, and she and Baker won the average with a 616.26 after four rounds to add another $21,095 to her life time earnings. 

Billie Jack Saebens had a successful week, winning both the 4 & Under Heading and Heeling. Saebens won the 4 & Under Heeling on 2021 stallion Emojii, followed by the 4 & Under Heading on One Time Pick, a 2021 geldi...

Luke Brown and Trey Yates won the 2025 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo win Jan. 26, after a 4.2-second run in the short round to pocket $11,718 a man. For Yates, three-time NFR heeler and 2018 NFR champion, the win was an emotional one.

Yates joins The Short Score to talk about the emotion behind the win, his partnership with 14-time NFR header Brown and more.

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MORE FROM THE SCORE

We're back with our eighth year of The Score Podcast from The Team Roping Journal, and we're kicking it off with a bang with Coleman Proctor and a recap of his dramatic 10th round of the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in a raw conversation that only Coleman can provide.

Proctor missed his Round 10 steer to lose the 2024 PRCA Heading and All Around World Championships, and Proctor's perspective on the loss is a masterclass in sports psychology for any competitor.

The Gold Buckle Futurities Fall Roping crowned its champions Nov. 14-17, 2024, in Abilene, Texas, and The Short Scoreis wrapping up 2024 highlighting a few of their winners.

Rhen Richard won the 6 & Under Heading on SJR Diamond Bond for $11,000. They picked up another $19,000 for first in the Elite Stallion Incentive, and the 6-year-old won another $9,000 in the Elite Breeder’s Incentive. 

Richard's old ProRodeo partner and 2016 World Champion Jeremy Buhler and SLR Swinging Hickory won the 6 & Under Heeling, pocketing over $31,000 all in all. 

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This episode is brought to you by Purina. There’s more talk than eve...

Ace Ashford’s death in August of 2024 shook the team roping and rodeo communities to their cores. The 18-year-old young gun, and younger brother to NFR heeler Ross, was known by everyone as a kind, humble and overall good person.

But even in death God's hand is present. In this episode of The Short Score, Hill Rodeo Cattle’s Bobby Joe Hill—a longtime friend of the Ashford family and the team roping steer contractor for the NFR—and Ace's dad Troy tell the story of Steer 27, the last rodeo steer Ace ever roped. Steer 27 is making its way to th...

Clint Summers and Jake Long took home the 2024 NFR team roping average title Dec. 14, in Round 10.

Summers and Long came in second in the average, and their 4.0-second run sealed the deal with a 44.3 on nine head. They picked up fourth in the round for $14,126.88 apiece and $86,391.31 a man for the aggregate title. They join The Short Score to talk about their run, their 2025 plans and more.

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This episode is presented by Professional’s Choice. It’s that time of year again…. time to BOOT UP! From NOW until the end of December, Professional’...

Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp defended their 2023 world titles, winning the 2024 PRCA team roping world championship with $361,480.

Wade and Thorp sealed the deal on their consecutive gold buckles after winning second in Round 10 with a 3.8-second run for $26,623.74 a man. The newly-crowned world champs join The Short Score to talk about their world titles.

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Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin are back in the winner's circle after Round 9, this time with gold buckles on the line.

Proctor and Medlin won Round 9 of the 2024 NFR with a 3.8-second run for $33,687.18 a man. Proctor now sits second in the world and Medlin third. After Round 9, the projected world standings have Proctor the world champion header and Medlin the world champion heeler. 

There's still plenty of money to be won in Round 10 and the average, and The Short Score caught up with Proctor and Medlin to talk about their round win and the world...

The end of the 2024 NFR is in sight as Round 8 wrapped with the 2021 and 2022 world champions keeping themselves alive in the world championship race.

Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira entered Round 8 needing to win the round to stay in the conversation, and they did just that, winning the round with a 3.4 for $33,687.18 a man. They now sit second in the world standings. They join The Short Score to talk about their week and their mental approach for the last two rounds of the 2024 NFR.

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Designed around cooling and comfort, Professional’s Choice is proud to...

Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin wrapped Round 7 of the 2024 NFR in a bow as the last team out. Proctor and Medlin took the win in Round 7 with a 3.5-second run for $33,687.18 a man, keeping Proctor alive in the race for the all-around gold buckle.

Proctor and Medlin catch up with The Short Score to talk about their run and their careers.

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This episode is presented by Professional’s Choice. It’s that time of year again…. time to BOOT UP! From NOW until the end of December, Professional’s Choice, the leader in equine leg prot...

Round 6 of the team roping at the 2024 NFR saw the fastest time of the Finals thus far. Brenten Hall and Kaden Profili took home the Round 6 win with a 3.5-second run for $33,687.18 a man. 

For Hall, the round win is his first since the 2020 NFR, but it's Profili's first at his breakout Finals. Hall and Profili join The Short Score to break down their run.

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Designed around cooling and comfort, Professional’s Choice is proud to present the revolutionary 2XCool technology in a Contoured Cinch. 

The cinch’s liner features patented Triple Chill E...