Breaking it Down by Speed Williams – November 2025
One of the biggest events to come along in the last few years for team ropers is the Riata, a team roping stallion incentive program designed to promote Riata stallions and the increase of quality rope horses. The total payout for 2025 was $5,514,560 with over 2,700 teams entered, making it the second richest team roping in the world.
There are so many events where team ropers have an opportunity to win significant payouts. One of my favorite ropings was always the George Strait, where professional ropers had a chance to win $100,000, trucks, and trailers. Last year, Cody Johnson, started the COJO – a week-long event that includs numbered ropings, junior ropings, breakaway and the Open, held in Belton, Texas. This year, Gabe and his buddy, Will Smith, won the Junior Open. I had a lot of clients who did well in the numbered ropings. It’s just amazing to me how lucrative the sport of team has become.
Here we are in November and will soon be headed to Wickenburg and Las Vegas later this month. I can’t imagine how big the turnout will be this year. The opportunities are so exciting. At the World Series finals, in Las Vegas, many of the payouts are life changing money.
Often, winning comes down to how well you can control your horse, rope the steer – and handle the steer while controlling your horse. It’s crucial for the header to set the steer up. For everyone practicing and getting ready… I suggest trying what I do in my lessons.
In the practice pen… the first cow out is high call. You don’t get to score or burn a steer. On your first steer, you have to see your start and go make a run on whatever is loaded in the chute. Then you have to practice making a 7-second run – a good, controlled, smooth run. The goal is to make four of those. But, if one is a little longer, you have to practice speeding things up. It’s preparing for all scenarios.
I advise buying a barrier system to set up in your area to help keep you honest and not going before the gate opens. By doing that, you’re preparing for different situations. The practice pen is where you need to understand where your mistakes are and what happened when things go wrong. This is where you learn to overcome the steers that normally take you out. Don’t score the slow, hard steer; or the steer that goes left or right. Learn to rope them.
Even though stock contractors try to make the steers even, it’s easier said than done and usually doesn’t happen. There will be runners and lopers and you need to be prepared for all of them.
I was teaching a school where the arena owner told me he had 15 medium steers that were all pretty even, and he kept them that way by changing them out frequently. In my opinion, that’s the worst way to practice. Very rarely will you draw four steers the same size and speed with the same pattern. That’s why I believe in having a variety in the practice pen so you can see which steer you fail on the most.
At my house we film runs and then go in and watch the video. We do it in slow motion, step by step, and see if you’re using your legs correctly. Is your left hand pulling on the reins and using them for balance? Are you fighting your horse, or working with your horse? Does your horse respond to you, and do you have control of your horse. Control means when you pull on the reins he responds and slows down. If you pull on your horse and his speed doesn’t decrease, then you don’t have control and you’re teaching your horse to run through the bridle.
The opportunities in team roping are great for guys who teach. With payouts like $300,000 that can be won in Las Vegas, people are able to justify investing in getting better.
What’s new with me: Back on June 7th, I had a horse stumble and fall with me. I had some broken ribs, a concussion, and bleeding on the brain. Once the ribs healed, I felt pretty good but still had issues where if I went too fast on the 4-wheeler it felt like I had water in my head. Shawn Scott had me taking medicine and doing some exercises, but I was getting concerned about how long it was taking because I wasn’t really getting better. But, one night a couple of weeks ago, after turning out the light, I misjudged where I was in getting in bed and hit my head hard on the headboard. The hit came on the opposite side of where I had hit it in June.
The next morning when I opened my eyes my brain was functioning different. Immediately I knew I was well. That day at the arena I told the boys I would drive the 4-wheeler. I started going faster and faster and my head felt perfect. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Hali had asked me to come to Sioux Falls and I had been nervous about getting on a plane. I watched Gabe at the Riata and then flew from OKC to Atlanta. We were 30 minutes outside of Atlanta when the pilot announced we were going to have turbulence. We were flying and the plane dropped for four or five seconds straight down. Then it jerked backup and bucked for 30-seconds and dropped again. I was a little nervous, but my head didn’t bother me once.
I was told the cranial bone can get misplaced in your skull and it can go for years that way. Apparently, I hit my head in the right place, with the right amount of force, to knock it back in place. I’m very blessed and fortunate that I’m able to ride and rope without my head hurting. I’m very grateful to feel normal after walking around like a zombie for three months and not being able to do anything.
