Episodes
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Dashed Away With It: Brenten Hall Tells 2026 Horse of the Year “Ernie’s” Story
Dashing Company “Ernie” spent most of 2026 getting the call from Brenten Hall, no matter what kind of setup they were headed to. After a hectic Horse of the Year voting process ended with Ernie earning the 2026 Nutrena Head Horse of the Year title, Hall joined The Short Score to tell the story...
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Relive Championship Saturday: Inside the $1.13 Million Old West World Championships
The 2026 Old West World Championships paid out $1.13 million in Amarillo, pushing Old West’s total awarded money for the year to $5.1 million—and championship Saturday brought together some of the best young horses and horsemen in the business. On this episode of The Score, hear from all the...
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Another One: Jake Long on Copper, Colonel and Horse of the Year
Jake Long knows what a Horse of the Year feels like, but after three-time winner Colonel, he wasn’t sure he would ever find another one of that caliber. Then came 7-year-old Hezaluckysonofagun “Copper,” the horse that carried Long to his first world championship and is now the 2026 Nutrena Heel...
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Homegrown Horsepower: Colby Lovell and Ty Arnold’s $100K Riata Win
For Colby Lovell and Ty Arnold, winning $100,000 at the 2026 Riata Championships was about more than the check. Lovell and Arnold won the Pro Futurity in Guthrie with a 34.82 on five head aboard Royal Underdog and Sugar Boom Boom, respectively, giving Lovell his third Riata Championship. But both...
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No Buttons to Push: Trevor Brazile on A Relentless Buzz
At just 5 years old, A Relentless Buzz is already the kind of head horse Trevor Brazile can back into the box on without much to manage—and that maturity helped carry the gray to the 6-&-Under Heading win at the Texas Best Futurity in Decatur, Texas. On this episode of The Short Score, Brazile...
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More Than a Trick Roper: Chelsey Bushnell on Making a Life With a Rope
Growing up in Red Bluff, California, Chelsey Bushnell pictured her rope taking her to the biggest stages in rodeo. She roped calves and team roped, won back-to-back California high school state titles and carried that with her into college, once dreaming of becoming the first woman to rope at the...
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James Arviso and Levi Lord on Puyallup, Their Breakout Season and the NFR
James Arviso and Levi Lord didn’t head into the 2026 season knowing exactly what their new partnership would look like. Now, with the regular season winding down, both are sitting Top 6 in the PRCA World Standings and headed toward the Finals. Fresh off splitting the Cinch Playoffs title in...
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Melanie Smith: Inside the $620,000 Solo Select Rope Horse Futurity
Solo Select founder Melanie Smith joins The Score 30 days out from the second Solo Select Rope Horse Futurity, Sept. 30–Oct. 1 at Circle T Arena in Hamilton, Texas, where a minimum $620,000 in added money is on the line for 4-year-olds in heading, heeling, breakaway and tie-down. Smith explains...
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September Starts Now: Bubble Teams, Puyallup and the Final Month of PRCA Rodeo
The final month of the 2026 PRCA regular season is officially here, and there is still plenty left to decide in the team roping world standings. On this episode of The Short Score, Calli Montague breaks down where the NFR bubble stands entering September, with Ketch Kelton holding the No. 15 spot...
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Steve Friskup on the Horse Market and the Future of the Sport
Steve Friskup has spent decades with a front-row seat to the horse business, from selling everyday team roping horses to standing behind the microphone as some of the industry’s highest-priced horses went through the ring. On this episode of The Score, Friskup breaks down what he is seeing in...
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Built to Go Win: Inside the 2026 Philipp Ranch Production Horse Sale
For 14 years, the Philipp Ranch Production Horse Sale has given buyers a chance to take home horses that have been raised, trained and used within the Philipp Ranch program. This year, John and Shane Philipp say they may have their most diverse—and deepest—set yet. On this episode of The Score,...
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Cole Eiguren's Trip to the All-Around Buckle at The Daddy of 'Em All
Cole Eiguren has a legacy in front of him of family who tend to win buckles at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. All before he backed in the box at The Daddy of 'Em All, the 25-year-old Fruitland, Idaho man had years of the men in his family winning in Cheyenne, giving him the perfect opportunity to...
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The Short Score: From the NFR Open to Salinas
Some of the biggest money to be won in the 2026 season was captured during the month of July, including the NFR Openand the California Rodeo Salinas. Jake Smith and Nicky Northcott took home the NFR Open win in Colorado Springs after a 4.3 in the sudden-death finals, pocketing $16,000 a man.…
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The Best One There: Bryan Beaver’s $900K Old West Purchase
Bryan Beaver did not start roping until he was 50, but he has spent the years since learning from some of the best horsemen and riding some of the best horses in the business. On this episode of The Score, Beaver talks about the friendship he has built with Trevor Brazile and Miles Baker and the...
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Remembering Street: Joseph Harrison’s Horse of a Lifetime
Joseph Harrison has ridden plenty of great horses, but when the chips were down and the most money was on the line, he kept going back to Main Street Boon. Better known as "Street", 2004 gelding by Pepto Boonsmal out of Playboy’s Ruby was part of the Harrison family for roughly 15 years. Despite...
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The Road to the Announcer's Stand: Cade Passig on Life These Days, Announcing Ropings, and Roping For a Living
It took Cade Passig years of working every job on the crew before he found his was to the microphone announcing for Mathews Land and Cattle. Growing up with a rope in his hand, Passig never wanted to do anything else—but rope. That led to life now: being the "conductor" at some of the biggest...
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The Short Score: Summer Momentum
The end of June and Cowboy Christmas saw momentum build for numerous teams, especially ones who were in need. Lightning Aguilera and Kaden Profili kicked off a three-week span of huge ProRodeo team roping storylines, winning $30,740 over a two-week period at the end of June. Aguilera and Profili...
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Where They Are Now: What Chris Francis has Been up to Since Winning the 2018 Bob Fiest Invitational
Chris Francis has won some of the sports biggest ropings, but much of his life happens behind the scenes at some of the biggest jackpots in the country. On this episode of The Score, Las Vegas, New Mexico's Francis talks about how he went from helping Oren Mathews gather cattle and work a truck...
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$186K Week in Utah: Rhen Richard Talks All Things Old West After Heber City Success
Old West paid out $1.37 million in Heber City, put some of the best rope horses in the industry on display and backed it all up with a horse sale that proved just how fast this side of the business is growing. Chelsea Shaffer sat down with Rhen Richard to reminisce on the week in Utah, from…
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Who is the Missouri Man Leading the World on the Heel Side: Get to Know Cooper Freeman
Cooper Freeman grew up in Carthage, Missouri, surrounded by roping. His parents bought an indoor arena, steakhouse and western store when he was young, and Freeman grew up in the middle of jackpot team ropings, barrel races and weekend events. By 14, he was amateur rodeoing. At 19, he bought his...
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Passing the Torch: Chelsea Shaffer Hands Over The Score to Calli Montague
After eight years and more than 3 million downloads, Chelsea Shaffer is handing The Score’s reins to the Team Roping Journal’s newest hire, Calli Montague. Montague, known to most as “Frank’s daughter,” grew up with a rope in her hand and engulfed in the world of team roping from the beginning. A...
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The New Mexico Man Who is Leading the World on the Head Side: Get to Know Korbin Rice
Korbin Rice grew up in Hobbs, New Mexico roping calves with his brother. By his freshman year of high school, they'd switched to team roping full time. By his senior year, he'd made up his mind to rodeo for a living—even though nobody in his family had ever done it. His rookie year, he and Caleb...
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The Short Score: How Smith and Rich are Rolling into the Summer Run
Jake Smith and Douglas Rich head into the 2026 ProRodeo summer run with plenty of momentum after winning the Music City Rodeo in Nashville. In this episode of The Short Score, Smith and Rich break down their win, which moved them to No. 2 in the PRCA world standings and talk about how building...
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Sterlin English: From the USTRC to the Dutton Ranch
Sterlin English is used to seeing his name at the pay window. Now it shows up in the cast list of Taylor Sheridan's newest project. The team roper plays Austin Lewis on "The Dutton Ranch," the latest Yellowstone spinoff. The first two episodes dropped early May 15 on Paramount+, with new episodes...
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The Score: Kayelen Helton Tells Her Story, Talks Mental Toughness, and Gives a Look Into Her Life
Texas cowgirl Kayelen Helton joins The Score's Calli Montague to talk about balancing a full-time career as a licensed professional counselor with life in the arena, while still competing at a high level in both breakaway and team roping. Helton talks growing up in Texas junior rodeo, competing...
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The Short Score: Spring Sets the Pace for Summer
Winter and spring have flown by on the 2026 ProRodeo season with the summer right around the corner. On this episode of The Short Score, some of the spring's biggest winners talk about their wins. Lightning Aguilera and Wyatt Cox claimed the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo thanks to a…
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Jade Corkill Gets Real on Winning, Fatherhood and the Moment That Changed Everything
This episode of The Score wasn’t planned—but it turned into one of the most meaningful conversations we’ve had. Fresh off a dominant showing at the U.S. Finals, three-time World Champion Jade Corkill sat down for an extended, unfiltered conversation that goes far beyond the pay window. After…
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$120 Million on the Table: Where the Real Money Is in Team Roping Right Now
The money in team roping has never been bigger—and most ropers still don’t realize how deep it goes. In this crossover episode with Solo Select, industry leaders break down the full earning potential across futurities, Riata, Old West, Royal Crown, and the Global Handicap System. From 4-year-olds...
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Taylor Santos' Comeback to Win 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship
After stepping away from competition for two years due to multiple surgeries, 2020 Cinch Timed Event Champ Taylor Santos returned to the CTEC for the 2026 Ironman title for $100,000. Santos breaks down his surgeries, recovery, months of rehab and the mental battle of not knowing if he’d ever...
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The Short Score: Winter Rodeo Catchup 2026
The Short Score is back in 2026 as the winter rodeo run is well underway. One of the winter's biggest rodeos wrapped up in February with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, introducing some newer names on top. Corben Culley and Trent Vaught took home the 2026 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo win…
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Travis Browne on Team Roping, Starting Over, and Life After the UFC
In this episode, we sit down with Travis Browne, a former UFC heavyweight contender who has traded the octagon for the roping box and embraced life as a team roper. Travis talks candidly about what it’s like to go from the elite level of one sport to being brand new in another, and how quickly…
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The Short Score: 2025 NFR Average + World Champs Andrew Ward and Jake Long
Andrew Ward and Jake Long got the second NFR average titles of their careers and their first world titles in 2025. Ward and Long went 3.9 seconds in Round 10 of the 2025 NFR to split the round win and take home the average title with a 44.0 on nine steers. It also sealed the deal on the world...
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The Short Score: Aguilera and Profili Win Round 9 of the 2025 NFR
Lightning Aguilera and Kaden Profili topped Round 9 of the 2025 NFR for their third round win. Aguilera and Profili pocketed another $36,667.95 apiece for their 3.4-second run. They've collected $130,846.52 a man inside the Thomas & Mack to jump from 15th and 14th in the world to sixth and fifth....
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The Short Score: Schmidt and Torres Back for 2025 NFR Round 8 Win
Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres not only won Round 8 of the 2025 NFR, they officially lead the pack. Schmidt and Torres turned in a 3.8-second run for the round win to give them the lead in the average with a 28.7 on seven head and the lead in the world standings with $279,074.24 and...
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The Short Score: Grahams Get Round 7 Win at the 2025 NFR
Dawson and Dillon Graham were back for their second go-round win at the 2025 NFR after winning the Round 7 team roping fight. The Grahams turned in a 3.5-second run for $36,667.95 apiece to push them to fifth in the world standings with $229,858.23. They join The Short Score to talk about their...
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The Short Score: 2025 NFR Round 6 Winners Tomlinson and Graves
Tanner Tomlinson and Travis Graves got their first round win of the 2025 NFR in Round 6. Tomlinson and Graves came within one-tenth of a second of the Thomas & Mack arena record with a 3.4-second run to pocket $36,667.95 apiece. The win puts Tomlinson No. 1 in the world with $276,605.71 and…
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The Short Score: Schmidt and Torres Win 2025 NFR Round 5
Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres were back for another round win at the 2025 NFR, this time on their own. Schmidt and Torres took the Round 5 with a 3.7-second run for $36,667.95 a man Dec. 8. The win pushed Schmidt to fifth in the world with $223,776.61 and Torres to fourth with $215,510.51 on...
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The Short Score: 2025 NFR Round 4 Team Roping Winners Wade, Thorp, Egusquiza and Lord
The reigning World Champs Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp joined Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord atop the Round 4 team roping leaderboard at the 2025 NFR. Wade and Thorp and Egusquiza and Lord turned in 3.8-second runs to split the round for $32,823.73 apiece. The win comes as redemption for both…
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The Short Score: 2025 NFR Round 3 Winners
The third round of the 2025 NFR was crowded at the top of the team roping with a three-way tie for first. Dawson Graham and Dillon Graham took an early lead in the round with a 3.8-second run as the second team out. Lightning Aguilera and Kaden Profili and Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres…
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The Short Score: 2025 NFR Round 2 Winners Jake Smith and Douglas Rich
Jake Smith got his first NFR go-round win, taking top honors in Round 2 of the 2025 Finals with Douglas Rich. Smith and Rich turned in a 3.9-second run for $36,667.95 a man. After the round, they unofficially moved to fourth in the world standings with $194,087.46 and $183,337.45, respectively....
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The Short Score: 2025 NFR Round 1 Winners Lightning Aguilera and Kaden Profili
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…
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Oz Ona Hot Streak: From AQHA World Champ to NFR History
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...
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The 2025 PRCA/AQHA Head & Heel Horses of the Year
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. --- This episode is presented by Fast Back Ropes. For close to thirty years Fast…
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The CoJo: Kaleb Driggers + Jade Corkill's Big Win
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. --- This episode is brought to you by Dechra. Dechra is a global specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals...
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Lightning Aguilera's Return to the Thomas & Mack
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…
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The Short Score: 2025 Riata Championships
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...
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Finally: The Head Horse of the Year Episode
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. --- This episode is brought to you by Equinety, the...
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The $465K+ Solo Select Stallion Incentive Futurity
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…
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Heel Horse of the Year? Who Deserves It and Why?
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...
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The Philipp Ranch Production Sale Preview
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...