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 medium to smaller side. The Kool Kat has had the best winning percentage since it has started being used by Cactus' pro athletes of any rope the company has ever made. The Kool Kat, the newest rope using CoreTX™, is the most complete and balanced rope in the line. The smaller diameter but solid weight allows for ropers of all levels to feel their tip and have the confidence they need to win.

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://bit.ly/BFI-Cowboy-Auction-Wesley-Thorp-Gator

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 sale of a John Deere Gator, donated by Wesley Thorp. The Gator's proceeds will go toward the Live Like Ace Foundation, the Golden Circle of Champions and the WYTRC, and in this episode Ashford talks about what that donation means to his entire family.

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 interviews really still isn't his jam. Luckily, we had Casey Allen chatting with his mom, too, so this interview is both Ketch and Tammy Kelton, talking about what this win means to the whole family.

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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, March 9, with the #9.5 All Ages Truck Roping. 

Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord took home the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo win, cashing in $23,130 a man. Egusquiza and Lord were nearly flawless, winning all three rounds in their bracket for $7,878 a man and locked in the overall title Feb. 22, with a 4.1 to win the Finals and another $15,252 apiece. This marks Egusquiza’s third San Antonio title–he won his first in 2020 with Travis Graves–but Egusquiza and Lord’s second together in the last three years.

On this episode of The Short Score, we introduce Mann, the Jr. Ironman champion, talk all things Patriot Fort Worth and catch up on Egusquiza and Lord's San Antonio win.

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• The Short Score: What to Know About the 2025 CTEC
• The Short Score: Royal Crown Recap
• The Short Score: Trey Yates Talks 2025 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo Win
• Round 10, the NFR Aftermath and 2025 with Coleman Proctor
• NFR 2024 in Review: Listen to the NFR Round Winners on The Short Score
• 5 Conversations from the 2024 NFR You Need to Hear
• The Short Score: Ace Ashford and Steer 27

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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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26

• 6:30 p.m. Steer Wrestling Jackpot

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 

• 9 a.m. Pro-Am Jackpot
• 12 p.m. Pro-Am Awards Intro of CTEC Contestants and Calcutta – MIO Luncheon
• 5 p.m. 1st Performance of the Jr Ironman
• 7 p.m. 1st Performance of the CTEC
• After Party in the Gold Buckle Cantina immediately following  

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 

• 12 p.m. 2nd Performance of the CTEC
• 5 p.m. 2nd Performance of the Jr Ironman
• 7 p.m. 3rd Performance of the CTEC
• After Party in the Gold Buckle Cantina immediately following  

SATURDAY, MARCH 1 

• After Party in the Gold Buckle Cantina immediately following 
• 12 p.m. 4th Performance of the CTEC
• 5 p.m. 3rd Performance of the Jr Ironman
• 7 p.m. 5th Performance of the CTEC

Watch the 2025 CTEC on Roping.com

• The Short Score: Royal Crown Recap
• The Short Score: Trey Yates Talks 2025 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo Win
• Round 10, the NFR Aftermath and 2025 with Coleman Proctor
• NFR 2024 in Review: Listen to the NFR Round Winners on The Short Score
• 5 Conversations from the 2024 NFR You Need to Hear
• The Short Score: Ace Ashford and Steer 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 gelding. 

Jeremy Buhler cleaned house in the 6 & Under Heeling winning every round, but it was DT Hickorys Angus that took the cake, winning the average with a 619.40 after four rounds. Buhler also had three other horses in the short round.

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This episode is presented by Roping.com. The 2025 Royal Crown from Buckeye, Arizona, now lives on Roping.com. Watch every roping from inside the Buckeye Equestrian & Events Center with a Roping.com membership. Get unlimited access to Roping.com’s comprehensive team roping, tie-down and breakaway roping video libraries and learn from world champions like Trevor Brazile, Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper. Plus, binge hundreds of hours of live and archived ropings including the Cinch Timed Event Championship, The Patriot Events, and more.

• The Short Score: Trey Yates Talks 2025 National Western Stock Show and Rodeo Win
• Round 10, the NFR Aftermath and 2025 with Coleman Proctor
• NFR 2024 in Review: Listen to the NFR Round Winners on The Short Score
• 5 Conversations from the 2024 NFR You Need to Hear
• The Short Score: Ace Ashford and Steer 27
• The Short Score: 2024 NFR Champions Clint Summers and Jake Long

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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• Round 10, the NFR Aftermath and 2025 with Coleman Proctor
• NFR 2024 in Review: Listen to the NFR Round Winners on The Short Score
• 5 Conversations from the 2024 NFR You Need to Hear
• The Short Score: Ace Ashford and Steer 27
• The Short Score: 2024 NFR Champions Clint Summers and Jake Long
• The Short Score: 2024 World Champions Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp
• The Short Score: 2024 NFR Round 9 Winners Proctor and Medlin