The Veteran Advantage: When Age Matters

    Competing in a huge championship rodeo like the National Finals Rodeo (NFR)  is a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with thrills and incredible opportunities. But it can also be intimidating, especially for young horses.

    Between the roaring crowd stacked high and tight in Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Arena, the bright lights, loud music and speakers, and nuances of travel, many horses are quickly overwhelmed and lose focus on their job. 

  Because of this, the horses that are veterans of the world of big rodeos and have years of rodeo under their cinches are often the ones that are able to stay calm and focused. It’s not uncommon for the horse that wins the round in the tie-down roping, team roping, or steer wrestling to be between 15 and 19 years old.

    But the older ones weren’t born broke and bombproof. They too had to develop somehow. Young horses have to be exposed to these types of venues and events to become veterans of the game. The trick is balancing giving a horse experience and letting their talents shine while also recognizing they might face challenges like being spooked by a scenario that a seasoned horse wouldn’t flinch at.

   A fine example is the ever-talented cremello tie-down horse known as Trouble at the Rodeo, or “Snowman” ridden by calf roper Riley Pruitt. Snowman is a tender 8 years old, and his nerves have been on display. Yet Riley believes deeply in this horse and feels he has earned the chance to experience the NFR, so he has worked with him through the tough moments, and together they have felt the success of giving it their all. Riley has done his best in moments where Snowman didn’t step up and knows that he is just building a better future for the two of them down the road through these moments of grace now.

    This is reminiscent of the loyalty fellow tie-down roper Hunter Reaume showed his young bay horse Gypsy at the American Rodeo in 2021, when he lost his shot at 1.1 million dollars due to Gypsy spooking at the end of his run. Rather than lose his temper, Reaume calmly soothed his horse and moved on, knowing, like Riley, that his horse deserved the opportunity and it would come together at the right time.

    On the flip side, calf roper Kincade Henry is riding the oldest calf horse at the NFR this year, known as Dual Crescent Boone, or “Mario.” Mario is 19. Both Mario and Snowman are exceptional horses, and only time will tell how they will perform in the final moments.

   The other timed events sport the same diversity of horsepower. While barrel racing often attracts more younger horses than the other events, there are still some variations in age.  In fact, the oldest horse competing in barrel racing is Hailey Kinsel’s famous 14‑year‑old mare DM Sissy Hayday, or “Sister”, and the youngest is Tricia Aldridge’s rising star 5‑year‑old stallion Adios Pantalones, or “Adios”.

     Younger horses have the obvious advantages with fresher joints and bodies. But the older horses have the mental game figured out, having seen their fair share of surprises. Just like with the cowboys and cowgirls themselves, the mental aspect is every bit as important as the physical one.

   Will the champions be the veterans? Or will the young horses take it all this year? The unexpected wins and losses are the beauty of the game. Let’s watch it unfold.