ProRodeo Sports News - June 25, 2021

IN THEIR WORDS HAYES SMITH Team roping header shooting for first Wrangler NFR I ’m at Reno right now – we’re upWednesday. Then we go to Prineville, Ore., Friday, then on to Greeley, because he didn’t rodeo for a few years. When we did, we had green horses. Our horses aren’t green anymore. We’re better mounted is the main thing. I’m riding a dun mare named Smooch. I’m

The month of February was extremely kind to team roping header Hayes Smith. The 28-year-old from Oregon had never had a good winter before 2021. In February, Hayes and heeler Justin Davis earned more than $15,000 each in combined winnings at Rapid City, S.D., San Antonio and Jackson, Miss. The duo are back together this season for the first time since 2018. And they’re both in position to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. Smith, in seventh place in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings in heading, is trying to qualify for his first Finals. Davis is in the hunt for qualification No. 2 – but his first since 2009 – sitting at 12th in heeling. Smith missed last year’s Fourth of July run with a broken finger. That’s not the case this season, as he’s heading to nearly a dozen rodeos between Reno, Nev., and St. Paul, Ore. He also missed the 2017 NFR by three spots, finishing 18th. Injuries and horse issues have hurt his chances the last few years, but he and his horses are rolling in 2021.

Colo., Prescott, Ariz., Cody, Wyo., Livingston, Mont., Belle Fourche, S.D., Eugene, Ore., and St. Paul.

going to ride her tomorrow ( June 22) at Reno. She’s back from injury. I’ve been roping on her the last week-and-a-half and she feels 100 percent. Justin and I are pretty good friends. I really don’t even know how I convinced him to rodeo again. I’m sure there was beer involved, and we were talking before the winter. He had a good horse again, and I was going to rodeo either way, I just didn’t know who with. I got him to do it. I don’t think we’ve missed a beat. I think the Tour Finale (at California Rodeo Salinas) is going to pay a lot this year. Just the fact you get to rope at Salinas is pretty cool. It’s important. I know we have to go to so many rodeos to qualify. We’ll keep hitting them. Every check we’ve won has been at a Tour rodeo. Finishing 18th was frustrating obviously. But really, going into that year I had no idea I was going to do what I did. I hadn’t really rodeoed before. I’d gone a little bit the year before. I was happy the way it turned out. It would mean the world to make the Finals. It’s what I’ve dreamed of since my dad (Don Elms) put a rope in my hand. I’ll just keep moving forward.

It’s pretty nice. The only rodeo we’re missing that I would usually go to is Molalla, Ore. (which was canceled due to the pandemic). They’re all having rodeos, and all of them added almost what they usually do. Last year, I got hurt before the Fourth of July and was out until the middle of August. I broke my left middle finger. It got caught in my dally. They had to put screws in it. I underwent surgery and couldn’t grip the reins. It never felt right the rest of the year. Really, going into this winter was the first time it felt 100 percent. I’ve never had a good winter. By far this was my best. It was awesome. For as few rodeos as they had for us (during the winter), to win that much was pretty cool. I don’t think it’s you need to (have a good winter), but it’s just nice to have a good start and have some confidence going into the summer. Justin and I hadn’t roped together since 2018

ProRodeo Sports News 6/25/2021

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