Charly Crawford Podcast

Cade Rice is a three-time AQHA World Champion, back-to-back World Champion heeler in the ARHFA, and one of the most talented horse trainers in the industry. It was great to hear how he started training horses and some words of wisdom he learned from a legendary heeler at a young age. We got to talk a lot about family, roping, and how far the rope horse futurity industry has come in a relatively short time. Cade is a great horseman, a great friend, and I enjoyed our conversation, I hope ya'll will too!

After a trip to the Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping in Hereford, Texas, and competing in a big open jackpot for the first time in a while, I wanted to give some insight on how I analyze how I thought the roping went for me and how I can take what I liked and continue to build on that, and work on correcting what I didn't like in the practice pen.

Brooke and Rodey Wilson are a dynamic husband and wife team of horse trainers and ropers. They have a reputation for training some of the nicest horses on the market for all levels of ropers. We got to talk more about their training program, what they look for in a horse, and much more. These two are horse people to the core and it shows in the horses they produce.

In this episode, I explain my strategy of when and where I feel are the best scenarios to break out those green horses and let them taste live action at the jackpots. Getting those little wins on a horse you are bringing along doesn't always mean getting to the pay window, but rather boosting that horse's confidence so when their time comes to step into the spotlight they are ready to do their job.

Tom Nelson is a businessman who has been involved in construction, water reclamation, and filtration and he is also a close friend of mine. His latest business venture is RainSaver Harvesting, an economical way to harvest and store rainwater from houses and other structures for use in numerous applications. One of their main objectives is to alleviate the issues surrounding the growing shortage of groundwater in Texas. You can find out more information on them by visiting rainsaverharvestingtx.com

Staying in the present and not letting the anxiety of what's about to happen break your concentration is something that I continually work on even in day-to-day tasks. Pressure comes with competing at any level but it's very important to be where your feet are, focus on what your job is at hand, and control the things you can control.

Rick Davis is a retired United States Air Force Colonel and a 9th-degree black belt in Goshen Jujitsu. He was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and a Special Operations Commander during the first Gulf War. We had a great conversation about the importance of being involved in a combat sport for a young man, the current political climate in our country, and how team roping imitates life in how a lot goes on in a short period of time. Rick is a great man and an American hero, it's an honor to have these types of conversations with someone with so much life experience and such strong moral values.

Who you surround yourself with ultimately affects your direction in life; the same applies to your progress in the arena. Don't underestimate the impact of having someone to break your roping down with, having that extra set of eyes can be a huge help when trying to perfect your run!

This week I have Tate Kirchenschlager on to talk about his success in the rope horse futurities and his process from when he gets a horse in to when he sends them on. He had some great insight for a young person wanting to get started in the business of training horses along with just some great horse knowledge that comes from lots of experience and Tate has had plenty of that. Not only is he a great trainer but he is also a NFR qualifier on the head side, this was a great conversation with a great cowboy!

No matter what level of competition you're at, setting goals is key to getting yourself out of your comfort zone and making yourself better. A big factor is who you are surrounding yourself with and how they can accelerate your push to achieve those goals. Even if a goal seems unattainable, the steps taken to reach it will inevitably make you a better competitor.