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 Horse of the Year.

On this episode of The Short Score, Long talks about Copper’s traits that make him a Horse-of-the-Year-type of horse, several of those reminding him of Colonel. But for Long, what makes Copper special goes beyond his ability in the arena. He’s a horse that wants attention, wants to be his buddy and, as Long puts it, “tries his hardest every single time.”

Long also reflects on the horse that helped build his career. After winning his first gold buckle aboard Copper, Long went home to Oklahoma to see Colonel, hugged the retired Horse of the Year and told him, “We got one.” Now, with Copper adding that same title to his résumé, Long has found another one he plans to keep for life.

___

This episode is brought to you by SmartEquine and ColiCare—an innovative approach to hindgut health and colic prevention. Designed with research-backed ingredients and a unique support program, when your horse is counting on you, you can count on ColiCare.

ColiCare combines targeted digestive support with a program designed to help you stay ahead of potential issues—not just react to them. It’s built on research, formulated to support a healthy gut environment, and backed by a unique benefit: eligible horses enrolled in the program may receive up to $15,000 in colic surgery reimbursement.

Whether you’re hauling, training hard, or just managing day-to-day stressors, your horse’s digestive system is constantly under pressure. ColiCare is designed to help you manage those risks with confidence.

Visit SmartEquine.com to learn more about how ColiCare can support your horse’s long-term health.

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 horses carried a little extra meaning into the Lazy E: Royal Underdog came through Lovell’s own breeding program, while Arnold’s Sugar Boom Boom was raised by his longtime friend Justin Henson.

On this episode of The Score, Lovell talks about watching his breeding program come full circle and what it means to remember these horses from the day they were born. He also dives into the influence Metallic Payday has had on his program, what he looks for in a stallion and why great-minded horses with the ability to rise to the occasion have shaped the standard he tries to reproduce.

Arnold explains how Sugar Boom Boom came through Henson’s program before landing in his hands as a young horse, eventually becoming a horse he used every day and developed into the winner he rode at the Riata. He and Lovell also talk about their partnership at home, the importance of practicing against people who push you and the confidence that comes from knowing each man will handle his side of the run.

For Lovell, that trust showed up in the high call. Arnold said his only concern was doing his own job because he knew Lovell would give him the shot. Lovell echoed the same confidence from the other side: “If I do my job, Ty completes the course.”

The two East Texas cowboys break down the horses, the partnership and the years of breeding, training and preparation behind a Riata win that was anything but overnight.

---

This episode is brought to you by SmartEquine and ColiCare—an innovative approach to hindgut health and colic prevention. Designed with research-backed ingredients and a unique support program, when your horse is counting on you, you can count on ColiCare.

ColiCare combines targeted digestive support with a program designed to help you stay ahead of potential issues—not just react to them. It’s built on research, formulated to support a healthy gut environment, and backed by a unique benefit: eligible horses enrolled in the program may receive up to $15,000 in colic surgery reimbursement.

Whether you’re hauling, training hard, or just managing day-to-day stressors, your horse’s digestive system is constantly under pressure. ColiCare is designed to help you manage those risks with confidence.

Visit SmartEquine.com to learn more about how ColiCare can support your horse’s long-term health.

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 breaks down what makes A Relentless Buzz so solid, from the box and plenty of run to the smooth way the big horse handles himself. The gelding has become one Brazile takes to the jackpots, too, because there simply is not much about him that is easy to fault.

Brazile also talks through why the lighter cattle and setup at the Texas Best Futurity offered a valuable test ahead of the bigger fall shows. For young horses, he said, every trip to town is another chance to add pressure, see where anxiety may show up and make sure they are ready for the rest of the year.

___

This episode is brought to you by Cactus Saddlery.

Cactus Saddlery is proud to be the official saddle of the PRCA, NIRA, and World Series of Team Roping. All of their products are handcrafted right here in the USA. They believe that creating amazing products starts by using the highest quality materials.

Cactus Saddlery provides premium saddles, tack, and equine accessories that are designed, developed, and ridden by some of the world's top endorsees. Fit, quality, looks, and personalized customer service are their expectation.

Cactus Saddlery offers a full line of equine products to satisfy everyone from pleasure riders to professional competitors.

Ride the choice of champions, ride Cactus Saddles.

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 NFR. Flash forward and her career did end up revolving around a rope—it just took a route she never expected.

On this episode of The Score, Bushnell chats with host Calli Montague about moving from college rodeo into the marketing world, working with brands including Cactus Ropes and turning a trick-roping talent she learned as a kid into the recognizable Chelsey Trick Ropes social presence. What began with hours spent roping the dummy eventually grew into brand collaborations, her own trick rope and another way to make a living in the industry she grew up loving.

Bushnell also explains why the trick roping has always been about more than entertaining people. At its core, she wants it to help ropers—especially kids—learn to handle a rope better and become more capable when a run does not go perfectly. As she puts it, the better somebody can handle a rope, the better they can rope in general.

As part of Women in Rodeo Month, Bushnell also reflects on the opportunities available to women today, the importance of faith, character and integrity, and her desire to use her platform to help and encourage the people around her. She may not have followed the exact path she imagined as a girl, but the rope has remained at the center of nearly every chapter.

___

This episode is brought to you by Mane 'N Tail

Mane 'N Tail Ultimate Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner delivers champion shine with the pH balance formula powered by protein, coconut, and avocado oils. It deep cleans sweat, dirt, and sand while moisturizing to prevent breakage. Saddle safe and performance proven. It leaves every coat, Mane 'N Tail with an arena ready high gloss finish.

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 Puyallup, Washington, with Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, Arviso and Lord join The Score to break down the runs that earned them $14,858 apiece, including the 4.1-second run that tied for the Finals win.

Arviso and Lord also talk about why the Puyallup win mattered after a slower stretch late in the summer, how they’ve learned to manage rodeo formats without forcing fast runs, why their styles fit so well together and how their partnership clicked so quickly after coming together earlier this summer.

Plus, Arviso reflects on how much has changed since his rookie season, while Lord talks about handling partner changes, the amount of money still available late in the ProRodeo season and the mindset that has helped him find success behind different headers throughout his career.

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 where the added money comes from (a cut of every 2026 breeding fee), what makes a horse eligible (one paid contract to a nominated stallion equals one entry, any sire), and how the 40/60 payout works: every entry runs for the 40 percent contract pot, offspring of Solo Select stallions that make the short round draw the 60 percent sire pot, and unclaimed sire-pot money rolls back to contract holders. She also makes the case for the clean-slate finals, the $50,000-added Intermediate on each end, and the long-term goal of the whole program: making yearlings, 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds worth more money.

The second half gets into managing junior stallions — setting Third Edge's fee, why hype doesn't matter if the babies don't win, and why Solo Select breeds its own mares to its young horses — plus the cutting, cow horse and $100,000 recipient mare incentives.

Entries close Sept. 28. Enter through ARHFA. Breeding questions: Solo Select stallion office, (903) 436-6615.

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 among headers and Wyatt Cox sitting 15th among heelers. The episode also looks at which teams have invites to the remaining big-money opportunities—and which will have to fight to Las Vegas the long way.

The Cinch Playoffs field for Puyallup, Washington, is set for Sept. 10-13, but the Playoff Series race is not over. Puyallup’s top four will advance directly to the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, while eight more teams will qualify through the Playoff Series points standings before the Sept. 21 cutoff. Outside of the Playoffs, there are numerous key stops on the ProRodeo trail for teams to have chances to make up ground, hold their spot in line, or extend their lead over the teams behind them.

And the season could literally come down to the final steer on the final day. On Sept. 30, 377 Arena in Stephenville, Texas, will host a standalone PRCA-approved four-header with $75,000 added. There is potentially for a team that wins enough throughout the day to have a chance at money that could punch their ticket to the Finals.

---

This episode is brought to you by SmartEquine and ColiCare—an innovative approach to hindgut health and colic prevention. Designed with research-backed ingredients and a unique support program, when your horse is counting on you, you can count on ColiCare.

ColiCare combines targeted digestive support with a program designed to help you stay ahead of potential issues—not just react to them. It’s built on research, formulated to support a healthy gut environment, and backed by a unique benefit: eligible horses enrolled in the program may receive up to $15,000 in colic surgery reimbursement.

Whether you’re hauling, training hard, or just managing day-to-day stressors, your horse’s digestive system is constantly under pressure. ColiCare is designed to help you manage those risks with confidence.

Visit SmartEquine.com to learn more about how ColiCare can support your horse’s long-term health.

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 today’s market following the latest Levelland sale, where the top 25 horses averaged $33,500. He talks about the depth of good horses available today, what buyers are willing to spend and why futurity eligibility and incentive programs are becoming increasingly important in determining a horse’s value.

But the conversation goes well beyond horse prices. Friskup digs into the bigger question of how team roping continues to grow—from rebuilding the local jackpot and creating affordable entry points to educating ropers about incentives and making the sport more welcoming for newcomers and young ropers. Friskup believes team roping has plenty of momentum, but keeping it requires giving new people a place to start.

Friskup also talks about the evolution of the rope horse itself, the rise of the futurity market and the responsibility producers, sellers and longtime ropers have to keep promoting the sport that has supported so many of them. What began as a conversation about what horses are bringing this fall turns into a wide-ranging look at where team roping has been—and where it needs to go next.

---

This episode is brought to you by SmartEquine and ColiCare—an innovative approach to hindgut health and colic prevention. Designed with research-backed ingredients and a unique support program, when your horse is counting on you, you can count on ColiCare.

ColiCare combines targeted digestive support with a program designed to help you stay ahead of potential issues—not just react to them. It’s built on research, formulated to support a healthy gut environment, and backed by a unique benefit: eligible horses enrolled in the program may receive up to $15,000 in colic surgery reimbursement.

Whether you’re hauling, training hard, or just managing day-to-day stressors, your horse’s digestive system is constantly under pressure. ColiCare is designed to help you manage those risks with confidence.

Visit SmartEquine.com to learn more about how ColiCare can support your horse’s long-term health.