Daniel Green has won the Cinch Timed Event Championship three times, with his last win coming in 2013. Retired from full-time rodeo, the Timed Event is the only place to see Green showcase his all-around talent. The California native has been coming to the CTEC since 1995, only missing it once in 2006 when a family emergency kept him from competition.
What keeps you coming back?
Obviously my love for rodeo and competition. The fact that the Timed Event allows you to be recognized as a top-level athlete without having to go day-in and day-out and reprove it again and again like the guys on the road. Full-time rodeo takes too much away from my life, being gone from my family.
What horses will you bring to the Lazy E this year?
I have my head horse Sevens there, and I’ll just borrow the rest.
Who is helping you?
Cody Cowden. We grew up in the Central Valley here and have known each other all of our lives. We’ve either been roping with each other or against each other since we were kids.
What makes a good Cinch Timed Event Championship helper?
Somebody who is fundamentally sound and isn’t too much of a risk taker and can handle pressure.
Tell us about your worst wreck at the Cinch Timed Event Championship.
Jeez, I don’t know how much room you have for this. Let’s just say, I know why you don’t hang on to your slack in the steer roping—it doesn’t work. I roped a steer, and I didn’t get my trip on the right side. My horse wanted to go left, and I was trying to rein him back, and he didn’t rein back in. I had a hold of my slack still holding it, and it jerked me right off and the horse about jerked the steer on top of me. I just know that holding onto your slack doesn’t work. That was early on, somewhere in the 1990s. 1997-ish. A long time ago. I’ve gotten quite a bit better in the steer roping.
Maybe that makes guessing your worst event pretty easy?
The steer roping is the one I’ve done the least. I never did a complete steer roping run until 1995 at my first Timed Event. I’d always head, heeled, roped calves and steer wrestled. I didn’t know any steer ropers. I didn’t get to practice on the horse I borrowed. So I had never actually made a full steer roping run, just parts of one, before that first round. That’s not something I would advise anyone to go do.
What do you think about the Jr. Ironman that’s happening each day during the CTEC?
I think it’s awesome. They talked to me about it. I got to go do something like that in Arkansas and Oklahoma as a kid. It was a great experience and prepared me for the real thing. I thought they’d get interest in it for the sport. It’s an awesome deal for young kids to get a chance to compete at the Lazy E. Hopefully it lets kids dream a bit bigger about doing more than one event. Hopefully it will get kids interested in doing more than one event. Rodeo is such a specialist sport now, it’s awesome to emphasize kids who can do it all.
