Dear Roper,

As we were planning this issue, I heard one of the best guys in the world theorizing on retirement. He asked what I thought made guys with all the talent in the world step away from rodeo, go home, get a job or just “do something different.”

A long time ago in Spin To Win Rodeo, we used to write ‘retirement’ stories. But after countless “Just kidding, I’m not really retiring” re-writes, when guys decided to get back on the road after only a few months or few years at home, we gave that up. Even guys like Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper had been semi-retired before they made comebacks that looked a lot like world title runs. 

Regardless, at about this point in every rodeo season, I hear guys thinking they’re done with rodeo. Summer is long, fuel prices are high, money is tight and horses are hard to come by, and that grind wears on even the toughest-minded competitors. 

On page 64, I talk to some legends who walked away from rodeo, either for a season or a lifetime, to find out what pushed them to that point and what their backup plans were when rodeo wasn’t their main source of income. 

The conversations were so good, that I recorded them and made them into a podcast series for you—it’s over at “The Score” all summer, with bonus interviews, too, from guys not in this article.

The best part about this sport, however, is that every one of the guys I talked to still gets to play the team roping game—and for an even better ROI than when they were pounding the pavement all across North America. Most still make appearances at the jackpots like the Ariat World Series of Team Ropings and rope horse futurities, and they’re getting to be hands-on dads and husbands at the same time. 

Of course, the whole magazine is packed with more stories for anyone who swings a rope, so sit down and enjoy it, whether you’re heading to the Northwest next week or just enjoying the dog days of summer by the pool after the practice pen. 

Chelsea