We asked Davis your questions as he and Cooper got ready to rope at Fort Worth. To join the discussion, head to facebook.com/spintowinrodeo.

Riley Curuchet: What is like to know that you have one of the all time greats heeling for you?
I guess I just have to worry about my job at this point. As long as I do a good job, I feel like I’m going to win. The guy is dang near flawless. Growing up, getting to watch him do as good as he did in his career, and now to get to rope with him, I can’t describe. Roping with him is outstanding. I feel that as long as I do my part, I’ll do well. On the flip side of that, he’s an amazing man to be around. He’s an amazing Christian guy. It’s unbelievable to hear his knowledge, and to get to learn about everything he’s been through and to learn from him. He’s been a friend for a long time. Now it’s just time to go win.

Sam Cable: What horses are you riding this year?
My best horse is Woody, he’s my number one. He’s a 15-year-old sorrel gelding. I bought him two years ago from Matt McKinney out of Arkansas. He was started by Johnny Phillips from Washington, Texas. He’s an outstanding horse. He’s really versatile in long and short setups. He’s really forgiving, he’s really fast and he finishes really well. My second-string horse is Cougar. He’s a 7-year-old sorrel, with a flaxen mane and tail. I bought him two years ago, and I started him. Last summer when I left, my dad started riding him at the house, and he rode him all summer. When I got home from the rodeos at the end of the summer, I couldn’t believe how amazing he was. I’ve already taken him to a few jackpots and he’s done really well at those. I’m probably going to end up riding him at the Wildfire. He’s a pretty neat horse, as young as he is. My third string would be Jet. I rode him last summer. He’s a 12-year-old horse that I bought from Laura Coe. I bought him in March, and I rode him in a lot of different set ups. He’s easy to rope on and easy to handle. I’ve got some young ones coming up, but those are the three best.

J.w. Meech: What do you think was the biggest change you made coming up through the ranks to get the caliber your are now?
Learning to win. I’ve always been really good at jackpots, and if you’re good at jackpots you’re good at being consistent and catching. I’ve learned how to speed my game up and have more range. I rode one horse for so long, that kept me from expanding my roping ability. His name is Hammer, and I rode him for 11 years. He was such an outstanding horse that I was able to blow close every time and still compete at the professional level. I really started rodeoing a lot the last two years, and I retired Hammer. My biggest deal was getting Woody, and he was a big part of my style that I’ve changed in the last two years. He’s easier to reach on when I need to, so I’ve gotten more consistent at reaching, when the time calls for it.

Sara Garmon Price: What is the best advice you’ve received from a pro while coming up through the ranks?
I would say to try to be consistent. If you’re at the top level and you’re roping, then you probably rope really good anyways. You want to be fast, but you’ve got to have a good horse and be consistent. There are so many young guys trying to win first every time, but the guys that win the most are trying to be consistent. I would say Martin Lucero has been a mentor to me for a long time. We’re really good friends, and he’s taught me a lot about rodeo. I’ve got to rope with him over the last 10-12 years, and he rides my horse at the Finals every year. He’s been rodeoing on my sorrel for the last three years now. Luke Brown has been a big part of my success in the last couple years, and he’s really helped me be consistent and make my roping easier on myself. I kind of changed my style as I’ve roped around Luke, and he kind of helped me with having a little more range. I’ve buddied with them the last two years, and I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with them down the road.

Garrett Stewart: How does your roping game change knowing that Clay is behind you?
We’ve practiced a lot the last two weeks, and basically, if I can just score sharp, and consistently catch, as fast as the steer allows me to, if I can roll the steers around there, then he can keep them in stride, and he can heel them fast. I think that’s maybe why he wanted to rope with me. I have the horses to be able to do that. They’re fast and consistent with their scoring, and that definitely helps make it easier to heel. I heeled for a lot of years, and if I can make it easier on a heeler, then we can be more consistent and we can win a lot. The biggest deal with us is to go make smooth runs every time.