Billie Jack Saebens picked up another 2025 Royal Crown title in Buckeye, Arizona, this time in the 4 & Under Heading on One Time Pick.
Saebens won the 4 & Under Heeling on Emojii, by Hashtags out of CR Tuff Lucinderella by Woody Be Tuff, Feb. 6, and followed it up with the 4 & Under Heading title the very next day on One Time Pick. Saebens and the 2021 gelding by One Time Honor out of Picks Petie by Sixes Pick pocketed $13,150 for their efforts Feb. 8, in the gelding’s first-ever outing. Saebens spent some time showing him the sights and the facility on Thursday and, ultimately, was pleased by his first performance away from home.
“He is really mature,” Saebens said of the gelding owned by Ryan Gronlie. “I don’t know how to explain it. His way of thinking throughout the run is very mature. I feel like he locks into the cow pretty good and I have a lot of control. But it’s the riding around, all the stuff but the roping, that was a lot. I brought him yesterday, and we rode him around all day and then got here early and rode him around. I feel like some of this stuff can leak into the run, so we spent a lot of time riding around and he really settled in.”
Saebens and One Time Pick were a 150.33 in the first round, followed by a 149.92 in Round 2. They pocketed $1,000 for second in the third round with a 150.57, and their 150.97 in the short round not only won the final round but also sealed the deal on the $10,350 average win with a 601.79 with the help of three-time NFR heeler Dakota Kirchenschlager. They also picked up $1,260 for sire One Time Honor’s owners and $540 for the breeders, both of which are the Flag Ranch.
Similar to in the 4 & Under Heeling, Saebens was focused on no mistakes and letting One Time Pick do his thing.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to gas that horse because he’s got a big motor and the first time I was just trying to win something but let him go at his own speed at the same time and make no mistakes,” Saebens, 32, said. “I missed the barrier quite a bit, but that’s one thing–that horse can run so much. I was just taking the start that I knew would get me out. The couple of steers were stronger and I missed the barrier quite a ways, but I was confident enough in the horse to just go ahead and miss the barrier, make no mistakes and see where we go.”
One Time Pick has been with Saebens since his 2-year-old year. Shane Boston of Southern Ranches bought the horse out of a Triangle Horse Sale and first sent him to Ty Benson who started him and rode him for roughly half a year. Now, he’s one of few head horses in Saeben’s program.
While Saebens may only have two or three head horses at a time, it’s a part of his program he’d like to grow as he enjoys it just as much as the heeling. And as a veteran and successful heeler with two NFR qualifications to his name, his background also gives him insight into traits a head horse needs to have to help out heelers.
“I understand what the saddle horn has to do once you take control of the steer’s head,” Saebens explained. “I think I got a pretty good feel for that. Then heading for Dakota, I understand his style of roping, and I’ve got a pretty good feel of when to pull the cow and that type of stuff. I think all that does help. More than anything, just good horsemanship is what it comes down to.”
Between his two Royal Crown champs, One Time Pick and 4 & Under Heeling champion Emojii, Saebens has a solid crop of 4-year-olds.
“After I quit rodeoing last year, I guess you’d say, that was kind of the first year I stayed at home a lot,” Saebens said. “I started getting the customers and getting more horses and stuff, and then the horses started phasing out. But my 3-year-olds this year are also really good. So, it’s all super exciting. It’s easy to get up and get to work, I know that.”
