Kaleb Driggers is on “The Short Score” explaining why he decided to quit drinking and how he feels it has helped him reach his long-time goal of winning a gold buckle.

This episode is brought to you by Farnam.

In October of 2020, coming fresh off not making the Finals, I didn’t feel like I was being the best me that I could be—short and sweet. I can have fun and party when I’m 50 years old and retired. I feel like I’ve been in my prime for about five years, but, at some point, time is going to catch up with you. You can’t rope forever. This has really been my dream and my goal, coming up so close. It’s all been tumble weeding. I just thought that I didn’t have to have [alcohol]; I don’t need it. That was one of my goals—to set it down—and it’s been awesome.

One day Walt Woodard told me, ‘I’ve never heard a successful guy say, man my career really took off when I started drinking.’ That kind of struck home with me. In the journey, that’s just one of the things that I’ve stayed consistent with.

At home is the hustle and the bustle. You’re roping and doing everything. You get to thinking about it and everyone lives in Stephenville, and everyone will go to a slide roping, and you think, ‘Man, a few beers won’t hurt.’ I was working hard, but I felt like I had a little more in me. That’s where I was like, ‘I need to be totally 100% committed.’

I feel great every day and I get out there and work hard every day—riding my colts, my horses and everything. I don’t really have anything bad to say about it. It wasn’t like I was out of control before. There are a lot of people that definitely party and drink and do everything 10 times more than what I did, but it felt like there was just a small part in there.