Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo is ground-breaking in its use of a stoplight start and head-to-head format in the team roping and across the timed events. Last year, Luke Brown and Jade Corkill were part of the winning Team Free Riders, so we tapped Brown to give his take on how to score in this wild setup.
The stoplight start at the Kid Rock N Rodeo? It’s chaos. It’s like drag racing—literally. A light turns green, and you better be gone. First time I saw it, I thought, “Well, this is going to be interesting.”
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The Secret?
Don’t panic. Which is way easier said than done. The buzzer starts beeping, the lights are flashing, music’s blaring—Libby had it all playing at the house while we practiced, and it still got to me. That last five seconds of the 30-second countdown? That’s when it gets real. Your nerves want to go, but you’ve got to sit still and read the sounds.
The Practice
I didn’t nod during practice. We’d just open the gate when the buzzer hit. The before the Kid Rock N Rodeo, Lacy found the audio on Facebook. We saddled up—me, Lacy, Libby, my nephew Carson, my dad. Libby ran the buzzer off her phone, Lacy filmed, Dad opened the chute, and Carson heeled. It was a full-on circus. We laughed for an hour before we ever got serious. But once we did, we got about a dozen good runs in and figured out the rhythm.
The Horsepower
Here’s the other key: have a horse that’s solid in the box. One that doesn’t feed off your nerves. My horse leaves sharp and doesn’t second-guess me, which is what you need when you’re trying to time a dang drag racing light. And don’t try to be perfect—you can anticipate it a little. The barrier eye is out in front a bit, so you’ve got a little grace. But you can be too good.
Just stay cool, trust your horse and wing it at the last second.
