Proctor Wins Amarillo with Saebens After Break from Rodeo Trail
Proctor and Saebens win $3,384 a man in Amarillo.

Pryor, Oklahoma’s Coleman Proctor won the Amarillo (Texas) Tri-State Fair & Rodeo with partner Billie Jack Saebens after turning in a time of 4.1-seconds to give each man $3,384. Proctor took some time off to head back home to be with his wife Stephanie and get set up for when their baby girl comes this fall. Now, as he hits some last minute rodeos currently sitting in the top 10 of the PRCA world standings, Proctor prepares for another trip to the Thomas & Mack come December.

Kaitlin Gustave: You and Billie Jack won the Amarillo Tri-State Fair & Rodeo. Can you tell me about that run?

Coleman Proctor: It was our first one back together for a little bit. I was supposed to go last week but had some personal stuff come up that I couldn’t make it. I was pretty excited to get back on the road and go chase one with him—like on our own horses and stuff. We flew to Gallup (N.M.) and San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) so we were on borrowed horses. I got a pretty good start and I took an extra one at the barrier because the rope kinda grabbed my leg and I usually don’t throw very fast. I took my normal deal and took an extra swing. There were people that dang sure spun them faster than me but when he hit Billie wiped him out really fast and I didn’t feel like we were that fast. But I guess when you make really fast runs that’s usually how it is.

KG: You went home not too long ago. How has being back home with the family been?

CP: It’s been good. We’re acquired some new land over there on the ranch so we’ve been getting it fenced off and now I’m on to fixing the baby’s room. I kind of had it lined out on the baby room and then my wife decided that she wanted a different room of the house so now it’s been swapping everything around.

KG: Have you been roping a lot?

CP: I’ve been practicing every day. A buddy of mine that I roped with back home, Justin Fox, he’s been staying at the house. We’ve been working a lot every day and roping every night— it’s been good. It’s been a lot of fun and getting a lot done and been getting to practice a lot so that parts been really fun. I’ve enjoyed being home this fall. First time in about 10 years that I haven’t been out there rodeoing—it’s fun getting to go around the house and circuit rodeo and ProRodeo that I haven’t been to in a long time—it’s a lot of fun.

KG: When will you start preparing for the NFR?

CP: Well, since I’ve been home practicing I usually run a few at the end. Mainly in November, we get through the US Finals and stuff. I asked Speed in the first years I made it and I said, ‘So when do you start running steers?’ and he said, ‘Every day.’ I mean, we have to get ready for the US Open but I have practice horses that I can practice going fast and leaving behind the gates. I’ll incorporate that into a lot of my practices that I have from here on out. We build the pen and set it all up come November.

KG: Will you and Billie Jack get to practice together before the Finals?

CP: Oh yeah, like last year we roped together every day. Either I went to his house or we went to the River Bend Arena. They have a wonder facility set up and they really cater to us. This year I have my arena built up at my house—we rope together every day getting ready for the finals and stuff.

KG: What horses do you plan on taking?

CP: You know, that’s a good question. The old roan horse that I’ve rode for so many years, his suspensory ligaments aren’t going to hold so he’s been turned out and officially retired. He’s always been kind of like my little safety net. I’ve never panicked about not having a horse because I knew I could get on him. I have three in mind. The little bay horse I rode in 2015, I rode him in the first four rounds. He’s a little horse I call Heisman because Oklahoma hasn’t had one of those in a long time—a Heisman Trophy winner–that’s always kind of the joke. Then the horse I had out there called Switchblade that I named after the great heel horse Switchblade because he was supposed to be a heel horse and I was supposed to be a heeler but now were both headers. Or I have a horse that I call Vegas. He’s the one I rode at Amarillo (Texas). I rode him a lot this year and relied on him more. I rode him at the Champion Challenges out West, and I’ve rode him at home at circuit rodeos so I’ve put a lot of thought into taking him.

KG: Are entered anywhere this coming weekend?

CP: We are entered in the Champions Challenge at Sioux Falls, South Dakota and then the Indian Rodeo at Durant, Okla., if I can get back. 

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