In his third year as a professional header, Hobbs, New Mexico native Korbin Rice looks to be headed to his first NFR. In 2024, Rice finished second only to Tyler Tryan in the Resistol Header of the Year race. Now 24, Rice had a breakthrough win with Cooper Freeman worth $70,750 a man at RodeoHouston in March that shot them straight to the top of the world standings.
Q: What was team roping life like growing up in Hobbs?
A: There weren’t a ton of jackpots, so we went to Stephenville and Amarillo for that. But we got to rope a lot.
Q: Are you from a roping family?
A: Yes. I grew up with a brother who’s two years older than me, Jabin. I played sports—football and basketball—until eighth grade. Starting in high school, we roped calves and team roped all the time.
Q: Who taught you how to rope?
A: My dad (Travis), for the most part. We went to some roping schools here and there. But the majority of the time it was me, my dad and my brother. Dad switched ends, and my brother and I did, too. I started taking heading more seriously my sophomore year in high school.
Q: When did you know you wanted to rope for a living?
A: I had the hopes and dreams of doing it from when I was pretty young. It’s not a new thing by any means.
Q: Which header did you grow up looking up to most?
A: I watched Clay Tryan a lot. I liked the way his horses were, and just always enjoyed watching him. He was an intense guy, for sure, and it seemed like he always won.
Q: Who did you rope with your rookie year, and what did you learn that season that really comes in handy now?
A: I roped with Caleb Hendricks in 2024 and learned a lot. The biggest learning curve for me was figuring out what kind of horses you need in different situations. Being out there and seeing all the different setups was all new to me. Where to have the right horses at the right time has been the biggest thing.
Q: How long have you roped with Cooper, and how was this New Mexico-Missouri match made?
A: Cooper and I started roping together in January of 2025, so this is our second year. We’d roped in college one year when we were both going to Cisco (Texas) College, and knew each other from jackpotting before that.
Q: Take us back to Houston. What still stands out about the win of your young career?
A: More than anything, having that much money won that early in the year, and just being able to relax a little bit and not have to worry about having a certain amount of money won by Reno. The best thing about it is not having to try to force things. We can just go make runs and not have to try to push so hard every run.
Q: Was it a life-changing win for you?
A: Yes, and a career-changing win. Winning Houston definitely started the year off right.
Q: Did winning Houston change the plan for 2026?
A: No. We’d talked about it before this year started, and agreed to do whatever we could do to get into the yellow building at the end of the year. We were going to rodeo as hard as we could and see where we ended up. That’s still our plan.
Q: Do you guys have a buddy team you’re traveling with?
A: No. We took two rigs to California this spring, because we took lots of horses. And we’ll take two rigs out there this summer, but will hop in and go together a lot.
Q: Tell us about your main mount.
A: Papa Rock (LJ Jumpin Jack Flash) is a 12-year-old blaze-faced sorrel. He’s the horse I won Houston on, and I like that I can count on him scoring and running. He scores and pins his ears, and doesn’t ever take a throw away from me. Papa Rock came from Chad Masters, and I trust him everywhere, from trying to be 3 to Salinas.
Q: How deep are you in horsepower?
A: I’m in a good spot. You’re always looking for another horse. I keep my eye out all the time, but I’m not panicking. I’ll probably stay on the sorrel for the most part, but I have two other horses I’d feel confident to ride this summer. I like where I’m at.
Q: In a word, describe your roping style.
A: I think I’m a consistent roper. I’m not a bomber. I try to get out of the barrier and turn a lot of steers. That keeps the confidence up on the team, and I think a guy can build on that.
Q: Which aspects of heading do you work on the most?
A: Horsemanship, staying consistent and trying to catch every time. I do practice going fast a fair bit, but you can stay consistent and catch a lot of steers. And that keeps your horses better.
Q: What did you consider your career highlight before Houston?
A: I won the open at the World Series Finale in Vegas with Jake Edwards in 2024 (for $55,750 a man), and that was a really cool win. That saddle and the Houston saddle are in my house, and those two wins are pretty special to me.
Q: Talk about your team with Cooper, and what makes you two click.
A: We’re both super laid back, and have literally never had a cross word. We know we’re both trying as hard as we can. It’s just been really good the last two years. We have a good friendship.
Q: Do you guys plan to get to all 80 rodeos team ropers are allowed to count in 2026?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you have a team roping advisor you lean on?
A: I’ve spent a lot of time at Chad’s place in Lipan (Texas) the last few years. I worked for him a year or two, then started rodeoing. He’s been great to me. We live about four miles apart, so I go rope at his house about every day I’m home.
Q:Do you daydream about Vegas?
A: Absolutely. 100%. How can you not?
—TRJ—