In rodeo, some things never seem to change. The dominance of two horses, in particular, is becoming a constant in the team roping.

For the fourth time, Travis Tryan’s Walt was named top PRCA/AQHA Head Horse and Randon Adams’s Diesel took the honor on the heel side.

Walt earned the honor in spite of-or perhaps because of-an exceptionally difficult year. After jumping out to a top-five world standings season, including winning the Reno Rodeo, Walt colicked and nearly died in Nampa, Idaho (see September SWR).

After laying off for just over six weeks, Tryan brought the horse back at the Justin Boots Playoffs in Puyallup, Wash., and again at the Justin Boots Championships in Omaha where the horse worked as he always had.

“This one means just as much as the other three,” Tryan said of the 19-year-old. “The stuff he had to go through and then to come back and work as good as he did was awesome.”

Diesel, who is just 11, tied Rich Skelton’s Roany for the most PRCA/AQHA Heel Horse Awards ever with this, his fourth. On the heading side, Walt’s fourth title puts him one behind Charles Pogue’s famous Scooter, who won five over his career.

Barrel racing phenom Fred, ridden by Mary Burger, won his second title after coming off a pulled suspensory ligament that cost him the latter half of 2007.

In the steer wrestling, Lee Graves’s Jessie also claimed his second title. Sid Miller’s Pearl took top honors in the tie-down roping, and Dan Fisher’s Woody won in the steer roping.