When J.D. Yates nodded his head in the finals of the AQHA World Show’s Senior Heading on Smooth As Catty, he wasn’t just chasing another title—he was chasing three years of belief, grit and patience that finally paid off in Yates’ 49th golden globe.
Riding the gelding owned by Phil and Sherri Tearney, Yates delivered a nearly picture-perfect run to clinch the 2025 Senior Heading World Championship with a 230, worth $25,536.84. But the story behind this win runs far deeper than the final score.
Full Results: AQHA World Show Senior Heading
Finding “The One”
The horse, a son of Real Smooth Cat, wasn’t bred for the team roping. In fact, when Yates first saw him in Arizona, Smooth As Catty was struggling to find his place.
“They tried to make a cow horse out of him, but he was too hot for it,” Yates recalled. “He’d never had a rope swung on him. But there was something about the way he looked—I don’t know what it was. I just liked him.”
Even after seeing him spook at a heeling dummy and hearing about his nerves, Yates took a gamble and brought the gelding home. What followed was a long, methodical process of turning raw potential into polished performance.
Yates reached out to longtime friend and supporter Phil Tearney when he saw the horse.
“I told him, ‘I think I might’ve bought a diamond in the rough—but he’s rough,’” Yates said with a grin. “And Phil said, ‘Well, I’m willing to gamble if you are.’ And he’s let me keep the horse for three years now. That kind of support means everything.”
A Long Road
The journey to the 2025 Senior Heading world title wasn’t straight. And it wasn’t quick. But that was part of the plan.
“I brought him here as a junior and won the prelims but missed in the finals,” Yates said. “Brought him back as a senior, finished second in the prelims, but he didn’t handle the box in the finals. I just had to score. But every time I roped on him, he got better.”
Yates didn’t shortcut the process. He didn’t panic when progress came slow. Instead, he roped a lot of steers at home. He branded on the horse. He took the gelding to the ranch and put him to work.
“I’m going to bet that horse has drug a thousand calves to the fire,” Yates said. “He’s just steady. Takes everything you throw at him. He never gave me a reason to give up on him.”
The Turning Point
Over time, Smooth As Catty turned a corner. He has consistently placed in AQHA competition, earning $10,249 before the World Show.
“He’ll score, he’ll run, and he’s so strong at the saddle horn,” Yates said. “There’s a lot of horsepower in there, but it took three years to bring it out.”
Despite some early-stage show-pen jitters, the gelding began to settle into his job. Yates stayed the course, giving him consistent reps, exposure and time.
“There was no magic day. It was every day,” he said. “He’d get better, then get nervous, then better again. It wasn’t a bloodline thing—it was just him. But I never hated him. He always showed me just enough to stay with it.”
A Family Affair
The win was emotional for reasons bigger than the buckle. Yates’ father and son, Dick and Trey, were both in Oklahoma City for the moment. Trey—who will rope at the 2025 NFR with Luke Brown after a multi-year hiatus from Las Vegas—was heeling for his dad, and just an hour later won his own AQHA world title in the senior heeling on Pablos Time.
“My poor sister’s at home keeping everything going, but having my dad and Trey here means everything,” Yates said. “We all support each other. We’re blessed.”
At 65, Yates still burns with the competitive fire of a man half his age—and the emotional investment of a lifetime in the sport. While some would have hung up their ropes long ago, Yates continues to train, compete and innovate.
“I probably should quit heeling,” he said with a laugh. “But I love this too much. And if I’m going to keep trying to play with guys half my age, I’ve got to keep working hard.”
What’s Next
The Senior Heading World Championship might not be the final chapter for Smooth As Catty.
“Phil’s been riding him in the amateur and doing well, but this horse has rodeo potential,” Yates said. “He’s going to be for sale now, and hopefully someone sees what I saw three years ago.”
Yates is the man who trained the two-time and reigning AQHA Head Horse of the Year, Mr Joes Shadow Bar, ridden by Clint Summers, and Yates thinks Smooth As Catty has some of that good stuff, too.
