Practice without intention is like driving without a destination. In this video brought to you by Professional’s Choice, Patrick Smith and Tanner Tomlinson share how they use their practice sessions to achieve specific goals. This practice was about preparing for the BFI’s long scores, big pen, and fast steers. Tanner focused on setting up a good run for Patrick, while Patrick concentrated on his spacing and getting back to the basics.

Tanner Tomlinson: “The biggest key to team roping is teamwork, so that’s what I’ve really been working on—setting the run up.”

Patrick Smith: “You’ll notice in these runs today, the main thing that I’m working on in getting ready for a big roping is my spacing. … I think we can all agree that we rope better when we can see what we’re trying to rope.”

About Patrick Smith:

Patrick Smith is a two-time team roping world champion heeler and 12-time NFR qualifier. Smith has deep ties in West Texas’s oilfield business, meaning he understands as much as the everyday roper how critical it is to balance day-to-day life with time in the arena. His easy-to-understand teaching style will improve your roping at every level, from horsemanship basics to heeling fast. Smith also brings with him his DVD collection, including Driven, Driven 2.0 and Legend, streaming exclusively on Roping.com. 

About Tanner Tomlinson:

In 2020, the Angleton, Texas, header was crowned the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Rookie of the Year and finished out the season in the top 40 of the PRCA world standings. In 2021, he joined up with two-time world champion heeler Patrick Smith and finished out the year ranked 30th. In 2022, Tomlinson and Smith finished as the average champions at the NFR and overall reserve champions.