Clay Smith grew up doing almost everything from horseback. His father, Mark Smith, has been breaking and training horses since high school, when he also got his first infectious taste of roping. It would only be natural that Clay and his brothers would take to roping. According to Clay, “Roping has taught us a strong work ethic, the ability to absolutely focus, and responsibility, not only for keeping ourselves fit and healthy, but especially the horses which are an integral part of our lives.”

Clay started roping at two years of age by roping dummies (practice apparatus) of all sizes and types around the ranch and has been roping from horses since age four. Aside from devoting lots of time to practice, part of Clay’s success at roping can be attributed to his exceptional riding skills developed at an early age.
Clay’s early success was with competitive Dummy Roping where he competed at all levels, the most prestigious being the World Championships at the National Finals Rodeo. In 1998, after seven-year-old Clay won the World Championship Dummy Roping at the National Finals Rodeo and brother Jake placed high, they were invited to appear on The Tonight Show with host Jay Leno. Their appearance with Jay Leno was instrumental in promoting the sport of roping.
As an amateur, Clay and Jake finished fourth in team roping at the 2010 National High School Rodeo Finals. After Clay and Jake won a prestigious roping, the Wildfire Natl. Championship, with a payout of $100,000, the brothers took separate paths with Clay hitting the road with a different partner, qualifying for the NFR in Las Vegas his first year out. Clay has proven to be a tough competitor.
In 2018, Clay won his first team roping heading world championship at the Wrangler NFR with partner Paul Eaves. He repeated the feat the following year (2019) with Jade Corkill and finished with a first place world ranking and sixth place Wrangler NFR standing. In 2017, Clay and partner Paul Eaves finished fifth in world standings and ninth at the Wrangler NFR. He was ranked second at the Wrangler NFR and finished fifth in world standings in 2016, again with Paul Eaves. In 2015, with Paul Eaves, Clay finished thirteenth in world standings and eleventh at his first Wrangler NFR appearance. His PRCA career earnings exceed $1.2 million.

Clay and his wife Taylor have two children make their home at Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Clay has done a great job of representing the ADM Animal Nutrition® Forage First^® equine nutrition program for many years, and we look forward to many more.

For more information on Clay’s winnings:

https://www.prorodeo.com/prorodeo/cowboys/cowboy-biographies?id=1010

The name “Lynn McKenzie” has been prominent in barrel racing since September of 1977 when she and her great horse Magnolia Missile swept the Texas Barrel Racing Association Futurity, winning every go round. In 1978, in her rookie season in the WPRA, she won the title of World Champion Barrel Racer. In 1979 and 1980, she was the Reserve World Champion Barrel Racer, winning the average at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) both years. Winning the 1979 NFR, she placed in EVERY go round, WINNING an unprecedented 6 of 10 rounds. She again won the World Champion title in 1981.

In 1983 Lynn quit competing in order to be home with her two daughters. She was able to maintain contact with barrel racing by training horses and conducting clinics. Both of her daughters grew up barrel racing and both won the AQHA World Championship in Senior Barrels. Ironically both of them won it at the age of 13. She currently conducts state of the art barrel racing clinics using a unique timing system that breaks down the patterns into seven segments.

Lynn and Murray were quick to see the advantages of Forage First^® for the sport of barrel racing. They started feeding the program in 2004 and have recommended it ever since. They attended the Equine Nutrition in the 21st Century Seminar for veterinarians at Texas A&M University in January 2006 in order to be better spokespersons for the concept.

Lynn has written articles that have appeared in nearly every horse publication that appeals to barrel racing including Barrel Racer News, Barrel Horse News, Turn Magazine, Horse & Rider, Horse Illustrated and Quarter Horse News. She and Murray also publish a bimonthly DVD Magazine called The Practice Pen. Owning their own video production company gives the McKenzies a heads up advantage and allows them to provide invaluable information to their subscribers at a very affordable cost. All those years of filming barrel races and clinics has given Murray the equipment and technical ability to undertake and produce this project. Combined with Lynn's unsurpassed ability to develop, design and teach barrel racing techniques and products makes this project sure to be a success. Information about Forage First feeding programs will now be added to the training and equipment information already offered on The Practice Pen.

www.lmbarrelracing.com

Growing up in North Texas, being a cowboy has always been second nature to Hunter Cure as he was surrounded with large cattle operations and multiple family interests which included a breeding operation, halter, performance and cutting horses. Before finding his niche with steer wrestling, Hunter competed in calf roping and bull riding. At age 14, Hunter began steer wrestling with success in the high school ranks which led to a college rodeo scholarship. He qualified to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo for three years and in 2004 won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association champion steer wrestling event. He began his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rookie year in 2006 and in May of that year graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in Agricultural Economics. Hunter and wife Bristi have two children and make their home in north Texas.

Along with competitive steer wrestling, Hunter runs wheat pasture cattle seasonally, helps with the family’s cow/calf operation and started a stock contracting business providing steer wrestling cattle to some of the largest winter stock shows including Austin, San Antonio, Ft. Worth and San Antonio. He is also a certified personal property appraiser. Hunter spends countless hours in the practice pen to keep his competitive edge and also trains horses. When not on the road and in pursuit of winning events, Cure enjoys working on the interior of horse trailers.

Hunter qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2009, and in the same year won four out of the six rounds at his first Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) and has since qualified for the CFR numerous times. 2013 proved to be an outstanding season as Hunter finished the CFR finals as reserve champion and won his first world Wrangler NFR championship. A back injury kept Hunter out of the arena for most of 2014, but he came back in 2015 with a vengeance winning his second NFR championship and was co-champion at the Wichita Falls (Texas) PRCA Rodeo. Cure did not compete in 2016, but a year off did not deter his ability to win. He ended 2019 in 8th place in the Wrangler NFR standings and in 10th place in the world standings. His career earnings exceed $1 million.

Since Hunter’s family has used MoorMan’s^®/ADM Animal Nutrition^® products, he has been familiar with them his entire life. Hunter has always associated quality with the MoorMan’s and ADM name and is proud to represent Forage First® as an ambassador, as he is well aware of the connection between extremely healthy horses and the very best nutrition program.

For more information on Hunter’s career winnings:

https://www.prorodeo.com/prorodeo/cowboys/cowboy-biographies?id=1172

http://huntercure.com/hunter-cure/

Steer wrestling is a young man’s sport, but Matt Reeves has defied that stereotype. While most rodeo athletes are younger, this hasn’t deterred Matt’s competitiveness and his willingness to mentor fellow steer wrestlers. He has been described as “the hardest working person I know” by a fellow steer wrestler. Matt speaking on his success . . . “This isn’t something I grew up in. It’s not something anyone thought was going to happen. It was probably sheer stubbornness, not determination, just flat stubbornness.” Growing up, Matt’s first rodeo experiences were with his father, a tie-down roper. The sport of steer wrestling called to him, and, in 2005, he won the Texas Cowboys Rodeo Association amateur steer wrestling title. Since starting his pro career in 2007 he has qualified seven times to compete in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In his first year as a pro, Reeves finished 13th in the world standing. In 2010, he finished 8th; 2012, 14th; 2013, 2nd; and in 2019, he finished in 6th place and also won the Wrangler NFR steer wrestling title. In 2020, while riding his beloved horse Rattle, Reeves won RFD-TV’s The American and took home $100,000.

The Reeves family and extended steer wrestling family were dealt a devastating loss when Matt’s horse Rattle succumbed suddenly of a ruptured stomach in April 2020. The Reeves’ bought Rattle in 2016 as a four-year-old and started competing with her in 2018. She not only helped Matt win, but he graciously lent out Rattle to other steer wrestlers. Rattle was a superstar equine athlete. She was named 2019 Steer Wrestler Horse of the Year presented by the American Quarter Horse Association. In the 2020 PRCA season, Rattle won money in every rodeo in which she competed, both with Reeves and other competitors. Matt speaking of Rattle, “It may hurt every day. The good and wonder she brought to my family and others will live on.”

Matt is a supporter of ADM Animal Nutrition^® equine nutritional products. He states, “Old and young horses love their ADM Animal Nutrition horse feed . . . great feed and support team.”

Reeves graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Animal Science. Matt and wife Savanah, a former barrel racer, have two sons. When not on the road Matt enjoys riding colts and hunting. His life as a steer wrestler has been documented in a video “Life by the Horns,” which can be viewed on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmCaHQfVc78).

For more information on Matt’s career winnings:
https://www.prorodeo.com/bio/contestant/matt-reeves/18718

Since competing in his first roping event at age nine, roping has become an obsession for Wesley Thorp. In 2014, Thorp joined the PRCA, and in a short time he has risen to become a fierce competitor as a heeler in team roping. Thorp won the title of World Champion Team Roper Heeler at his fourth NFR appearance in 2019. 2016 marked his first year to compete in the Wrangler NFR where he ranked seventh and finished ninth in world standings. That same year, Wesley and teammate Cole Wheeler won the College National Finals Rodeo team roping title. The next year, Wesley placed 14th at the NFR and also achieved the same rank in world standings. In 2018, he jumped to fourth in the average at the NFR and finished fifth in world standing. In 2019, not only did Thorp win the world champion NFR heeler, he also finished first in world standings.

Thorp relies on ADM Animal Nutrition^® horse feed to keep his horses’ diets consistent on the road, and he trusts ADM Animal Nutrition’s POWERGLO^® to give his horses the power they need to help keep them fueled for the win. According to Wesley, “ADM helps me do what’s right for my horse. I recommend ADM Animal Nutrition and feeds to anyone who wants their horse to look and feel their best.”

Wesley attended Ranger College in Stephenville, Texas, where he competed in college rodeo. Thorp and wife Susanna have two sons.

For more information on Wesley’s career winnings:
https://www.prorodeo.com/bio/contestant/wesley-thorp/73008