The answer is simple: they roped 24/7, nonstop, as fast as they could go, and they had the desire to win. Clay grew up with a stepfather who was an old school cowboy, riding broncs and bulldogging, and he was a good catcher. Rodeo was all Clay ever wanted to do and that hunger showed up every single day in the practice pen. That combination of relentless repetition and genuine desire is what separated them from everyone else.
Up Next in Roper Profile
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Jake & Clay: Fast Steers, Horse Manag...
Jake and Clay mix methodical runs with wide open ones, and both serve a purpose. Running steers as fast as they can go keeps you sharp and translates directly to the rodeos they are entered up at. Jake talks through his horses including a 12-year-old mare from Max Kuttler that serves as his secon...
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God’s Plan: Marriage and Rodeo
Life is about more than rodeo, but being married to a rodeo cowboy is no easy road. Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper have had completely different experiences with their marriages and their lives despite rodeoing side-by-side for decades, and this might be their most raw on-camera interview ev...
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Aging and Confidence with Jake and Clay
Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper still see themselves as the young guys they were back before they won their first gold buckles. How are they handling their aging and their roping, and how are they mentally handling their decreasing strength and increasing aches and pains?
