story by Lindsay King
Blayne Horne from McAlester, Oklahoma, is a header who turned into a heeler after he unexpectedly made junior high nationals while heeling in 2013. “I like heeling a lot better than heading. When I was younger it just clicked for me.” The 17-year-old bought a bunch of goats and started roping them as much as he could to get his timing down. This fall will be Blayne’s senior year and the first year he will be homeschooled through Epic Charter Schools. “I have been roping a lot more and trying to work and ride horses. Epic will allow me to stay home to ride colts and go to some rodeos.” Eddie, his dad, started riding colts when he was 17, which actually got him started in roping. Blayne helps his dad ride two to three colts a year, getting them a good start and then selling them. “I started last year when my dad bought a colt I really liked. I learned a lot from him so I decided to start riding more colts and learn all I can about them.” He ropes off eight-year-old JJ and his backup horse is five-year-old Mickey. The youngest of four sisters, Blayne is about the only one of the five siblings who has pursued rodeo fully. “My sister Kami team roped when she was about 14 but quit after awhile and is married and all that now.”
His dad runs a car dealership, Horne’s Motor Company, from their home and Rhonda, his mom, is a school teacher at Indianola Public Schools. “My dad still ropes a little bit and sometimes I can get him to go with me to rope.” His dad has been a big factor in getting Blayne started and moving forward in team roping. “I was probably five when I first started learning how to rope and ride from my parents. I started heading for my dad when I was about ten.” His first horse helped boost his confidence and got him going on the heeling side. “Team roping was just something I was always around when I was younger, I used to go with my dad all the time. I enjoyed it more than anything else.” At 12 years old he went to his first rodeo, OYRA, where he team roped. At 15 Blayne tried his hand at ribbon roping and chute dogging. “It was just not my thing. Team roping is about all I want to do.” During the summer, Blayne is mostly riding, roping and going to rodeos. One of his friends has younger horses that he brings over for Blayne to ride for him. “Another friend comes over and he heads for me quite a bit. We practice and I help him with his roping.” Blayne’s partner in the OHSRA is Blake Adams. “I think OHSRA helps you get prepared for college and pro rodeos. It helps you get the right mindset because they can be pretty tough sometimes.” His future plans including possibly attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University to get an equine chiropractic degree while rodeoing for the team. “After college I want to see where my roping can take me. I plan to go down the rodeo road for awhile.” Blayne aspires to rodeo professionally and make the NFR one day.
In the mean time, Blayne is learning how to golf. “Every time my friends and I go to a rodeo in Woodward we end up at the golf course right next to the arena. Other than that, I do not do anything other than ride horses all day.” His role model is Clay O’Brian Cooper. “I like the way he acts inside and out of the arena. He does not do some of the ‘showy’ things other guys do.” When Blayne gets in the box he blocks everything out except his favorite quote: “losers worry about winners, winners worry about winning.” His best advice for aspiring ropers is to never let it get to your heart when you lose.
