November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Amateur Tie Down Roping

A homebred mare is key to the AQHA amateur tie-down roping title.

by Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Roy Neatherly threw his shoulder out of socket to win the amateur tie-down roping title at the 2012 AQHA World Championship Show.

That’s how badly he wanted it, and his homebred mare, Lenas Little Do It, took him to the top November 8.

“(The championship is) a whole lot better,” Roy said. “I always wanted to win in the tie-down. I’ve won reserve in the breakaway, and I wanted it in the tie-down. I knew she could give it to me if I could do my part, and she did.”

The reserve world championship was in 2008 on Docs Little Doit, the sire of Lenas Little Do It. The world champion mare is a 2003 product of the Cutters Poco Lena mare Yochums Poco Lena.

“She’s special,” Roy said. “My little boy’s riding her mama. I rode her daddy, and we raised her and trained, and we just – we love her. She’s cool.”

But it wasn’t easy getting to the winner’s circle. Last year, Roy and the mare were ninth in tie-down thanks to a missed loop. This year, things were different.

“The calf went bad to the left, and he just kept going, and I missed the same shot on her last year, but we didn’t (miss) this year,” he said. “I threw my shoulder out of socket, but we got her going again. It’s all right. I didn’t think I won it. I knew she worked good, but I didn’t think I showed her that good, but it worked.

“I throw it out all the time,” he added. “It’ll go right back in.”

To qualify for the World Show this year, Roy hauled his sorrel filly to some of the bigger shows, placing second in amateur tie-down roping at the Redbud Spectacular, among others.

“It makes all the difference in the world that I trained her and I raised her and we done it,” he said. “I had her mama, and I showed her mama a little bit. And I showed her dad, and I thought, you know, let’s just cross them and see how it works. And it worked really good.”

Roy has repeated the breeding, and he and his wife, Keva, have a full brother to the filly at home in Klondike, Texas, that they’re proud of.

“There were some people that helped me along the way,” Roy said. “I’ve got a good friend in Whitewright, an older guy that taught me how to do this, and I owe it all to him. His name is Carl Braswell. He’s a good guy. He taught me how to train these calf horses.

“I want to thank my wife and my little boy and the preacher for turning calves out for me and the preacher’s son for going with me all year. I thank them all. I appreciate it.”