November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Senior Dally Team Roping Heeling

It took two steers to secure this victory.

by Holly Clanahan
The American Quarter Horse Journal

AQHA Professional Horseman Clay Logan had good odds going into the senior heeling finals at the AQHA World Championship Show on November 16 – five of the 23 finalists came from his Granbury, Texas, training barn, including one owned by him and his wife, Colleen.

Three were ridden by Shawn Darnall, one by Brett McDowell, and Clay took the ride on his own horse, Replay Blue Boon. As it turned out, Clay and Shawn, riding Hes A Peptobingo, tied with a score of 225, pushing them into a rope-off for the gold trophy.

“That first run, my horse was real good,” Clay said. “That steer kind of came to me a little bit, and (header) Clint Johnson did a great job. Then my horse came around there and stopped hard, and I got him shown real good.”

After his run, Clay was busy helping the other ropers and didn’t have any idea that a rope-off was in store.

“When they said it was a rope-off and it was between us, that was even better yet,” Clay said. He was rooting for both horses, but when it came his turn to back into the box, “I just told myself, go rope and let your horse show itself. And he did.”

On the second run, Clay edged out Shawn with a score of 223 to 221.5.

“It was sure fun to have both of us out there at the end,” Clay said.

For "Replay," it was a replay of 2007, when he won an AQHA world championship in junior heeling. Since then, he has placed seventh in the senior division in 2010 and 2011. Colleen competes with Replay in the amateur heeling, and she also roped at the 2012 World Show.

About a year and a half ago, Replay had a reaction to a vaccination and almost foundered, Clay said. The now-10-year-old gelding was plagued with quarter cracks, and “we were a year getting him sound. … We’ve been showing him, but we’ve been fighting to keep him sound. And now he’s sound, which is great. It’s great to have him back.”

So call this a comeback for a horse who’s on his second career. As a 3-year-old, Replay competed at the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity for Kobie and Paula Wood, whom Clay had worked for while he was doing a stint in the cutting industry. Clay and Colleen purchased the bay roan from the Woods as a 4-year-old, and Clay says that strategy – taking ex-cutters and turning them into rope horses – is one that has worked well.

“They’ve been taught to read a cow and stop with a cow,” Clay said of the cutting horses. “We just have to teach them to reposition for the heeling or the heading. They already know how to work a cow; they’re real broke; we’ve just got to change some stuff for them.”

As Replay matured into his role as a heel horse, Clay said he filled those shoes well.

“He’s just easy to get along with. You don’t have to lope him much, you don’t have to do much to keep him working.
He’s just easy to get along with, hauls good, anybody can ride him, he’s gentle, and then he just works super,” Clay said.

But Replay exacts his price.

“He wants his treats,” Clay said. “You can scratch on him; he’s pretty loveable. Like I said, he’s our pet, too.”

After the win, it was treats for Replay and some moments of celebration for Clay before he had to refocus on the November 17 junior roping classes.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a good evening tomorrow night.”

He expressed thanks to his wife, Colleen, header Clint Johnson and his nephew, Trevor Logan, who was helping at the World Show.