Missouri Roots

In Gallatin, Missouri, Crouse grew up in a family where cattle and horses shaped nearly everything they did.

“My mom’s dad was a cattleman here in Gallatin, and my dad’s family was more on the horse showing side of things,” Crouse said. “When they started dating, my dad taught my mom about horses and she taught him about cattle. So naturally, I’ve been roping and helping on the ranch my whole life. We pretty much work cattle and then we rope, that’s where it all started.”

For the Crouses, life was simple—they ranched and they rodeoed, and they did it together as family.

“Here in Missouri, they have URA (United Rodeo Association) rodeos, where if you’re a 15-and-under boy, you can breakaway rope,” Crouse said. “They also have over-40 calf roping, making it to where a whole family can go and enter the same rodeo. So that’s what we did. I got to rope with my parents and my sister, all at the same rodeo. A lot of the time we rode the same horses and didn’t know any different. I’m really fortunate to have grown up that way.”

Homemade Horsepower

Homemade horses have defined Crouse’s career. Out of necessity, his dad Gene trained many of the family’s best mounts.

“We couldn’t really afford to buy the best kinds of horses, and the ones we could afford, we didn’t get along with them like the ones my dad trained,” Crouse said. “He’ll even tell you he’s not a horse trainer. He just tries to do the same thing on each horse and be consistent with it. But the horses we’ve had, they’ve worked for the Crouses.”

The standouts this season were Doc Steel Blue, Doc, and Last L Straw, Bob. Crouse started Doc himself back in high school, while Bob has been the family’s steady for well over a decade.

“My sorrel horse Bob has been around forever,” Crouse said. “I really think he could run for governor of the state of Missouri. He’s blessed my family beyond measure.”

Bob’s résumé spans generations. Gene started him, Crouse’s sister Kirbie won the College National Finals on him in the breakaway, and Tom has grown up riding him.

“Me and that horse, we’re like brothers,” Crouse said. “We’re both 24 years old. We fight and we get along good, but he’s given me everything I could have ever asked for. From winning the second round at the Junior High Finals in 2014 to riding him at Sioux Falls 11 years later, it’s unbelievable.”

Whether it’s Calgary or Sioux Falls, Crouse never doubts Bob.

“I know him like the back of my hand,” Crouse said. “I know his weaknesses and strengths. He knows exactly what I’m going to do and I know exactly what he’s going to do. It’s just perfect.”

Breakthrough Wins in 2025

Crouse’s season began with a bang at the Cinch Roping Fiesta in San Angelo last fall, where he won the roping on Sally, another horse he trained. He went on to finish second at Red Bluff, fourth at Mandan’s Roughrider Cup, and a $13,999 second-place finish at Puyallup that punched his ticket to Sioux Falls.  

But Calgary was the breakthrough.

“Calgary was unbelievable,” Crouse said. “It felt so easy to rope the neck, put it to the inside, and they were ready to be tied. To win that much money was just unbelievable.”

Crouse finished second at the Calgary Stampede, collecting a total of $32,500, and leaving Canada with the confidence he needed to finish the year strong.

Puyallup, though, felt even sweeter.

“In the semifinals at Puyallup, I just had to be 9.7 to make it back and I was 9.0,” Crouse said. “I knew I still had a good chance to maybe make the NFR at that point. If you see me show emotion in the arena, it’s a big deal because I usually don’t. But that was huge for me.”

Preparing for the Thomas & Mack

When it comes to Las Vegas, Crouse has no doubt who gets the call.

“Easy pick, Bob,” Crouse said. “I was so happy that he was able to get me there and I was able to get him there. He deserves to be there.”

For Crouse, NFR preparation won’t include anything dramatic.

“First thing I’m going to do is lose this gut that I have,” Crouse laughed. “I’m not going to go all Rocky mode. I’ll just do what I’ve always done. Flank and tie some, rope, keep the horses working good. If the horses are working good, I’m not going to run too many. I’m just going to stay sharp and start working out. I’ll just try and do the same things that have been working this summer and not overthink it too much.”

Outside the arena, 2025 has been just as full. Crouse and his fiancée Kamie are set to get married in October, and the couple recently bought a place in Cushing, Oklahoma.

“Unbelievable, stressful and blessed would be the three words I’d use to describe this year,” Crouse said. “Mostly blessed. This back number I’m going to get—it’s not mine. It’s my family’s, Kamie’s, Gallatin’s, even the whole state of Missouri’s. I’ve had so many calls, and the support has been unbelievable. I couldn’t have done this without Jesus and them.”