Weston Smyth prides himself on a strong mental game, and he was able to put it to good use in the Hooey Jr. Patriot 15-and-Under Semifinals, where a gritty run from the high callback position sealed his short round qualification.
“In the short go I didn’t set [my dismount] up very well,” Smyth, 15, explained. “I should have stayed with my horse one more jump but I sped off and it tripped me up a little bit. You don’t even have time to think, you just keep moving.”
Despite the stumble, Smyth still came out on top. With times of 8.37 and 9.31 seconds, Smyth outpaced the rest of the field by more than 2 seconds in the average, earning a total of $7,000.
“My biggest strength is my mental game and being positive,” Smyth, 15, said. “I’m not always positive, but my dad Jeff has taught me [its importance]. No matter how bad I did, he was always keeping me up.”
Jeff has been an influential figure in Smyth’s roping career. In the 1994, “Batman,” who Jeff trained, was awarded the PRCA Tie-Down Horse of the Year title. Brent Lewis rode the horse in the Thomas & Mack, too.
Safe to say, roping is in Smyth’s blood.
A native of Castleton, Kansas, Smyth says he’s grown up with less competition around him. And while it may be a detriment to some, Smyth says it’s made him work even harder.
“My game plan was to catch as many as I could and be as consistent as possible,” Smyth said. “I had some tough calves throughout the week, a lot of them strained [when I was tying] but I pushed through it.”
Riding 10-year-old gelding “Cash,” Smyth is looking forward to the short go on Saturday, prioritizing the score and a clean catch.
