With only 50-some days left in the regular season, two-time NFR tie-down roper Kincade Henry is capitalizing on 2024 PRCA Playoff Series Tour rodeos and a shatter-proof mental strategy to make his second run at Sioux Falls and get his third NFR qualification.

“I’m entered at every single tour rodeo because I know at the end of the year, if they keep doing Sioux Falls, it doesn’t matter what kind of year you had,” said Henry, 22, who took home $11,500 from the 2023 Cinch Playoff Series Championship. “If you had a subpar year but you’re in Sioux Falls, you still have a chance at the end.”

Henry is sitting in third in the Tour standings with 969.38 points, just 22.87 points behind Marty Yates in the No. 2 seat. They’re neck-and-neck in pursuit of PRCA Playoff Series Tour leader Ty Harris with 1283.83 points.

Meanwhile, Henry is 10^th In the PRCA world standings with $90, 059.61 earned. In 2023, he made it to the NFR in ninth place with $127,481. This year, he’s about $100,000 behind leading tie-down roper World Champion Shad Mayfield, and he’s got a tick over $20,000 more than current No. 15 contender Zack Jongbloed at $69.578.79. Henry’s strategy is to go to as many Tour rodeos as possible, considering the $977,776 that was added last year.

“I flew to Tour rodeos this winter trying to get to every single one I could and haven’t missed many this summer,” Henry said. “The Tour has been a huge part of my year—focusing on the Tour and making sure I’m on good horses at the Tour rodeos.”

Making it while mounting out

The good horses part has been an added challenge this summer, though.

“Starting the summer, I rode my horse, “Harry,” and he worked good until he got hurt in the middle of June when I had to switch up and mount out,” Henry said. “Over the Fourth, I mounted out a lot. I rode one of Tyler Milligan’s horses named “Newt” and one of Tyler Popescul’s named “Lincoln” and won on both horses. Then, at the end of the Fourth, my parents brought my roan horse “Mario” back up to me, and he’s been the man since then.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CalfRoping.com (@calfropingdotcom)

His plan to enter every Tour rodeo he could paid off over the Fourth of July run, when he won Greeley and pulled checks at Reno, Cody, and Red Lodge.

“In my mind, if I ride my good horse and draw a good calf, there’s no reason I shouldn’t win against anybody,” Henry added.

While Henry had plenty of adversity thrown his way regarding horses this summer, he kept a positive mindset, which paid off.

“At the end of June and beginning of July, I was bouncing around from horse to horse quite a bit, but it kept everything fresh for me,” Henry said. “At all the rodeos, I was trying to get on the best horse that I thought was there, so I didn’t have an excuse not to win; I just had to come up with an excuse to win.”

Mind over matter

Had Henry been asked about his positive mindset and ability to adapt to any change thrown his way three years ago, though, he would have told a much different story than today.

“I am really blessed to have awesome help,” Henry said. “I got connected with Chad Bohling, the Mental Conditioning Coach for the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys, in the winter of ’22 and still talk to him every week. Talking to him, my mind is always right; I’m never in a bad spot.”

Seeking mental game support outside the arena has only improved Henry’s roping inside the arena.

“I am so much more mentally prepared than last year or the year before, he said. “If I draw the loper and mess it up, I’m over it in 10 minutes, always craving and expecting the next opportunity.”

With less than 2 months  left in the 2024 regular season, Henry’s mental game could be the edge he needs to go toe-to-toe with $200,000 contenders like Shad Mayfield. Especially with the late-season addition of the half-million-dollar Rough Riders Cup Sept. 20-22, the path to Sioux Falls is bound to be a knife fight.

— CalfRoping.com —

• Find more Tie-Down Mental Game tips on Roping.com: