Riley Webb already has one of the best calf horses on the planet, then he went and got another one.
The three-time, back-to-back-to-back PRCA World Champion—the first calf roper to win three straight since Roy Cooper—bought Lights On CD, “Patron,” from Stetson Vest in mid-February, and the 15-year-old gelding has been nearly automatic since he stepped off the trailer. Webb has taken Patron to 10 rodeos and won or placed at eight of them, banking $76,000 in the process. His rodeo on the horse was Jackson, which he won. The wins in Perry, at the Hondo, and Corpus Christi followed, along with a check at Kissimmee.
“I think I’ve won first or placed on him every time but one place that I’ve taken him since I bought him,” Webb said.
NFR Veteran
Patron’s road to Webb’s trailer is a good one. The sorrel gelding, by CD Olena out of RG Miss Starlight (by Grays Starlight), was bought as a yearling and trained by Rhen Richard. Richard made the NFR on Patron and watched him earn reserve Horse of the Year honors as a 7-year-old.
“He was the reserve Horse of the Year as a 7-year-old, and I made the Finals on him that same year, his first year getting hauled,” Richard told Team Roping Journal’s Kendra Santos in 2023. “He’s a special horse. The great ones all love their jobs.”
Richard eventually sold Patron to Stetson Vest, who hauled him for a couple of years before Webb came calling this past winter.
“He’s been a good horse for a long time,” Webb said. “He’s built like Rudy, kind of just a little taller, longer stride. He compliments Rudy really good. And he’s very easy to rope off of. He scores good and lets me turn calves, gives me a good pocket from the stirrup to turn them in time fast.”
Where Patron Fits
To understand why Webb is so fired up about Patron, you have to understand what Marked Up Cat, “Rudy,” has meant to his career.
Rudy—the 2025 AQHA Tie-Down Roping Horse of the Year and the earningest son of the legendary Metallic Cat—has been Webb’s cornerstone since 2022. The 12-year-old gelding carried him through all three world titles, nine of 10 rounds at the 2023 NFR, the 2024 and 2025 average titles, and $223,382 in Thomas & Mack earnings across those two Finals alone. Webb bought Rudy from Lane Livingston for a check that raised eyebrows when he was 19 years old. The investment paid off in gold buckles.
“I thought Rudy was the horse I needed to change my career, and he’s been that,” Webb said after Rudy’s Horse of the Year win.
Patron doesn’t replace that. He adds to it.
“I think it’s going to be a hard decision to pick between them this summer,” Webb said. “Rudy and Patron, I feel like you can ride them both at any setup. But I think Patron is going to be more of an advantage in the faster setups.”
Webb pointed to the fact that Patron shares enough of Rudy’s characteristics that swapping between them doesn’t require a full mental reset.
“Other horses I’ve had are totally different than Rudy,” Webb said. “I think Patron’s got some characteristics like Rudy, so that makes it easier to swap back and forth. It’s not a total different change. He lets me score and put his chest on the barrier every time and be able to get it on him and gives me a pocket to turn him. He’s just very, very easy. I feel like I’ve got two number ones.”
Summer Run Strategy
Webb was headed to The American Rodeo and then on to Nashville when this conversation happened, backing Patron into a $100,000 payout with a handful of rodeos already in the win column on the horse. After Nashville, his eyes are on the road.
“I’m ready to run one and see what we can do,” Webb said, “Then roll into Nashville the next week and then we head out June 7th for the summer. Woodward will be our first stop.”
The fast setups—buildings like the American, big-money indoor arenas—are where Webb expects Patron to shine brightest.
“We just came off winning a building like that at Corpus and then the Hondo was like that too,” Webb said. “Fast setups, same as The American’s. So I’m ready.”
Webb is heading into the summer run with a 2025 AQHA Horse of the Year in his string and a 15-year-old ProRodeo veteran who’s been cashing checks since before Webb was old enough to drive.
“I’m really excited about the summer with him,” Webb said. “That’s what I plan on having—Rudy and Patron. That’s who I plan on taking out when we leave.”