Spending this past weekend on the Carr Pro Rodeo ranch gave me a new perspective of just what it takes to care for the amazing animal athletes that are part of our sport.

Much of the heavy lifting belongs to the man in charge of the day-to-day operations; at Carr Pro Rodeo, that is Jeff Collins, the 2000 bareback riding world champion. As the ranch manager, he handles almost every task, from feeding to doctoring to haying to whatever else. It’s quite impressive seeing all that goes on.

These athletes love what they do, and to be among the best, they need as much coddling as possible. From what I saw, they get it.