Tanner Green Takes Lead in Odessa
The Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa might not be directly in the heart of Texas, but it holds a special place in Tanner Green’s heart since it’s where he filled his permit and scored his first major ProRodeo win in 2017.
“I almost dread coming to this rodeo because I feel like I am supposed to do well here since I’ve won it before,” joked Green, a multi-event cowboy.
Green won Odessa’s team roping average while competing alongside Scotty Raines in 2017. On Saturday, Green took the lead in Odessa’s tie-down roping by nailing an 8.3-second run on a horse he’d never ridden before.
“My (tie-down roping) horse is pretty sore but I’m not too sure what’s wrong,” Green said about Legend, his 11-year-old American Quarter Horse. “We’re going to take him to the vet since that’s my No. 1 horse and I want to make sure everything is OK with him.”
Green doesn’t know the name of the horse he rode Saturday, but it belongs to his friend and fellow ProRodeo tie-down roper Quade Hiatt.
“I got on him maybe five minutes before I got into the arena,” Green said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever won a round like that before, but I’ve won money on horses I’ve never ridden before. I don’t like jumping on horses I’ve never ridden, but in rodeo you have to do what you have to do to make it work.”
Now it’s just a matter of waiting it out to see if his lead holds. The Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo continues through Jan. 16 and is scheduled to be shown live on The Cowboy Channel and on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app.
“I’m not completely satisfied with it,” Green said. “I think I could have done a better job, so we will have to see how it plays out.”
Green is also set to compete in the team roping alongside Rich Skelton – a 2018 inductee to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and eight-time world champion team roper (1997-2004).
Green owns a different horse for team roping, and if all goes well he could score an Odessa triple crown between tie-down roping, team roping and the all-around title.
“That would mean a lot,” Green said. “I don’t think I’ve ever won both events at a rodeo, or all three for that matter. I think I’d like that a lot, and it’d be cool since this is where I filled my permit.”
Doing well at the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo brings an additional bonus since it’s the first stop on the ProRodeo Tour.
Last season didn’t go as planned for Green, but not for the same reason as his competitors. One day before the 2020 Odessa rodeo, Green lost his thumb and missed a large portion of the season while recovering from reconstructive surgery.
His thumb is fully intact and functional.
“It’s good now, but it gets pretty feely when it’s cold,” Green said.
Courtesy of PRCA