For the experienced roper, balancing the horsepower is simply part of the job

Before Coleman Proctor even realizes it, he has talked for about six minutes and covered a lot of material.

When asked about his horses, the cowboy from Pryor, Oklahoma, gets going without much encouragement, rattling off important details about each one. Admiral is healthy again but needs good ground to compete on. Charlie Daniels is training to one day replace his main horse, Heisman. Mills likes longer fences but can also run properly. Gambler just keeps winning, and Cheeto gives him a chance every time he backs into the box.

It's a lot of information to process, but for Proctor, it's the basis for an entire season's logistics. Without this knowledge, he wouldn't have a chance to compete again in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December.

“It's very involved. If you look at it, that's about 10 horses that I use in rotation,” Proctor said. “I'm not saying a horse wouldn't work in any of the configurations, I just try to put them where I know they're going to be successful, where I know they really fit in.”

As a steer roper and headliner of a team roping partnership with Logan Medlin, Proctor is no stranger to success. He has reached the NFR eight times as a team roper, including each of the last three years alongside Medlin, while earning more than $1.5 million in his career.

With August quickly coming to a close, he currently sits third in the PRCA All-Around World Rankings, while he is fifth in the header rankings and 24th in steer roping.

Accuracy in throwing rope is one piece of the puzzle needed to be competitive, but having good horses as teammates is just as important – if not more so.

For Coleman, that means his squad is always focused on two different events. After fighting hard to earn some sizable revenue in the winter, Proctor and Medlin have traditionally pared down their schedule in the spring to prepare for the summer run.

Starting with Reno in June, Proctor's team has spent most of the summer with his main horses out west before slowly working their way to the Northwest. He also has horses in Medlin's team, which started the summer in the Midwest before moving west. Proctor also has some horses stashed at home in Oklahoma ready for his return to compete in steer roping or jackpot events. In addition, some of his horses are housed in trailers with other cowboys, primarily for steer roping competitions that he occasionally has to zip to.

None of this takes into account the fact that Heisman, the horse he will ride in team roping at Thomas and Mack Arena during the NFR, is not even competing right now. He will be used minimally until November to prepare for the season finale.

It's a balancing act, not only for Proctor, but also for the animals.

“These horses get tired and frustrated just like we do, so you try to let them rest. And we have great friends all over the world, it seems. We have a great place near Reno where we were able to put a couple of horses for a couple of weeks so they could start their summer off pretty relaxed,” Proctor said. “We try to use both of the rides we have, not a lot, but to keep our horses well rested and not have a horse that's just getting beat up on the road. And then it's easier for everyone.”

When the regular season ends in September, Proctor will return to Oklahoma and use October to relax, drink coffee on his porch in the mornings and drive the kids to school. There will be some jackpots to compete in as well as the circuit finals, and he will also get the opportunity to train some project horses.

In November, it's time to prepare for the NFR. The training arena will come alive as he and Medlin get going.

It all sounds like a lot, and it is. But for Proctor, it's the norm. Managing the work and training of 10 horses along with a hectic travel schedule is just part of rodeo, a fact he's come to appreciate and even enjoy.

He is grateful for the 10 horses he is allowed to ride and the success they have enabled him to have. But 10 could become 11 or even 12 at any time. Proctor is always looking for the next equine partner for his team because he knows that a large stable today can change quickly.

“That's our job. If you're not constantly looking for a horse, you should be,” Proctor said. “It sounds like I have a lot, but it doesn't take long before they get hurt, or this one gets crippled, this one gets a little tired or doesn't want to do his job anymore. You can go from a really well-ridden horse to nothing in a very short time. And in this business, we do everything because of that horse.”