story by Lily Weinacht
Robert Wooten was raised on the ranching and roping lifestyle in Lawton, Oklahoma, but it wasn’t until he moved to Florida, and eventually, Arizona, that his fascination with tie-down roping came to fruition. “I had a horse that I played with growing up, and I’d watch the guys in the roping pen or help move cattle up the lane. I always thought someday I’d start roping calves,” says Robert. After he finished college, he moved to Florida to attend law school, and purchased several roping horses with the help of Dr. Greg Winter, a veterinarian and team roper from Tallahassee, Florida. Once Robert moved to the Phoenix area to be closer to family, a neighbor invited him to come watch a roping school put on by Brent Lewis. “I thought I’d be sitting on the truck to watch, and next thing I knew, Brent threw a piggin’ string at me and said, ‘You’re going to tie calves today.’ Sure enough, I tied down my first calf that afternoon!”
Developing friendships with the ropers in the area, Robert joined the GCPRA in the early 2000s, qualifying for the finals several times. “I’m an African-American cowboy, and Alvin Warren and I are the only two that routinely go to the GCPRA rodeos. I have a lot of friends that are part of the western culture, and I don’t experience the racial tensions by and large I hear people talking about,” says Robert. “I’m always welcomed, and a lot of the cowboys and cowgirls become clients if they need legal help, and many of them become good friends.”
The western lifestyle appeals to Robert in multiple ways, and time spent with family and friends is chief among them. “If I had to drive 18 hours to rope one calf and I didn’t have friends there, I wouldn’t go,” he explains. “After the rodeo, I enjoy sitting around with the guys and talking and laughing – we have the biggest ball! And I love the western culture. I don’t think there’s anything like watching a good calf horse work. You’re not sitting there guiding him, it’s all about trust once you’ve dismounted to tie your calf. It’s beautiful to watch.” His own roping horse is Colonel, a 20-year-old sorrel gelding Dale Carroll found for Robert nearly nine years ago. “I’ve learned to go to really wise, experienced horse people that have been in the horse business for years to help me find my horses. I’m starting to look for Colonel’s replacement, plus I have three or four horses at the house.”
Robert and his wife, Buffy, and 12-year-old son, Sidney, live near Cave Creek, Arizona. Robert commutes to Phoenix where his law firm, started in 2002, is located. Buffy is a clinical psychologist with a private practice, while she also enjoys riding and used to show western pleasure horses. Sidney is a club basketball player, recently playing a large tournament in Las Vegas. “He’s pretty competitive, and when we go to rodeos, he wants his horse loaded and saddles packed,” says Robert. He competes primarily in the GCPRA, along with Ultimate Calf Ropings and jackpots, though he plans to rodeo in Montana next summer. “I was just there for two weeks and found out where their rodeos are so we can hit a few next summer and get out of the heat. We like to take two or three days to get where we’re going, so we’ll have picnics and stop to see friends and turn out the horses. One of my favorite places on the GCPRA circuit is Sonoita at Teddy Walker’s place. He has about 40 acres and opens up his barn and roping pen to his guests. He has a wonderful cookout for us while he plays his guitar for our entertainment. That’s one of the rodeos I won’t miss if at all possible.
“I’ve wanted to make the finals again, and one of the things that motivates me is watching ten nights of roping at the NFR – it’s hard to watch that and not be motivated!” Robert finishes. “I’m sitting tenth in the standings right now, and my goal is to make the finals.”
