story by Lindsay Humphrey
“I train pretty much anything people need me to,” said Reid Weber, a horse trainer from Waukomis, Oklahoma. “I have a client who has given me one or two Gypsy Vanner Horses for the past few years. They’re really smart and trainable, I wish every horse was like that.” Taking a horse from point A to point B has always intrigued Reid, which is why he pursued training full time after graduating from Oklahoma State University with a degree in agribusiness. He mostly specializes in calf and team roping horses, but he is open to put miles and skills on horses of any age, breed and discipline.
“I always knew I wanted to be swinging a rope and riding. My dad supplied myself and my siblings¬, Rhett and Shelby, with horses. We went to junior rodeos and it blossomed from there.” Spending weekends at rodeos and jackpots was a way to spend time with family but has grown to be a way of life for Reid. “I was brought up being a horseman before anything else and I love that aspect of it [roping and rodeo]. There comes a point where everyone can rope and tie well, but I think winning and losing boils down to the horseman. If you can get an extra ounce of good out of your horse, that can make all the difference.”
Primarily a calf roper, Reid uses his time at rodeos and horse shows as a means to display the fruits of his labor. “Since I mainly calf rope, I can get to more than one rodeo in a night and likely 2 to 3 in a weekend. I love to team rope and have several partners that I rope with quite a bit, but I use the calf roping as a platform to haul my younger horses.” It’s easy for Reid to haul his green team roping horses quite a bit because of all the jackpots within a 100-mile radius of his house. But the KPRA has proven to be a great place for seasoning his calf horses. “Last summer [2020] was the first time I really focused on going to KPRAs. It was a blast. I really like the rodeos; they are easy to get in and out of. It was a good experience and I’m looking forward to this season.”
Most of the KPRA events Reid hauls to are no further than 6 hours. However, thanks to the packed KPRA schedule, when Reid does make a long haul, he can make it worth his time. “Last year I hauled to Colorado, which is 7 hours away. Even though it was a long drive, I went to four KPRA events to get there.” Many of the Kansas rodeos are fairly close to Reid’s north central Oklahoma location. “The KPRA has been a great place for the young calf horses. They have great calves and added money. There were plenty of times when I had four horses on the trailer, and I was able to ride a different one every night. It was very seamless for me.”
In April Reid married Maddie who shares his affinity for all things roping, rodeo and horses. “She works for the PRCA and even though it’s not exactly the same as my job, we’re on the same playing field. It’s cool because we can talk about all things rodeo and she knows exactly what I’m talking about.” Marrying Maddie was Reid’s second-best move in life. His first? “The best thing I’ve ever done in my life is become a born-again Christian. That’s what holds a relationship together.” Now in his second season with the KPRA, Reid has his sights set on making the finals again. “My goals are pretty vague because I like to stretch them out with the horses I’m hauling. I have five that I’ll be splitting my time between. But my main goal is to get invited to the indoor rodeos [finals] in the fall.” Reid has had a steady stream of roping prospects from Neil Kirschmbaum of BR Foundation Horses and Travis Kirschbaum of Kirschbaum Performance Horses, both out of Wisconsin. And Lisa Mauzerall of Benchmark Animal Hospital keeps his horses in tip top shape from year to year.
