Written by: Lily Weinacht

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[ Eight-time WNFR qualifier Scott Kormos currently sits at 15th in the PRCA world standings. ]

“The first time I watched the NFR, I was 8 or 9 years old, and at that moment, I thought ‘I want to be there and compete.’ So I think it was a goal of mine from the very start,” says Scott Kormos. The 38-year-old tie-down roper from Teague, Texas, has eight WNFR qualifications to his name, last competing on the arena floor of the Thomas and Mack Center in 2013. Currently, he’s sitting 15th in the PRCA world standings, traveling with fellow tie-down roper Caleb Smidt.
With his gold buckle dreams hinging on horsepower, Scott started feeding his horses Nutrena five years ago and calls it the best decision he ever made. “I got a call from them asking if I wanted to be on their team, and it’s been a blessing from the start. The way my horses look, feel, and perform—there’s nothing better. I’ve seen a really big upside. I have a couple practice horses I ride when I’m home, and one is 18 and the other is 20, but they look 12. They’re strong and they stay healthy. I feed the SafeChoice Senior to all my horses, young and old. It’s really good for the stomach—a lot of performance horses are having stomach problems, especially traveling, so this is easier to digest. I got on it and I haven’t looked back since.”
Scott also attributes his horse Aggie’s endurance through the summer run to his feed. “You’re out here a long time going up and down the road, and you have to take care of the horses. If they’re not sound and feeling good, then we’re not going to win.” Scott purchased Aggie, now a 13-year-old, four years ago during the San Antonio Rodeo at the ranch horse sale. “The people who’d owned him had never roped on him, so we trained him and started hauling him a little bit last year. I’ve been riding him all year this year, and he seems today as good as he did at the start of the year. He’s just a little young to a lot of this, but he’s feeling his way through it.”
Scott and Aggie often return to enter at their meeting place at the San Antonio Rodeo, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is another one of Scott’s favorites, from the added money to the hospitality. “There’s not another rodeo we go to like it all year long. They feed you three times a day, have plug-ins and stalls—it’s just unreal,” says Scott. “Through the summer, I just try to tell myself it’s not going to last too long, and just try to drive through two to three months on the road. At my age, it’s about getting enough rest and eating good. I try to look past the travel and focus on the goal I’m trying to get to.”
At the end of the rodeo trail, Scott’s family waits for him. His wife, Laine, is a full-time nurse, and they have three children, Kade, Lawson, and Letty. “Last year, Kade came out with me a couple months to rodeo, but the boys are all about sports and football. Letty will be 3 in October and she shows a lot of interest in the horses, so she may be a little cowgirl.” When he’s home, Scott shoes horses, a skill he picked up as a 16-year-old working with Ricky Luke, who also coached him in roping. Scott’s dad, Michael Kormos, is an electrician, as well as a team roper, and Scott works with him on occasion. In November, Scott is also hosting his third tie-down and breakaway roping school in Buffalo, Texas.
“My dad roped steers and I got started roping steers a little bit at a young age, but I started roping calves and I loved it as soon as I started doing it. I love everything about it—the horses, the competition—there are so many things you have to do besides ride and rope. You have to be a good horseman, and you have to score good, rope, flank, and tie. There are so many more things about it that intrigue me,” Scott explains. “My ultimate goal this year is to make the NFR. I think that’s everybody’s goal out here, so I’m trying to get the finals made and have a chance to compete out there.”