Ep 186: Sharpening the X Factor with Pace Freed
On this episode, I am joined by the founder of X Factor Team Roping & Barrel Racing, Pace Freed. X Factor has grown to become the #1 rated training app in our industry and has expanded access to knowledge tremendously. Join us as we chat about the evolution of the roping industry, the role of horsemanship in competition, and where the rope horse industry is headed.
Episode Resources:
Team Roping: https://xfactorteamroping.com/
Barrel Racing: https://xfactorbarrelracing.com/
Phil: Tell us a little about how you got started and where the idea for X Factor was born?
Pace: I grew up in a family that was very involved in the sport of team roping. We produced a lot of ropings, and I had the opportunity to be involved with every aspect of it. Through the years, I grew to love the sport and found myself continually analyzing the guys that were roping to figure out the small things I could do to get better. At the time, there were already a few great team roping training resources out there, such as Roping.com or SpeedRoping.com, but I wanted to expand on those and really hit it from every angle of the competition. So, in addition to our video library, we started a podcast where we could go deeper on the mental performance side of things and brought in some of the top ropers in the game as coaches. We also started streaming some live events and match ropings with some of the top guys in the world to keep things current and relevant for people to learn from.
Phil: You’re now located in the heart of team roping country in Texas - tell us about how that has impacted your success with X Factor?
Pace: Being in the heart of team roping country, it’s a perfect example of iron sharpens iron. I heard a story from a movement coach who was training fighters, and he talked about how you can send two guys to the top of a mountain to train for 10 years, and bring them back down, and the fighters that have been training with other people during that time will be much further along. In this area, we’ve got access to go out and video some of the best guys in the world, and we can bring their experiences to you from anywhere. What we’re seeing now is generations of knowledge being able to be applied by younger guys who can try different theories and work their way through it. A lot of people have figured out how to clean up their runs, speed things up, control their horses, and make things really consistent, and I think that has really changed the game of roping.
Phil: I remember watching pro rodeos years ago and thinking, “man, you just can’t do it much faster than that.” Nowadays, I’d say those same guys are getting it done about 2 seconds faster. In your opinion, how has the roping industry changed in recent years?
Pace: Yeah, you know I watch those 3-4 second runs, and I don’t think it can get much quicker, but I think the number of guys that can be that quick will increase, and the consistency that they can perform at that level will continue to get greater and greater.
Pace: Phil, you may be able to answer this for me, because I’ve had a theory for quite a while about how I practice and progress. During practice, if I make 40-50 runs, I rarely solve the problems during that same practice – I’ll usually solve those problems overnight. I think about it, then apply it in the next practice. It’s not always just grinding it out in the practice pen, but it’s about gathering knowledge and finding those little things that you can pick up on and apply it to your own program. You have to filter through all the theories to see what fits your situation. Would you agree?
Phil: Yes, 100%. On the horsemanship side of things, the change has to come mentally first, and physically later. It’s all about acquiring knowledge and applying it. You can’t have the application without the knowledge first. Every time I swing a leg over, I’m always thinking about small adjustments I can make to get better.
Pace: When you’re working on something new with your horse, how long does it take for you to get that muscle memory to where it just becomes automatic?
Phil: When I’m teaching a clinic, I’ll have people that complete an exercise a few times and get it right, and then they stop and think, “oh, I’ve got it.” Well, that’s not how it works. For something to be automated by your subconscious, you have to develop muscle memory through frequency of repetition. Just because we do something a few times with our horses doesn’t mean they’ve got it down for next time. You’ve heard before that it takes 21 days to make a habit; well, to me, that doesn’t really make any sense because of the frequency of repetition factor. Are you performing that exercise once a day or 10 times a day? In my experience, 21-30 days isn’t long enough to develop a lasting habit. With horses, I feel like I need at least 60-90 days of consistent riding to see a noticeable change in their foundation.
Pace: Right, exactly. You have to have a foundation for everything so that you have that base to build off of. If you want to tweak your swing or tweak how you are riding, you still have to have a solid foundation to build off of so that you can focus on improving one thing at a time. If you have a bunch of holes in your foundation, it’s really hard to hone in on one thing at a time and make consistent progress.
Phil: In your experience, what has been the separator for those guys that are roping at the top level?
Pace: If you just want to go by what it takes to win and the easiest possible route to a winning situation, the horse plays a huge factor in getting you to that spot where it feels like you are on the ground roping the dummy. The closer you can get to creating a shot where it feels easy to release your rope with timing and separation, the higher percentage throw you’re going to have. I think the horsepower plays a big role in allowing those guys to separate themselves.
Phil: All the roping associations have elevated the sport so much. It’s grown our numbers, it’s evolved the horse industry, and it’s changed the game on the opportunities that are available for ropers.
Pace: The ability to make money training horses and to get your investment back out of those horses was really hard 8-10 years ago. Now, there are so many ways to win big amounts of money and get that return on investment back. There weren’t really the bloodlines that were bred specifically for the sport of team roping 8-10 years ago, and now, I think people are starting to realize what they need from a horsepower perspective. With these bigger horse training programs, their body styles fit the job, their minds work a certain way, and the trainers know how to train them to do that job. In any horse industry, it’s tough for a lot of people to hold the money together to keep doing it, and with the winnings that are available in this sport, now everything is working together. It’s been huge to see this industry grow and have the money circulate top to bottom.
Pace: In your experience, do you think the current horse market we are seeing is finally getting to where it should be, or is it inflated?
Phil: 10 years ago, I would’ve been crazy to say that I had a horse in training where I thought they could leave here and win $250,000 this year. Now, that’s not an unrealistic expectation. From the training standpoint, it’s made it so much better for our customers because the opportunities have increased ten fold. I think the really good horses have always been under priced. Now, I think we are getting to a point where people are starting to see that value, and with the opportunities in the industry, they are able to pay for the time it took to make that caliber of horse. I think good prospects are going to continue to hold their value.
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