confidence you can do it together. Mote earned $2,656 which moved her to seventh in the WPRA rookie standings. The win at Lufkin was more than a healthy check. “I have fond memories of my dad riding there,” she said. “I was excited to go.” Mote’s barrel racing success is certainly a family affair. Bobby broke the horse, which is by Reb Hot Fame and out of Little Rock Misty. “Just the way he moved,” said Bobby of what he liked. Before becoming a world champion bareback rider, Mote broke and trained horses for his parents, who ran a cutting horse operation in Oregon. “We started him with team roping but he wanted to go. Kate took him and trained him,” noted Bobby.
that the most. The focusing on the process. You can’t control a lot of things. Change what we can control. Focus on your job and the rest will take care of itself. “I wait until she is ready to listen before I say anything.” His daughter does listen. “He has been a lot of help with the mental game,” said Laura. “He’s been through it. And he helps with the training, what rodeos are good. He teaches me how to handle the little slumps and helps you get out of them.” “It’s mom’s horse. She has to listen to her,” added the father. Laura’s earliest rodeo memories are traveling with the family to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and bigger rodeos like Houston and Calgary. For a few years, the family traveled by motorhome until the Fourth of July run before returning home.
Laura Mote is carrying on the family name in ProRodeo and is thankful to have the support of her family, especially her dad, Bobby. She has fond memories of traveling during the summer months with her dad and is excited to now compete at those same rodeos as a barrel racer. Photo courtesy Laura Mote
Bobby, Kate and Laura are the only three to ride the horse. And that has not been easy at times. “He’s a weirdo,” Bobby said with another chuckle. “He’s real quirky. It’s just his personality. He doesn’t do what you expect a horse to do.” Laura first rode the nine-year-old dark sorrel in high school after her primary horse went down. “I didn’t want to ride him. We had a prettier horse,” said Laura. “He looked like a baby dinosaur. His neck is so long and his hocks are so far to the ground.” Two wins in two runs convinced Mote to stay in the saddle. “Redbull is very enthusiastic in everything he does,” Laura continued. “He is real stud acting, dominant. He has a lot of character.” He also wants his treats. “When I saddle him, I have to give him a treat,” she said. “When I put the bridle in, treat. And he has to have one when he’s done. And his treats have to be on time. “He loves doing what he does. He’s honest and consistent.” When it comes to competing, Laura did not fall far from the family tree.
“I loved those times,” Laura said. “I had these roller skates, and I would skate on concrete and gravel. I would watch my dad ride, skate and come back and watch the barrel racing. I loved the barrel racing.” Now she is creating her own professional rodeo memories. Traveling with her mother, Laura is planning a full schedule for 2022. She has committed to compete for Cisco College in the fall but that may change. “We’ll see how the year goes,” Laura said. Bobby offered some thoughts on her summer plans. “I looked at her Fourth of July schedule and told her, ‘That would be hard for a guy with just a rigging bag and a car,’ ” he said.
Laura Mote and Reb Hot Redbull have grown together and are starting to become a duo to keep an eye on as the summer run of rodeos kicks off. A profitable summer run will be the ticket to a shot at the WPRA Rookie of the Year title in a field of talented horses and jockeys. Photo courtesy Laura Mote
The busy schedule has also brought about a role-reversal in the family. “I’m the one used to being gone,” said Bobby. “Now I have to hold down the home front.” Laura sees some humor in the situation. “Dad can’t cook,” she said with a laugh. “Trey can cook a little. They should be OK.” And with every new rodeo, Laura carries the well-known family name. “I used to be pressured by it,” admitted Laura. “People expected me to be perfect. It followed me from pee wee days. I learned how to feed off it. It’s kind of cool to be recognized. “I told him, ‘One day, when you’re team roping, people are going to introduce you as Laura Mote’s dad.’ ”
Bobby was known for his business-like approach before riding. Not much for chit- chat or visiting, he was there for a reason. “I wasn’t caught up in visiting everybody. I think that got “People probably think I’m not that friendly or approachable,” said Laura. “Dad taught me if you want to be a winner, you can’t think about much else.” Bobby still offers advice but chooses his spots carefully. “I’m too direct,” he said. “Kate is more into putting into words what she wants to do. The mental side of competing, I can help her with misinterpreted,” said Bobby. “I was there to win.” His daughter is following the same boot prints.
JUNE 2022 WPRA NEWS 15
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