Payne purchased Cut Off My Spots, aka “Coon,” in 2022, a gelding he previously owned as a 3-year-old. Payne first bought him as a green 3-year-old from Rhen Richard, then sold him at age 6 to Dustin Davis, who seasoned the horse before selling him to eight-time World Champion Rich Skelton. Then he made his way back into Payne’s barn in time for his partnership with two-time World Champ Clay Smith in 2023.
Together, Smith and Payne won the Killdeer Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo in North Dakota, the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal, Utah, and the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho. They pocketed $10,000 apiece for the Round 1 win at the inaugural Governor’s Cup that September, but they year had it’s lessons. Payne finished right outside the Top 15 at No. 17 in the world heeling standings.
Smith and Payne kicked off 2024 with a vengeance. They took home the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo win for $25,000 at the start of February. The win also marked Payne’s best start to a season since he jumped on the ProRodeo scene.
“This early on to get a jump like that, I’ve never had this big of a jump,” Payne said in 2024. “It’s a long ways from over, but it’s pretty awesome to get a big win like this right off the bat.”
The major payday was also his biggest single check in the ProRodeo regular season and his first Fort Worth title.
“It’s pretty special,” Payne said. “This is by far my biggest rodeo win, and it’s one of my favorite rodeos; it’s 45 minutes from the house, you get to run over every night in a stock trailer and my family gets to come and watch. It’s very convenient, and it pays a lot of money. I love it.”
Payne punched his ticket to his first NFR that year, finishing 11th in the world standings with $224,022. He placed in four rounds and third in the average inside the Thomas & Mack, earning $101,825 at the NFR.
Smith and Payne kicked off 2025 with roughly a $65,000 winter before they parted ways. Payne started roping with Jr Dees at Guymon in May and teamed up with Tanner Tomlinson at the Governor’s Cup, where they finished second for $24,000. Payne is heading into his second consecutive NFR No. 6 in the world with $159,293.26 and will reunited with Smith in Las Vegas after a no-time in Round 10 cost them the 2024 NFR aggregate title.
“I’m great with it—I hate it for Nicky (Northcott, who roped with Smith from the spring on this season) because a couple years ago it was me,” Payne said. “I’m tickled to get to rope with Clay out there this year. Maybe we can finish what we started.”
Perhaps one of Payne’s greatest achievements in his ProRodeo career has more to do with that equine counterpart, Coon. The top 25 heelers in the world voted his now 16-year-old gelding Coon the 2025 PRCA Heel Horse of the Year, presented by the American Quarter Horse Association.
“I thought he had a pretty good chance to win it, but now that it’s official, it’s pretty special,” Payne said. “We’ve always taken pride in having good horses, and with the history I have with Coon—it means everything.”
Between Coon and the three-time reigning Horse of the Year Kadabra King—who Payne purchased from Patrick Smith in 2024—Payne now finds himself in the enviable position of having two world-class heel horses. He leaned on Coon for most of the 2025 summer run, while Turbo handled the faster setups and one-headers.
“Coon’s simple, solid, and he’s all heart,” Payne said. “This award just proves what I already knew—he’s the kind of horse that gets you there and gives you a shot every time.”
“There are times I wish I was a little bit more aggressive, but the way I rope I shouldn’t make any mistakes. Coon’s a good match for me, because I’m not afraid to ride him anywhere. I know every move he’s going to make, because I’ve ridden him so much. All my big wins that meant something to me came on this horse, so I have a lot of confidence in that.”Coleby Payne, 2025
Payne went into the 2025 NFR with Coon, his Cut Off My Spots, freshly named the AQHA/PRCA Heel Horse of the Year. Heeling for Clay Smith, he split second and third in Round 7 with a 3.7 and placed again in Round 10, finishing the year 13th in the world with $190,638.
He started 2026 fast with Tanner Tomlinson. On Jan. 25 they were last out in the short round at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver and went 3.5 to tie the arena record and win the rodeo, worth $12,629 a man.
“That’s always a cool feeling,” Payne said. “Anytime you win first is really cool, but that situation — being last out and still had to spank it on one to win the rodeo. And 3.5, that’s fast. I’ve been 3.5 a few times, but I think 3.5 is as fast as I’ve ever been.”
Tanner Tomlinson and Coleby Payne Strike Early with $13K Denver Win in 2026
The pair added the Rodeo Austin title in March with 11.6 on three head. By the middle of September, though, Payne had slid to 14th in the heeling standings, about $11,700 short of where the NFR cut was projected to land. Then he and Smith won the short round and the average at the Pendleton Round-Up. The $12,500 check jumped him eight spots to No. 6. A third-place check in the final round of the 377 Last Hoorah kept him ahead of Ross Ashford, and Payne finished No. 6 with $139,927, headed to his third straight NFR.
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READ: Tanner Tomlinson and Coleby Payne Strike Early with $13K Denver Win in 2026
