Lightning Aguilera And Cody Hogan Find Victory In Rapid City
Lightning Aguilera And Cody Hogan Find Victory In Rapid City
Lightning Aguilera and Cody Hogan set themselves up for success at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo in Rapid City last week when they roped their steer in a lightning-fast time of 4.2 seconds.
RAPID CITY, SD -- Lightning Aguilera and Cody Hogan are taking the PRCA team roping by storm with one end goal in mind: a berth to the WNFR in 2017.
The 23-year-old Aguilera and 20-year-old Hogan set themselves up for success at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo in Rapid City last week when they roped their steer in a lightning-fast time of 4.2 seconds, good enough to split the win with Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp.
"We have been practicing a lot and we really prepared ourselves and our horses before me made the trek up to Rapid City," said Hogan, a Pelican, Louisiana-born heeler. "Lightning and I talked about what we needed to do to be successful in that small of a pen and we made sure that our horses were on point for that set up. We both knew that if we roped sharp and smart, we would have a good shot at winning."
Both Aguilera and Hogan have had a rope in their hands since they were little boys and have spent countless hours in the practice pen preparing for the opportunity to make a run at the WNFR.
Aguilera, who is originally from Miami, Florida, but now resides in Athens, Texas, shoes horses on the side and says he looks up to multiple WNFR qualifier Kaleb Driggers as his roping idol.
"Lightning set everything up for me to be at the top of my game, and it was good enough for us to split the win," Hogan said. "Lightning is a great guy, and we get along great. It seems like we are always on the same page, and I am very excited to see how this season goes."
Hogan also credits his horse TwoShort, a 9-year-old gelding that came from Tyler Barton, for his success.
"TwoShort and I get along well," Hogan said. "He is my best friend and he knows what I want and he gives me the same shot just about every time. He is a good, honest horse, and I enjoy riding him."
While Aguilera prefers a Fast Back Rope, Hogan elects to carry Classic Ropes in his rope bag. And although they desire different brands of ropes, there is one thing they can definitely agree on: making their dreams of an WNFR qualification a reality!
By Hope Sickler
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The 23-year-old Aguilera and 20-year-old Hogan set themselves up for success at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo in Rapid City last week when they roped their steer in a lightning-fast time of 4.2 seconds, good enough to split the win with Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp.
"We have been practicing a lot and we really prepared ourselves and our horses before me made the trek up to Rapid City," said Hogan, a Pelican, Louisiana-born heeler. "Lightning and I talked about what we needed to do to be successful in that small of a pen and we made sure that our horses were on point for that set up. We both knew that if we roped sharp and smart, we would have a good shot at winning."
Both Aguilera and Hogan have had a rope in their hands since they were little boys and have spent countless hours in the practice pen preparing for the opportunity to make a run at the WNFR.
Aguilera, who is originally from Miami, Florida, but now resides in Athens, Texas, shoes horses on the side and says he looks up to multiple WNFR qualifier Kaleb Driggers as his roping idol.
I am very fortunate to have (Cody) heeling for me. His heeling is precise and sharp and he is very consistent which makes my job easy," Aguilera said. "My horse Matilda is also a huge blessing in my life and in my roping. She scores great, is really fast and is very easy to rope on.With a roster stacked with the best in the industry, the boys knew that they had to be on point if they wanted to leave the cold tundra with a check.
"Lightning set everything up for me to be at the top of my game, and it was good enough for us to split the win," Hogan said. "Lightning is a great guy, and we get along great. It seems like we are always on the same page, and I am very excited to see how this season goes."
Hogan also credits his horse TwoShort, a 9-year-old gelding that came from Tyler Barton, for his success.
"TwoShort and I get along well," Hogan said. "He is my best friend and he knows what I want and he gives me the same shot just about every time. He is a good, honest horse, and I enjoy riding him."
While Aguilera prefers a Fast Back Rope, Hogan elects to carry Classic Ropes in his rope bag. And although they desire different brands of ropes, there is one thing they can definitely agree on: making their dreams of an WNFR qualification a reality!
By Hope Sickler