X Factor Roping Podcast

Pace Freed hosts the X Factor Roping Podcast, and over 118 episodes he has assembled an impressive roster of team roping guests who share their paths from green-broke beginners to professional competitors. The focus is squarely on the people behind the sport -- their life stories, how they learned to rope, and what separates the good from the great. Episodes run long, often 60 to 90-plus minutes, giving guests room to really tell their stories. Conversations with ropers like Anthony Lucia, Wesley Thorp, Clay Logan, and Trey Yates go well beyond competition results. You hear about the ranch backgrounds, the mentors who shaped their skills, the horses that changed everything, and the mental approach they bring to the box. Pace asks good follow-up questions and clearly knows the sport well enough to push conversations into territory that casual interviews miss. The show carries a 4.8-star rating with 375 reviews on Apple Podcasts, making it one of the top-rated roping podcasts available. It updates semiweekly when on a regular schedule, though there are occasional gaps between batches of episodes. The production is clean and the audio quality is solid throughout. For team ropers who want to hear how the best in the business think about their craft -- not just technique breakdowns but the whole mindset -- this is a strong pick alongside The Score.