Cody McCartney

Cody McCartney is a tie-down roper and one of the most successful rope horse trainers in the futurity game. Based in Kingston, Oklahoma and a Durant native, he has been in the calf roping futurity world from its earliest days — and he has the wins to show for it.

In 2024 he topped every tie-down roper at the Gold Buckle Fall Event, winning the tie-down futurity aboard Tizz, a four-year-old Metallic Cat stallion, as part of a two-day, $71,750 run in Abilene — and together he and Cheyanne banked $115,425 over those two days. He has piloted horses like Thiccthirty ("Thicky") to major paychecks, including $58,000 at the Gold Buckle Spring Showdown and a $28,332 win in the 4-&-Under Tie-Down in Ardmore. The horses he starts and develops — CR Tuff King, Dont Quote Me, Thiccthirty — go on to win in both the calf roping and breakaway pens.

What sets Cody apart as an advisor is that the horsemanship is only half of it. He understands the business of being a professional — how to land and keep sponsors, how to treat customers so they come back, and how to build the relationships a roping and training career actually runs on. For trainers trying to make the jump from talented to professional, that's the part nobody teaches, and it's exactly where Cody lives.

He also gives in-person lessons, and he and Cheyanne are exceptional with young people coming up in the sport.

“I can't think of two better people you'd want as mentors for your children than Cody and Cheyanne.” — Melanie Smith, Founder, Solo Select Advisory