Jordi Edens-Mitchell’s trailer typically pulls into the rodeo with not one, but two solid horses—Pepto Pepper Rey, known as “Tbox,” and TRR Tanquery Cat, who she calls “Spike.”
“I don’t think you have to have two,” said the NFBR qualifier. “But it sure helps.”
With Tbox and Spike, Mitchell has built not just a string but a system, one that lets her match the horse to the setup and stay competitive all season long.
“I’ve rodeoed long enough now—I know where I can use them,” Mitchell said.
For the short scores and tighter setups, she leans toward Tbox. The bigger pens with longer starts are where Spike fits.
Tbox: The Horse Everyone Wants
Tbox is the kind of horse that makes the run happen.
Tbox, the 2012 model bay roan gelding, is by Mr Roan Freckles and out of Dual Rey mare Fancy Rey Freckles.
Mitchell may not have made him, but she watched him go for years with Taylor Barham and never expected to own him. When she finally reached out, Barham’s answer changed everything. Tbox wasn’t necessarily on the market, but Barham agreed to the sale.
“I always say that was a God thing,” Mitchell said. “I texted her and she said she’d sell him to me.”
“I just jumped on him and it clicked,” 23-year-old Gatesville, Texas, native Mitchell said. “She did all the hard work. He was already a great horse.”
Tbox raised the standard for Mitchell. He is as strong as they come, with a big stop that has more of a reining horse feel. He doesn’t cher going to a calf, always gives 100% and sets her up to be fast every time.
“There’s a lot of good horses,” Mitchell said. “There’s very few great ones, and I think Tbox is one of those great ones.”
At home and even before the run, he’ll buck, play and carry on like it’s no big thing. But that changes the second it’s go time.
“As soon as we walk up there, it’s like his whole demeanor flips,” she said. “He knows. If you’re not on top of it, you’ll look like an idiot,” Mitchell said. “He’s going to do his job every time.”
In those tighter setups, Tbox’s ability to float across the line and rate off the calf makes Mitchell’s job simple.
“I literally just have to put it on the calf’s neck,” Mitchell said.
But a horse like that requires a plan. Mitchell doesn’t ride Tbox everywhere and leans on Spike in certain setups to keep Tbox fresh.
“Even three runs make a big difference in the end goal,” Mitchell said.
Spike: Built for the Long Runs
Mitchell bought Spike over the phone, trusting a recommendation and a set of videos, knowing he didn’t have to be perfect—he just had to fit.
What she got was a big, ranch-bred gelding with the kind of stride and speed that’s ideal in bigger setups. The 2013 gray gelding is by Cats Hillbilly and out of TRR Big Iron mare TRR Sweet Shoot Out, bringing a higher level of using power to Mitchell’s string.
Spike didn’t come as finished as Tbox did, but he brought something just as valuable—he could take the runs.
In places like Cheyenne, where the pair won $8,483, Mitchell knows exactly what caliber of horse she has underneath her.
“He inhales a calf,” Mitchell said. “I knew I could go there and catch on him.”
Not as confident as Tbox, Mitchell rides Spike differently. Where Tbox makes the runs happen, Spike needs a little more help. Mitchell always tries to stay engaged, keep him focused and buold his confidence in the box.
“He doesn’t carry the confidence Tbox does,” Mitchell said. “I kind of have to put that into him.”
That difference isn’t a weakness, t’s part of what makes Mitchell’s system work. Spike gives her something she can rely on when the setups change and the runs add up.
“The more runs he has, the better,” Mitchell said. “He’s a ranch horse—he can take it.”
While Tbox is strategically managed, Spike takes the reps, allowing Mitchell to stay competitive without overusing her go-to horse.
He might spook at a shadow or jump something in the arena, but when Mitchell asks him to do his job, he shows up.
Between the two geldings, the decision isn’t about which one is better—it’s about which one gives her the best chance on that setup, that day, with that calf.
