The next person in our highly popular, 10 Things You Probably Don’t Know about Me, series is Bobby Smith of Rod Patrick Bootmakers. Smith has been around the horse industry since he was a young child. Growing up on a soybean and corn farm in McLane, Illinois, he started showing at open shows and eventually Quarter Horse shows in the 1970s.
In his teens, Smith showed a reiner, Ebony Power, to a Top 10 finish at the AQHA Youth World and Congress. One notable experience from Bobby’s high school years was when he worked for the legendary trainer Tommy Manion for one summer at around the same time renown western pleasure trainer Doug Carpenter started working for him.
In his twenties, Smith received an accounting and agricultural economics degree from Illinois State University and began working in the western retail business for six years. Then, Smith switched to the wholesale side of the business for 22 years.
In 2007, he moved to Denver where he ran the design and product development for Cinch. About nine years ago, the parent company for Cinch, Miller International purchased Rod Patrick Boots which was headquartered in Weatherford, Texas. Smith and his family then moved to Fort Worth, Texas to run the boot company. Known for its custom fit boots and customer service, Rod Patrick Boots is one of the most trusted brands in the industry. They have a beautiful retail store in Fort Worth where Smith can most often be found.
GoHorseShow sat down with Bobby to find out more about his background and some fun things you probably don’t know about him.
10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Bobby Smith
1) I get up at 4:00 every morning. I’m an early riser and I do CrossFit in the morning when I’m not out of town. I like the diversity of it. I’m very competitive and I guess I consider myself a workout junkie. I’m very high energy – I’m either  9-0 or zero. My friend, John Boxell says that “I run around like my ass is on fire.”
2) I was a golfer in high school. I wasn’t big enough for the other sports. We had a good team and a great coach. I try to play every chance I get.
3) I love watches, boots and coats. I have a lot of these items, and I guess I’m a shopaholic when it comes to these things.
4) I’ve been able to travel the world due to my involvement with the wholesale side of western retail. I’ve been to many countries including Africa, Hong Kong, China, Egypt and Vietnam. The more I travel, the more I want to do it. My favorite is Hong Kong because it is crazy and exciting. The skyline is beautiful and they have a lot of Rolex watches there.
5) I was a strict vegan for six years. Now, I’m more of a pescatarian and eat a lot of salmon.
6) The Eagles is one of my favorite bands. The 70s was the best decade for music. Elton John, Billy Joel, Rolling Stones, Cher, Bob Seger and Kansas are some of my favorite bands.
7) I have been married 37 years to my wife, Kelly. We grew up a mile apart but didn’t get to know each other until college. I have two daughters, Sydney and Caroline, who are married to brothers. They all met through showing cutting horses. I also have four grandchildren – two boys and two girls.
8) Documentaries are my favorite – I like finding out about other people’s real-life stories. I’m also a House of Cards fan.
9) For the past 12 years, the Avila Family – Bobby and his wife, Dana Avila, meet us on the Colorado River for Memorial Day. We run up and down the river, drink, laugh and eat all weekend.
10) My favorite alcoholic drink is Crown on the rocks – straight and my favorite morning drink is a Venti Blonde from Starbucks.
Thanks, Bobby!
