Breakaway Roping - Laura Pittman

Georgia’s Calf Roping Couple: Ashlee Freels

Breakaway roper Ashlee Freels and her husband calf roper Glen Freels have covered the continent pursuing their love for calf roping together. Today, they continue the family tradition of rodeo with their own children at their Georgia home.

For Ashlee, her journey with rodeo began during her childhood in east Tennessee. Her brother, Steve Miller, is a good bit older than her, and he and her uncle were heavily involved in the horse world. Both men roped and steer wrestled; while also clowning at some rodeos, working the Dixie Stampede, and working at Dollywood in the days it was Silver Dollar City.

Capturing Moments in Time

Haley Johnson is recognized as a talented breakaway roper and western lifestyle photographer but few people realize how much perseverance and determination brought her to where she is today. Despite the various obstacles that have happened in her journey, she credits God with guiding her and putting kindhearted people on her path to help her along the way.

Breakaway Roping Horses

Roping Her Way Through Senior Year: Carmen Oates

Chester, South Carolina is home to roughly 5,000 people—and one of them is high school senior Carmen Oates. Carmen has put her name on the map as a powerful breakaway roper and a young lady whose drive and determination are sure to take her far in the rodeo world.

Breakaway Roping Horses

Roping in a Field of Dreams: Jamie Ellsworth

For Jamie Ellsworth, rodeo has always been about relationships. She devotes herself to her horses, her family (especially her nieces and nephews), and her friends. As a third-generation competitor, she carries on a family tradition while also forging her own path in a new location with her own family and friends.

Breakaway Roping Horses

The Family That Ropes Together: Misty Matthews

Misty Matthews loves rodeo. A rodeo mom, wife, competitor, and rodeo secretary, she is no stranger to the fastest sport on dirt.

Growing up in Franklin, Tennessee, Misty enjoyed a rural lifestyle. Her father rode bulls when he was younger and their family always had horses. They also kept busy with their farm and side burley tobacco operation.

Breakaway Roping Horses

The Family That Ropes Together: Kyla Matthews

Kyla may be the youngest of the Matthews family, but her wisdom and skill set in the breakaway roping far surpass her years. With her mother a barrel racer, her dad a calf roper, and her sister a breakaway roper, she grew up with no shortage of horsemen (and women) to learn from. When she was 3 years old she started riding, and at 5 years old began running barrels. While she was interested in the roping, she had trouble swinging a rope because she was so little, so she stuck with the barrels instead.

Breakaway Roping Horses

The Family That Ropes Together: Bailey Matthews

Bailey Matthews was born into rodeo. Since she started riding and being involved with rodeo at a young age, she doesn’t remember a time without it. The oldest daughter of Daryl and Misty Matthews of Athens, TN, Bailey is a breakaway roper like her younger sister Kyla. Her dad calf ropes, her mom has calf roped (and barrel raced), and their whole family shares a love and talent for the sport.

Breakaway Roping Horses Tie-Down Roping

Preserving the Family Tradition: Cassie Chapman

Cassie Chapman’s voice is full of love and thankfulness when she speaks about her family, her husband, and her roping. A tough breakaway roping competitor and current Director of Breakaway Roping for the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA), Cassie is no stranger to the IPRA or the world of rodeo.

In fact, she is a third-generation rodeo athlete, with her grandparents on both sides being involved with horses.

Breakaway Roping Horses Tie-Down Roping

East Coast Calf Ropers: Tori and Robbie Murdock

Tori and Robbie Murdock are a North Carolina calf roping power couple whose dedication to quality competition, advocacy, and community education is well known along the East Coast.

Respectively from Villanow, Georgia, and Statesville, North Carolina, they make their home together in Statesville but spend plenty of time burning up the rodeo road as competitors in the Southern Rodeo Association (SRA) and the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA).

Breakaway Roping Horses

East Coast Calf Ropers: Maelee Wade

Maelee Wade is one determined lady. A cowgirl from Georgia, she made headlines by winning the 2023 World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) Rodeo Carolina. Not only did she take home $25,000, but she reminded folks roping talent goes far beyond the western states with a smoking 2.45 second run.