Team Roping - Laura Pittman

Carolina Cowgirls: Joleigh Galloway

Joleigh Galloway has a knack for learning new things quickly and then turning around to teach someone else and pass that knowledge forward. A high school junior from Liberty, SC, Joleigh competes in breakaway roping, barrel racing, goat tying, pole bending, and team roping. In addition, she does leatherwork under her business Diamond G Leatherworks.

Joleigh has been around rodeo for many years. She was running barrels on a leadline at 2 years old and sat on a whole bunch of horses before then. Her dad is a long-time pickup man with several different rodeo associations and also judges some. Before she was born, he traveled on the team roping circuit as well. With her dad’s fine teaching, Joleigh began competing in the Foothills Youth Rodeo Association at around three years old.

Barrel Racing Breakaway Roping Horses Team Roping

East Coast Calf Ropers: Leah Hunter Hare

Leah Hunter Hare is a natural leader whose care and desire to build others up has shined through the business she and her two younger sisters proudly run.

The Greer, South Carolina breakaway roper and barrel racer didn’t grow up in a horse family and hopes to be an example for others that you don’t have to have been born into it to make it. You just have to have the desire and drive.

Leah was the first one in her family to ride horses. When she was two years old she adored horses and not long after her Poppy Gene bought her one. Her first horse, Rosie, taught she and her sisters how to ride. Later, they bought a step-up buckskin pony mare named Prissy that Leah and her sisters learned to barrel race on.

Breakaway Roping Horses Team Roping

Roping Her Way Across the South: Grace Bryant

Grace Bryant’s devotion to being a true horsewoman is apparent when she speaks about her approach to roping: “You win with your left hand, you rope with your right.” She knows the nuances of how your reins and contact with your horse’s mouth through the bit can affect your horse and why that can make and break a run. Grace believes this understanding of what’s happening with your horse from their health to their reaction to the bit and body position and what cues the rider sends to the horse matters, as does being able to read cattle and anticipate what their next move might be. She credits her Blue horse, Smoke, and her sorrel horse, Riggs, in her success in the arena. She also emphasizes the importance of riding horses with “try” that “love their job.”

Breakaway Roping Horses Team Roping

East Coast Calf Ropers: Kristen Lee

Kristen Lee is a bubbly, outgoing cowgirl whose passion shines through when she talks about the sport she loves: breakaway roping. An active competitor in the Southern Rodeo Association (SRA) and the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA), Kristen is also a local hair stylist at a salon. She likes Dub Grant and Fastback ropes and favors doing prom hair and extensions. Her favorite rodeo is the Cody Nights rodeo in Cody, Wyoming, which she had the privilege of competing in a while back. Her love for these things has been a while in the making, and her dad Ryan has been a huge part of her journey.

Horses Steer Wrestling Team Roping Tie-Down Roping

Georgia’s Calf Roping Couple: Glen Freels

Glen Freels may have grown up near the city, but there was no keeping the cowboy inside him from emerging.

Glen grew up in a suburb of Atlanta but found himself spending every break from school with his uncle Mickey Freels in Tennessee. Although his dad roped a little, Glen had no horse experience, but his uncle Mickey was a calf roper and began to show Glen the ropes. Glen quickly became hooked.

Horse Training Horses Ministry Team Roping Youth

A Spotlight on Dugan Caldwell

If you’ve ever wondered what 14-year-old cowboys do in their free time, it may be shooting armadillos to keep the horse pastures hole free or chasing after the ranch goat “Baaatman” on foot while swinging a rope.

At least, if you’re Dugan Caldwell this might be true. This fun-loving young man is a team roper and budding horse trainer in Wynnewood, Oklahoma.

Bareback Riding Barrel Racing Breakaway Roping Bull Riding Events Horses PRCA Rodeo Queen Saddle Bronc Riding Steer Wrestling Team Roping Tie-Down Roping United Rodeo Association (URA)

The 60th Annual United Rodeo Association Finals

This past weekend, talented cowboys and cowgirls from around the country gathered in Topeka to compete and connect with old friends during the 60th annual United Rodeo Association (URA) Finals. With the support of businesses and individuals sponsoring events, the hospitality of the staff at the Stormont Vail Events Center, and the devoted attitude of its members, the weekend was full of high-quality stock and professional competition in a family friendly environment.

Horse Training Horses Team Roping

Life Alongside the Relentless Remuda with Daci Baker

If you have an interest in the rope horse industry, you’ve likely heard the name Miles Baker. Miles and his wife Daci have established themselves in the industry over the past few years through the intentionality of their training and their creation of the Relentless Remuda alongside rodeo legend Trevor Brazile.

Barrel Racing Breakaway Roping Horse Training Horses Ranch Ranch Rodeo Team Roping

An All-Around Cowgirl

I learned about Katie through seeing her kind offer to help a mutual friend getting started in the world of breakaway roping. I was later able to chat with her some, and discovered the many talents and passions of this Colorado cowgirl.

The ranch and the lifestyle have trickled down through the generations in the Jolly family, but Katie has made another name for herself while competing in barrel racing, team roping, and breakaway roping competitions. In addition to competing, she trains horses and manages her own herd of cattle.

Clothing Company Horses Team Roping

Jenny Gilbert’s Message: Go Rope

When I first came across the clothing brand Go Rope, I was impressed with the designs, functionality, and especially the slogan. When I learned the backstory behind “Life is Short, Go Rope”, I was even more intrigued, and grateful to get to chat with founder Jenny Gilbert about how her passion grew into the company.