Keeping Stories Alive
Gracie Fritts attitude and faith are as notable as her roping talent. The Lexington, North Carolina cowgirl has had her fair share of setbacks on the rodeo road. Rather than become discouraged, she has allowed it to shape her outlook in a way that lets her enjoy the game and appreciate her horses and the God-given opportunities before her.
The Horse and Rider Matchmaker
Not only does Pat Hooper have a knack for matching materials in his saddle making business for beautiful, quality leatherworks, but he knows how to pair people and horses together to elevate strengths and patch weaknesses for the greatest level of success. During cowboy Christmas this year, two of his recently matched pairs were cashing checks out west and down south.
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.
Simpsonville, South Carolina’s Rhegan Greene has always been a go-getter with a love for horses. Her Nana rode English her whole life and as soon …
An eastern North Carolina cowgirl, Caroline grew up in LaGrange, NC as a second-generation horsewoman and cowgirl. As a little girl, all she wanted to do was be a cowgirl, and her fascination with the Western way of life continues today. She speaks of this lifestyle in terms of devotion to animals, willingness to be up at all night hours to ensure an animal is okay and taken care of and staying connected with the land and one’s livestock.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
