![]() She trained rope horses for Guy and other pro-rodeo athletes. Fulfilling DreamsĬrawford went to work for professional roper Lari Dee Guy following college. She loved the horses and the sport, but she was lost as to what her future held. While studying for her business degree, she won three National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association individual titles and two team titles, earning her a place in the college’s hall of fame.Īnd although Crawford was becoming a well-known name in the roping world, she was uncertain about her future. ”Īfter earning two associate degrees from Vernon, she transferred to Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. My sophomore year I actually won the region and won the nation for Vernon. I learned the different situations and studied. “I don’t think I was in the top 10 that year. I mean, I got it trampled,” says Crawford. “Once I got to Vernon, I got my butt kicked. She chose to attend Vernon College in Wichita Falls, Texas, for its college rodeo opportunities. In 2000, her junior year of high school, Crawford was the Oklahoma State Breakaway Champion, and she won second place her senior year. She competed in rodeo her sophomore year of high school, which is when she started tracking the National Finals rodeo and seeing people like JJ Hampton and Lari Dee Guy achieve lofty goals. I would rope a bale of hay plumb in two.” “It made me so mad, and I said I would never let it happen again,” says Crawford. When rodeo season came back around, Crawford’s mom said she didn’t practice enough on roping the dummy and wouldn’t let her enter. Natural ability only gets you so far, and Crawford’s mom recognized the importance of a good work ethic. “After that, my mom said that when rodeo season starts, if I roped the dummy enough and worked at it enough, she would let me enter all the rodeos.” Although team roping was seen as a “guy’s sport,” Jackie was inspired when she saw other women doing it. “By pure accident I caught and actually won,” she says. She never took my throw away, ever.” A Career is BornĬrawford remembers entering her first roping event, despite her horse never being ridden through the barrier. But once she figured out what it was, she was the most phenomenal horse ever. She was scared of it and prancing and champing on the bit. When I turned her into a roping horse, I remember riding laps and laps trying to get her to let me swing a rope on her. “She was little, so she wasn’t a barn burner in the barrels, but she tried her heart out. “She was really gritty and a cute mare,” Crawford recalls. “As I started going to those, running barrels and poles, I saw girls roping in a ‘guys’ event,’ and I was like, ‘I want to do that! It looks so cool and fun.’ That’s where I fell in love with the roping.”Īt the time, Crawford was riding a “ratty little barrel horse” named Cowgirl. “When I moved to Oklahoma, they had junior rodeos-a lot more than what they had in Illinois,” she says. ![]() It’s what my mom did, and she’s well known for being a horsewoman up there.”Ĭrawford didn’t start roping until her family moved to Oklahoma when she was 11 years old. As I got older, team penning was big in Illinois, and I started to do that. She was also an outrider at the racetrack in St. ![]() “We trained barrel horses, and my mom would haul me to a bunch of barrel races. Jackie Crawford has racked up countless buckles for breakaway roping, team roping, and all-around titles. “When I was little, my mom, Annette, cut a hole in a piece of Styrofoam and set it over her saddle horn, and that’s where I rode. “Riding and being around horses was our way of life,” says Crawford. She didn’t have an arena, so she either rode in the pasture or hauled her horse to local trainers for lessons and advice. Early LearningĪ self-proclaimed tomboy, Crawford grew up in Illinois playing basketball and riding in speed events like poles and barrels. She’s proof that with sweat equity and determination, you can rise to the top. ![]() There’s a reason why Crawford’s social media posts go viral. ![]()
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