Breakaway Roping with Jackie Crawford

Alongside the short end of the world sits an enclosed play house stuffed with toys, a small trampoline, Tonka tractors and vans. For any father or mom who rides horses, it’s a dream home to let children play whereas nonetheless being supervised. It’s one among many some methods Jackie Crawford makes room in her life to proceed roping.

And when Crawford obtained the inaugural Wrangler Nationwide Finals of Breakaway Roping world title in 2020 whereas six months pregnant collectively together with her second child, women rejoiced. Being a female roper is tough enough, and to compete whereas pregnant was next-level.

Motherhood aside, Crawford’s roping career has been outlined by optimism, laborious work and perseverance. It’s how she’s earned 20 world titles in breakaway, workforce roping and all-around, and on the time of publication, ranked first in breakaway throughout the Women’s Expert Rodeo Affiliation with better than $520,000 in career earnings.

There’s a goal why Crawford’s social media posts go viral. She’s proof that with sweat equity and dedication, you might rise to the very best.

Early Learning

A self-proclaimed tomboy, Crawford grew up in Illinois participating in basketball and driving in tempo events like poles and barrels. She didn’t have an space, so she each rode throughout the pasture or hauled her horse to native trainers for lessons and suggestion.

“Driving and being spherical horses was our way of life,” says Crawford. “After I used to be little, my mom, Annette, decrease a niche in a little bit of Styrofoam and set it over her saddle horn, and that’s the place I rode. I was on a regular basis in tow.

“We expert barrel horses, and my mom would haul me to a bunch of barrel races. She was moreover an outrider on the racetrack in St. Louis, so I grew up on the observe. As I purchased older, workforce penning was large in Illinois, and I started to do this. It’s what my mom did, and she or he’s well-known for being a horsewoman up there.”

Crawford didn’t start roping until her family moved to Oklahoma when she was 11 years outdated.

“After I moved to Oklahoma, they’d junior rodeos—far more than what they’d in Illinois,” she says. “As I started going to those, working barrels and poles, I observed women roping in a ‘guys’ event,’ and I was like, ‘I want to do that! It seems so cool and gratifying.’ That’s the place I fell in love with the roping.”

On the time, Crawford was driving a “ratty little barrel horse” named Cowgirl.

“She was really gritty and a cute mare,” Crawford remembers. “She was little, so she wasn’t a barn burner throughout the barrels, nonetheless she tried her coronary coronary heart out. After I turned her proper right into a roping horse, I be mindful driving laps and laps attempting to get her to let me swing a rope on her. It took eternally. She was afraid of it and prancing and champing on the bit. Nonetheless as quickly as she found what it was, she was most likely essentially the most phenomenal horse ever. She in no way took my throw away, ever.”

A Occupation is Born

Crawford remembers coming into her first roping event, no matter her horse in no way being ridden by the barrier.

“By pure accident I caught and actually obtained,” she says. “After that, my mom talked about that when rodeo season begins, if I roped the dummy enough and labored at it enough, she would let me enter the entire rodeos.”

Pure means solely will get you to this point, and Crawford’s mom acknowledged the importance of an outstanding work ethic. When rodeo season bought right here once more spherical, Crawford’s mom talked about she didn’t apply enough on roping the dummy and wouldn’t let her enter.

“It made me so mad, and I discussed I would in no way let it happen as soon as extra,” says Crawford. “From then on, I labored so laborious. I would rope a bale of hay plumb in two.”

She competed in rodeo her sophomore yr of highschool, which is when she started monitoring the Nationwide Finals rodeo and seeing people like JJ Hampton and Lari Dee Man get hold of lofty targets.

In 2000, her junior yr of highschool, Crawford was the Oklahoma State Breakaway Champion, and she or he obtained second place her senior yr. She chosen to attend Vernon Faculty in Wichita Falls, Texas, for its school rodeo options.

“As quickly as I purchased to Vernon, I purchased my butt kicked. I indicate, I purchased it trampled,” says Crawford. “I don’t assume I was throughout the prime 10 that yr. It was so disappointing. I spotted from that yr and purchased increased. I spotted the completely completely different situations and studied. My sophomore yr I really obtained the world and obtained the nation for Vernon [in breakaway].”

After incomes two affiliate ranges from Vernon, she transferred to Tarleton State School in Stephenville, Texas. Whereas studying for her enterprise diploma, she obtained three Nationwide Intercollegiate Rodeo Affiliation explicit particular person titles and two workforce titles, incomes her a spot throughout the school’s hall of fame.

And although Crawford was turning right into a well-known establish throughout the roping world, she was not sure about her future. She cherished the horses and the sport, nonetheless she was misplaced as to what her future held.

Fulfilling Objectives

Crawford went to work for expert roper Lari Dee Man following school. She expert rope horses for Man and completely different pro-rodeo athletes. It was there she met what would transform her all-time favorite horse, DS Sassy Shiner, fondly known as “T-Boy.”

T-Boy was a “silly horse” that stood out to Crawford and that she “merely wanted to have.” She lastly known as him her private after shopping for and promoting out driving and some money for the colt. He would end up carrying Crawford to win her first Nationwide Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR) championship and her twentieth world title in 2020.

Crawford lastly struck out on her private to teach rope horses. She started web internet hosting roping clinics and gaining a robust following.

In 2012, Jackie Crawford started courting a longtime acquaintance {{and professional}} workforce roper Charly Crawford. Their first date was on the Nationwide Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev., they often have been married a yr later. Now, they keep in Stephenville with their son Creed, 4, and Charly’s daughter Kaydence, 16. The family welcomed their little one girl, Journey, in March 2021.

Rodeo life options another way with children, nevertheless it certainly’s to not say it could’t be carried out. Juggling the duties of kids, horses and a enterprise is nonstop.

“There’s no balancing it—it’s pure chaos,” says Crawford. “Chances are you’ll’t have a schedule, you merely roll with it. You increased be someone who can snicker throughout the chaos of it, on account of within the occasion you may’t, it ain’t for you.”

As she’s carried out sooner than, Crawford not solely rises nonetheless thrives given the issue.

“There are some days as soon as I’ve been drained and the local weather is unhealthy and it crosses my ideas to skip a day of driving,” she says. “And Charly will say, ‘Oh it’s advantageous, nonetheless I wager so-and-so is in the marketplace getting increased.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, hell no.’ I’m so aggressive.

“I be mindful I’ve been given this experience,” she continues. “I’ve been given this opportunity. I don’t want to look once more and regret not using every single ounce of it. I do know this time will cross, and I want to give all of it I’ve.”

The Goal That Stands Out

Giving it her all has landed Crawford quite a few silver buckles for breakaway roping, workforce roping, and all-around titles. The one which stands out to her most is her newest victory on the NFBR.

“There’s rather a lot packed into that one little buckle; rather a lot emotion,” says Jackie Crawford. “It’s years and years of labor. That buckle represents needs. It represents laborious work. It represents perseverance. It represents going in the direction of the grain and doing what you are eager on. It was surreal. Now my largest purpose for the breakaway is for [that event] to be throughout the NFR throughout the Thomas & Mack Center. And I’d wish to be there.”

Nonetheless, she stresses that she’s not throughout the enterprise to win, and no one involved with horses or roping should have it as their sole purpose.

“Any time you’re fulfilling your passion, you’re not dropping,” she says. “Proper right here’s the issue I’ve realized: Chances are you’ll’t merely profit from the end product or reward. That’s not what this enterprise is about. Chances are you’ll’t merely uncover happiness in the long term consequence. Within the occasion you don’t benefit from inserting the puzzle collectively and dealing the horse, then you definately undoubtedly’re throughout the mistaken enterprise. I see tons of people that don’t have the power, nonetheless their will is a lot stronger. It’s not all about pure means.”

Observe Jackie Crawford on Instagram @jackiehobbscrawford and on Fb at www.fb.com/JackieCrawfordRoping.

This textual content about breakaway roper Jackie Crawford appeared in Horse Illustrated’s Western Life journal. Click on on proper right here to purchase!