story by Lily Weinacht
Acey Pinkston went to her first WNFR before she was even a year old, traveling with her mom, Liz Pinkston, who qualified in 2004 and 2005. Now Acey is chasing her own cans in Las Vegas at the Junior NFR this December. The 14-year-old from Stephenville, Texas, won the KK Race for Vegas in Waco, Texas, at the Diamonds and Dirt Barrel Race, where she also won the 1D. “It was set up great, and the ground was great also. It was just a blast,” says Acey. “They kept it rolling all day and always had something going, which made it fun to watch, especially the futurity derby and open.”
Qualifying for the Junior NFR was Acey’s main goal for the 2018 season, and since she accomplished that at her first KKP event, she’s set goals to qualify for the UPRA and CPRA finals this year as well. She and her family recently moved from South Texas to Stephenville so Acey could have more opportunities to rodeo in a central location. Her older brother, Bradford Loeffler, also lives in Stephenville. “Acey was ready for the next step, and her mom has done great keeping good horses under her,” says Wade Pinkston, Acey’s dad. “Now her mother and I are trying to move her toward bigger opportunities.”
Maya, an 11-year-old mare, is Acey’s main barrel horse and the one she qualified on for the Junior NFR. Acey also competes in all of the TJHSRA events and loads up at least four horses for her junior high rodeos. “My pole horse is Chico, and he’s full of himself but he always gets us there,” Acey says with a laugh. “I have two breakaway horses, Lexus and Slingshot. Lari Dee Guy and Jackie Crawford trained Lexus, and Slingshot came from my brother’s girlfriend, Abby Medlin. My goat horse is Nelly, and she came from Cayla and Jane Melby. I also cut, and my grandparents are into cutting. I just got one of their amazing horses, Snow Ray, who I’ll ride in high school rodeo.”
The Pinkston’s place is also home to a pigmy goat, seven dogs, two cats, a handful of cattle, and a pet deer. “We’ve raised Shorty Jack Russell Terriers for 10 or 12 years,” says Acey. “Our deer, Rolo, showed up at our house, and he thinks he’s a dog. If we go down to the pond, he’ll go down there and he’s very protective. He loves it whenever we go down to feed in the morning, and he has a deer feeder in the pasture.”
Acey has more flexibility to practice and travel to rodeos since she does school through White Horse Christian Academy. “That’s where most of the rodeo kids or people who show or cut go to school. It’s four days a week, and you can go in every day or just a few days. I go as many days as I can to get my work done so we can go to more rodeos. I’m in eighth grade and I’ve always enjoyed history, especially American history.” Acey also plays basketball and volleyball with the Faith Knights. Both won their state tournaments this season, which was the basketball team’s first tournament win since the team was formed.
Acey and her family further enjoy going to the beach and off-shore fishing, but she’s especially excited about her rodeo travels this year. “Being able to have fun motivates me, and being around all these amazing animals. I like being with my parents and learning new things and meeting new people. My main goal, especially for this year, is to qualify for The American Semi-Finals and from there, go to the next American.”
