By Ruth Nicolaus
Brandi Callaway is in her second year of membership in the Central Plains Rodeo Association.
The Missouri native-Kansas transplant grew up in the sport, tying goats and breakaway roping, but it wasn’t till after college that she began running barrels.
Now she competes solely in that event, when she’s not working or taking care of her daughter.
Callaway, who lives with her fiancé Brent Jones in Eldorado, Kan., works as a physical therapist in a retirement community in Wichita during the days and then is “mom” to two and a half year old Blakely.
She has been a licensed physical therapist for the last eleven years, and considers her job very rewarding: “to be able to help people, especially in the senior community,” is fulfilling.
She rides a nine year old horse named Gunner, whose registered name is Night Gunman. Gunner started his career as a reining and heel horse, but Brandi turned him into a barrel horse. He’s “super-broke,” she says, but doesn’t like to be fawned over. “He doesn’t love to be loved on,” she says. “He wants to do his thing and doesn’t need any excessive attention.” Gunner has his quirks and he’s not for the faint of heart, Brandi says, but he’s an all-around type of horse. “He’s a really nice rope horse. We ranch on him, rope off him, head, heel, breakaway, whatever. He’s handy to have around.”
Brandi loves to rope as well as run barrels, and team ropes with Brent at their arena. She also ropes at local jackpots.
Since Blakely came into her life, she’s rodeoed less. “My priorities have changed a little bit,” she laughed. Blakeley “of course is the whole world now.” Blakely loves horses and has a pony of her own named Cinch. Blakely loves to be at the arena and go to rodeos, especially if they have carnivals. “The fair runs are great,” Brandi said. She’s been traveling with her parents since she was little, and is good about being in a vehicle. “Thankfully, our truck has a DVD player,” Brandi said.
Brandi’s parents live three hours away, in Lathrop, Mo., so if she has a free weekend, she goes to visit them. She considers her rodeo friends to be family, too. “That’s the best part about rodeo. They become your family.”
While she was a student at Northeastern Oklahoma State in Miami, she qualified for the College National Finals once in the breakaway and once in the goat tying.
