Buckle Up with Shay Carroll
When Shay Carroll made his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2014, one man stood a little taller, a little prouder, than anyone else—Shay’s grandfather, Truett Carroll.


For some, breakthrough wins come at a major rodeo or jackpot. For others, like Shay Carroll, a breakthrough win means something more than money.

Credit: Trisha Miller Photo

“This is the first buckle I won with an elite header,” Carroll said of his 2013 Jingle Bell Classic win. “I won it with Turtle Powell when we were jackpotting together a little bit this winter. It was the first one I won with a pro header like him.”

Carroll has won a College National Finals Rodeo championship and placed second at the 2012 U.S. Open, but this $5,000 jackpot meant he could win with the best in the game. 

“I was riding a horse at the Jingle Bell Classic I call HK because he came off the HK Ranch,” Carroll explained. “He was owned by a friend of mine, and he wanted $30,000 for him. I wanted to buy him, but obviously I couldn’t afford him. So when I won second at the U.S. Open (with Colby Siddoway), I walked out of the arena and bought that horse.”

Carroll hadn’t owned the horse a month when he was playing in a muddy pen and sliced his foot open. The horse was laid up a year recovering, and the Jingle Bell Classic was the first roping at which he could ride him again.

What will it take to get Carroll to trade this buckle for a newer, shinier one? “It will take Salinas, Cheyenne or a go-round buckle or a gold buckle.” 

SHARE THIS STORY
CATEGORIES
TAGS
Related Articles
Screenshot 2025-04-10 at 2.05
Old School
Classic* Moment: Derrick Begay, Clay Cooper Win The American in 2016
Broc Cresta
Never Forgotten
Broc Cresta: The Legend Lives On
Untitled design-14
5 Things J.D. Yates Did to Raise a Winner in Trey
Steer sitting in the chute getting the horn wrap taken off.
Make Your Steers Last Longer
Editor's Note
Editor's Note: Star Power
The Team Roping Journal
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.