Spoiler alert: No, Trevor Brazile is not cracking back out on the ProRodeo trail. At least not for anything except RodeoHouston, where he’ll spin steers for his horse-show helper and five-time National Finals Rodeo heeler Joseph Harrison.
The Houston committee is allotted three invitational spots each year, and for 2022, they extended that invitation to the 26-time World Champion Brazile—who didn’t exactly know he put his name down at the rodeo that pays $50,000 a man to win and counts toward the PRCA world standings.
“You’ve got to follow this story to get it. Years and years ago, my brother-in-law Cliff and his then-fiancee Terryn were getting married in the Caribbean in December,” Brazile said. “So I had my friend Ryan Robinson enter me in Houston while I was off the grid. Since then, the entry emails and invites have gone to his email. Well, he called me the other day and said, ‘Did you buy your card?’ I said, ‘Uh, no?’ He said, ‘Well you better. You got into Houston.’ I didn’t even know it was a possibility, and I had no idea he entered me, and I certainly didn’t have anyone to heel for me.”
Brazile and Robinson started to scan the list of heelers who’d gotten in without a partner, and Harrison’s name jumped off the page.
“I said, ‘Yeah, that’ll do,'” Brazile laughed.
Harrison is rodeoing with Bubba Buckaloo in 2022, but Buckaloo missed the cut to get into Houston by one spot. So Harrison decided he’d settle for the retired world champ at Brazile’s request.
“I guess it’s been a while for him so maybe Trevor will need a seat belt to go that fast,” Harrison said in jest. “Maybe Miles (Baker) will let him borrow a horse to rodeo on. We’d be fine if we had to be 7.5-8, but have you seen him try to go that fast lately? It’s terrible.”
For Brazile, the chance to rope at RodeoHouston is another spot to throw his great young horses to the fire in preparation for the upcoming Royal Crown and American Rope Horse Futurity Association events.
“I’ve got some aged horses we really like,” Brazile said. “But I can’t help but think Houston’s unique setup will be good for a horse like Firecracker, the 6-year-old gray gelding I’ve shown the last two years at the ARHFA shows. This could be a really fun place to test him. Miles has roped on him at a bunch of good outdoor rodeos, but Houston is a whole other world and he could really excel there.” TRJ
