A year ago this month, Kirby Blankenship won the Daddy of ’em All in Cheyenne heeling for Billy Bob Brown. The 25-year-old Lampasas, Texas, cowboy has since had a change of plans. As much as he loves to rope, he recently graduated from college and took a job he also adores that comes with a weekly paycheck.
Q: Where is Lampasas, and what’s it like there?
A: Lampasas is on (Highway) 281 between Hamilton and Austin. It’s about an hour north of Austin, and an hour and a half south of Stephenville. I was born in Stephenville and raised in Lampasas, which is a bigger town that still has small-time vibes. Everybody in Lampasas wants to see you do good.
Q: Reigning World Champion Barrel Racer Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi and her National Finals Rodeo header husband, Garrett, also live in Lampasas. Are you neighbors and friends?
A: Yes. Garrett and I are great friends, and I go rope there as much as I can. We just cooked steaks for them before Garrett headed to Colorado for the summer, and Brittany took off rodeoing again.
Q: Congratulations on your recent graduation from Sul Ross State University. Tell us why you’re on the older side for graduating from college.
A: My mom’s a loan officer who’s president at a credit office in Lampasas. She went back to school like I did, and always told me I’d feel better if I finished. She said to just get it done because you never know what opportunities might be possible.
Q: Where else did you go to college?
A: I previously rodeoed under (NFR tie-down roper) Johnny Emmons at Weatherford College, and roped with (NFR header) Coy Rahlmann one year. I went to Weatherford for three straight years, then one at Sul Ross. I took a break before finishing up at Sul Ross this year.
Q: You were out of college rodeo eligibility, but went back anyway?
A: Yes, I took my mom’s advice, and didn’t want to limit my career possibilities to only a rope. I was able to finish school online.
Q: Weatherford’s Emmons and Sul Ross’s CJ Aragon were highly respected contestants. Has that carried over to their coaching?
A: Absolutely. The two guys I got to college rodeo under both rodeoed for a living. They know all about backing in the box to eat, and I learned a lot from both of them. They were super helpful, and also so understanding about me wanting to circuit rodeo on the side. Johnny and CJ both have good attitudes and winning mentalities and truly care about the young people in their programs. You’re not just another guy on their rodeo roster.
Q: What do you consider your career highlight to date, and why?
A: Winning Cheyenne last summer was something a lot of people who rope better than I do will never get to experience. Cheyenne’s not an easy rodeo, and a lot of things can go wrong. We drew good, and it was a win I’ll never forget.
Q: You roped with Junior Dees at San Antonio and Billy Bob at Houston this year, but haven’t been seen around much lately. Where’ve you been?
A: I told Billy Bob early on this year that I was going to stay home, work and amateur rodeo. I went to the BFI, and hope to circuit rodeo next year. I have a really good job now working for a construction company in Austin. We build residential subdivisions, and I work for the dirt side of the business building roads. I’m on the job by 7 in the morning and done by 4:30 or 5 most days. I work Saturday sometimes, too.
Q: Your current career goals?
A: I wanted to go see it (the rodeo trail), and got to do that. Now I’m trying to build a backbone for me and when I have a family one day. For me, there’s a bigger picture to life than just living on the road. I love to rope, but my whole life does not revolve around swinging a rope. I respect every person who’s ever done good in rodeo, but there’s a lot of gambling in the rodeo business. I’d like to have something built up before I gamble too much.
Q: You sound happy with your decision.
A: I am. My parents never told me not to rodeo. But my dad and grandpa told me taking this job was smart, and that they’re proud of me. There’s a paycheck every Friday, and that’s really nice. This is a massive company with 800 employees, and there’s a lot to learn in this business, too.
Q: Tell us about Kirby Blankenship Performance Horses.
A: I had a bunch of horses before I got this job, and now only ride as many as I have time for. I love the process of horse training. I learned a lot about horses riding young ones at a young age. My dad always said, “If we’re going to feed a horse, he’s either going to make money or last a long time.” I like making jackpot horses anybody can ride and win on.
Q: Who has most influenced your roping and horsemanship?
A: A lot of people have helped me. Early on, my grandpa built some of Rich Skelton’s places. I went with my grandpa, and Rich helped me and never charged me. Our neighbor Hamp Conlan had good roping fundamentals and helped me as a kid with mine. He knew a lot about horsemanship, position and approach, which is 90% of heeling. Hamp always said, “Don’t watch me, listen to me.” I worked for Clay Logan almost two years, and he introduced me to the horse show side of this business, and taking pride in how horses look and work.
Q: Who do you practice with most now?
A: I rope with one of my bosses, Kyle Kates, and Garrett the most now. Both live about 15 minutes from me, and we rope at their houses or mine.
Q: Describe your heeling style.
A: I’m a position heeler. I like to be in my spot, and I’m a second-hop heeler. I’m not conservative, but I don’t throw on the corner every time. I just try to be as fast as I can while still staying smooth and correct.
Q: Which heelers do you watch the closest, and why?
A: Everyone out there does something cool that works. I love the simplicity of how Jade (Corkill) rides a perfect corner every time. And it’s pretty cool how fast (Wesley) Thorp gets a steer. He dallies on a short rope every time.
Q: Final word on how roping fits into your life now…
A: Roping has done so much for me. I don’t take it for granted like I did when that’s all I did. I respect how long it takes to get good at it, and I’ll always love to rope. It’s also nice to know it’s not the only thing there is to life.
—TRJ—
