World Champion and Barrel Racing Pioneer Sammy Thurman Brackenbury Passes Away

There are few who can do it all and even fewer who can do it all well, but Sammy Thurman Brackenbury could, carrying on an incredible life and career

Sammy Thurman Brackenbury / WPRA on Facebook

Sammy Thurman Brackenbury was one of those cowgirls that we can truly say, "They just don't make 'em like that anymore." Shortly after celebrating her 91st birthday (Dec. 11, 2024), Brackenbury passed away in late December. You can check out her incredible life story in a documentary here.

Brackenbury chased mustangs in the desert, was a stunt double in movies, and pioneered the sport of barrel racing. The multi-talented cowgirl was inducted in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2019.

Young Brackenbury followed in the footsteps of her cowboy father, with the same passion for horses and rodeo. The Brackenbury family moved to California when she was just five years old, in order to be closer to some of the rodeos in that time. Her father was able to pay their bills rodeoing, so the strategic move allowed him to continue roping and winning.

They next moved to Nevada, where the cowgirl caught mustangs off the desert. She would take wild yearling horses, gentle and ride them, then sell them.

Brackenbury was able to see the sights and get a taste for life in different areas, from an early age. Her father continued to rodeo to earn extra money and the family lived in a few different states. In her early teens, she was match racing, calf riding, and riding her father's horses. Naturally, she began to compete, as well. At that time, there were not a lot of avenues for a cowgirl who wanted to rodeo.

The GRA was new and had not yet reached the western states where Brackenbury lived. She had read and heard about this thing called barrel racing, although she had not yet seen it in California at the rodeos. The Texas rodeos had added the event and Brackenbury decided to start training her roping horses on the barrel pattern.

While living near Las Vegas, Brackenbury's father played a role in promoting the rodeo and they added barrel racing. The event took off, popping up at rodeos all over California, eventually becoming very established. Brackenbury was still roping too - calf roping and team roping. Although she could not hold a card in the men's association, the story goes something like this:

Brackenbury's father was entered in the Santa Maria rodeo and had no partner in the team roping. Bill Linderman was the secretary and former Presidnet of the Rodeo Cowboys Association and he allowed the cowgirl to continue roping with her father. The duo went on to win second in a round at Rodeo Salinas.

Brackenbury qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 11 consecutive times, beginning in 1960. She tied for the average win in 1960, earned the Reserve World Championship the following year, and earned the World title in 1965. Throughout her incredible professional rodeo career, she won many of the biggest rodeos in the country, some more than once.

Brackenbury saw a need for education and began to teach clinics for barrel racing. At that time, there was no such setting to learn about the sport and she went on to educate thousands over the next decade. Her techniques were new and advanced - from changing hands between the first and second barrels, to designing her own barrel saddle and leg protection boots for her horses.

This great cowgirl more than left her mark on this world and we extend our sincere condolences to her loved ones. Information for this article was provided by the WPRA, for her Hall of Fame induction.