Page 128 - Barrel Stallion Register 2023

THE BACKSIDE
HOME BASE:
“I am from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. I’m in Texas right now, near Weatherford.”
YEARS EXPERIENCE:
“I’ve been doing it since I could walk and talk.”
ASSOCIATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:
“I’ve been to the National Finals Rodeo. I qualified twice. I made it in high school and once in college. I also made it to the College National Finals rodeo in barrel racing. And
I made it to the First Frontier Circuit Finals; that’s the pro rodeo circuit finals. I graduated from University of Tennessee at Martin in 2020 with my Bachelor’s in Marketing and minored in Sport Business. I got my Master’s in Business Administration in August 2021. I was on the rodeo team full time.”
HOBBIES:
“Honestly, I ate, slept, and breathed rodeo from the time I was a little kid. I played some sports in middle school and everything but that was my obsession. I love to work out. When I was rodeoing hard, I was in the gym four, five days a week.”
It’s not surprising to come across an individual who is all-consumed by the world of horse racing. Either they spend all their time doing it or come from a family that’s been ingrained in the industry, or both.
That tale is no different for devotees to the rodeo and barrel racing world–such as Casey Allen.
“My whole identity is God first and then family and rodeo,” Allen said.
Actually, Allen’s parents met at the rodeo. Her mom, Cathy, ran barrel races– like mother, like daughter–and her dad, Tom, was a steer wrestler.
“Horses are our life for sure,” Casey said.
and write an article that helps their career. I figured out I like being on this side of the camera more than in front of it. I just really love this side of it.”
What’s the world of college rodeo like?
“As far as the girls’ events go, it’s barrel racing, roping, and the girls team rope also. It’s like going to a pro rodeo. ... you still
win money at the rodeos, just like a normal rodeo. It sure makes you keep it together in college more, when you’ve got four horses out at the barn. It makes you have an incentive not to go wild.”
Any other mentors that you’ve had
or people who have helped you out along the way?
“My mom, Cathy Allen, has been the main one. My mom made sure that I got with a lot of different people at a young age. We went
to every kind of clinic she could get access
to, every kind of lesson she could get access to. She was a local legend, but she wasn’t a world class racer, I guess. As she learned, she made sure that I had resources to learn. She always made sure, if a horse wasn’t working for me, she made sure I got it sold and got another one. Even if it was a difficult horse,
it was going to be better. Mom has really
been the driving force there. I also rode a lot with [fellow barrel racer] Brandon Cullins in high school. My mom’s best friend is Robin Weaver; she’s got some pretty good horses. Mostly though, it’s always been Mom. She still whips me into shape. My dad is awesome also. His name is Todd Allen. I’d like to make sure to thank him because he shoes our horses and keeps me mentally grounded.”
Do you have a best or favorite horse?
“The one that everyone already knows is RJ A Sandhill Streak. His name is Switch. He’s 17 now. That horse made me. That horse is the reason I got saved in high school. He paid
for my college education. He won for me from the time I was 16 years old. He made me the rider that I am, everything is because of that horse. ... I could be 40 and you’d
be interviewing me, and I’d still be talking about Switch.”
What future goals do you have?
“They change constantly. If you’d have asked me three years ago, I would have said my whole
126 SPEEDHORSE
CASEY ALLEN
by John Moorehouse
“We always had horses. It started out as play days and the local saddle clubs. That was my whole world as a kid. I didn’t have a ton of friends. I pretty much hung out with the horses and ponies.”
Allen parlayed her lifelong love of rodeo and horses into a career as a college athlete, competing for the rodeo team at the University of Tennessee at Martin. She’s been exploring new paths in the industry, as part of the staff for the Team Roping Journal, the Breakaway Roping Journal, and Barrel Racing Magazine. In October, she was named Managing Editor for Breakaway Roping Journal and BarrelRacing.com.
“The editor of the Team Roping Journal
is Chelsea Shaffer. We grew up in the same hometown in Pennsylvania and she was always a mentor to me,” Allen said. “She was a barrel racer and I looked up to her a lot. She helped me get an internship with the company I work for now, in college. I was doing marketing work and she said, ‘Hey, do you want to learn how to write?’ I said ‘Sure, sounds fun’. I was a freelance writer for a little bit, had a knack for it, and signed with this company full-time in January.”
She’s enjoying her new role, reporting on the races and the personalities involved.
“The thing with the Western industry, it’s so small and your connections are everything,” Allen said. “Already knowing the barrel racers, being able to relate to them–the ropers, being in that circle–it definitely helps a lot and makes it a lot easier to translate.”
Here, Allen goes from the interviewer to the interviewee.
Now that you’re done with college rodeo, do you still compete?
“I do still compete. I just went to a jackpot
last week. I don’t rope as much but I still run barrels. I have four horses with me in Texas and two of those were barrel horses. I’ll buy my card again next year and try to make a circuit final, whenever I land.”
Do you miss competing as much?
“I miss it, a lot of days. When you’re working an event and you’re behind the camera, it’s a lot different. I’m honestly obsessed with seeing the industry from the point of view I’m seeing it now. It’s a lot more rewarding when I see somebody win something and see their emotions right after
“My whole identity is God first and then family and rodeo.”
©Emily Gethke Photography