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Fancy Lady Cowgirl Courtenay DeHoff
All Photos: Kirstie Marie Photography,
Styled by Cohen and HMU by Daniela Bell Beauty |
Fancy
Lady Cowgirl: An Interview with Courtenay DeHoff
by Gina McKnight
No duplication without permission.
“Fancy
Lady Cowgirl represents people showing
authentically
as themselves, embracing and loving
the
lifestyle in whatever way makes the
most
sense to them.”
C. DeHoff
Courtenay DeHoff
is an amazing woman. She is the proprietor of Fancy Lady Cowgirl ® “championing women from all walks of life through the
cowgirl spirit.” As a TV host and speaker, she creates engaging conversation
with the best of America. Her Cowgirl Problems Podcast “introduces people who are upholding
traditions of the West in unexpected ways. Urban and rural collide as Courtenay
takes you on one unfiltered and often hilarious journey…”
A former rodeo queen and competitor, Courtenay has a lot to
say about horses, competing, and life in general. She is an inspiration to
women worldwide. She is a bucking bull mother to Top Bull, an award-winning
stud-muffin. Connect with Courtenay on social media to see her fabulous photos,
learn about her upcoming events, podcasts, and much more!
Welcome Courtenay!
GM: Courtenay,
thank you so much for interviewing for my column! It is nice to meet you and
learn about Fancy Lady Cowgirl and your ambitions. Let’s start at the beginning
- when did you meet your first horse?
CD: I've been around horses since I was a very
little girl, in fact the first ponies that I started out with were hand-me-downs
from my mom and uncles. I had a little pony named Tiny Mite, I had a pony named
Jingles that my uncles, who are younger than my mom, grew up riding. So, my
first encounter with a horse literally was from the day I was born, even before
that because my mom was riding throughout her pregnancy. I've been around
horses quite literally my entire life.
GM: As a seasoned
cowgirl, you've competed in professional rodeo and more. Tell us about your
favorite event …
CD: I grew up high school rodeoing in the state of
Kansas and then to the national high school finals as both a rodeo queen for
the state of Kansas and in the goat tying event. I eventually went to Oklahoma
State University where I was on the rodeo team at OSU. I got into rodeo first
and foremost as a barrel racer. I love barrel racing, was very heavily involved
in barrel racing and as I got a little older, I learned to goat tie, but honestly,
I have to say one of my favorite events is the roping. I did not actually learn
to rope until I was in college. I was very late to the game. I was competing in
college rodeo in breakaway roping with girls who had been roping since they
were two, three, four, or five years old. So, I was very, very late but it was
such a new challenge, and it was so exciting. I really loved competing in breakaway
in college.
GM: Congratulations
on all your well-deserved accolades and accomplishments! How has the rodeo propelled
your career?
CD: You know rodeo
completely set me up for all of the success I've had outside of the western and
agriculture world. Rodeo taught me the value of hard work, it taught me how to
win, it taught me how to lose, it taught me how to fail and to continue to get
back up and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Rodeo really shaped my
entire mindset growing up because we know it's not an easy life. Rodeo really
prepared me for the game of life, for the sport of life.
GM: Following on
social media, I’m inspired by your beautiful photos and accomplishments! You
motivate women to follow their dreams. Your Instagram is so much fun, especially
pics of your bull, Top Dollar! Your fans all over the world are wondering how
can you get so close to a bull?
CD: Here's the
story about Top Dollar… in 2020 I had sort of this once in a lifetime career
opportunity. I was hired by the PBR the Professional Bull Riders to be their
sideline host for RidePass, their streaming service, and I got to go to Madison
Square Garden. I was going to all of their premier tour events, so the top 50,
top 25 riders in the world - the best of the best. I really, really loved it. That
was January 2020. That dream job lasted full three months before the pandemic
hit. In July of that year, I had a DM request on Instagram in my request box. It
was from this girl that I didn't know, her name was Katie. She's like, “Hey
what's up? You wanna own a bucking bull?” and I was like, “No, ma'am! I sure
don't.” I don't know anything about the stock contractor side of owning a bull.
I have never really been involved in the bucking bull industry. Because I was a
girl, I didn't grow up riding bulls and I was just like, “What is this, like is
this a joke? I don't even know who this girl is!” As the story goes, I became
the owner of a bucking bull. I remember I went out and met Katie and her
partner Laramie, just to make sure that they were like legit. I didn't really
know enough to be able to tell if they were legit, but I went to see the place,
just to make sure that they looked like they knew what they were doing. I
really enjoyed and liked them. One of Katie and Laramie’s big things - part of
the reason they reached out to me - they really wanted to encourage more women
to get involved in the bucking bull industry and they wanted to show females that
they could be stock contractors, too. I loved that 'cause it was very on-brand
for me and my mission, and so I said, “Yes!” I became what is appropriately
called a stock contractor, that's what they're called. I call myself a bucking bull
mother. On that first meeting, he was this scrawny little bull, he wouldn’t
even get close to me. He was out in pasture. I said, “If I am going to do this,
I want to be able to pet him.” Katie, being polite, just meeting me, she smiled,
“Oh, okay.” Sure enough, Katy tamed that dang bull, and he loves snacks, he
loves women, he really loves little kids. Laramie, not so much, I am not so
sure Top Dollar loves him. But he is just the coolest bull. Top Dollar, that
very first year, went on to become the ABBI [American Bucking Bull, Inc.]
yearling world champion, so not only did I get a bucking bull, but I got a
really good one unbeknownst to me because I didn't know what I was doing. He is
absolutely not retired now, in fact this year he got his first rider. We put a rider
on him at Katie and Laramie's place. I saw the video. I think he looks like a
champion, but what do I know. We’ll buck him starting this year late this
summer with a rider. We’ll buck him all next year with a rider as well. His
career is very much just getting started.
GM: With so many
things on your plate, especially the proprietor of a successful global
community, you must be busy! What do your days look like?
CD: Yes, this is
like the million-dollar question. Every single day looks different for me. Sometimes
I'm on the road, I'm working 12-hour days. Maybe I am at the AQHA (American
Quarter Horse Association) show doing their television coverage the American
Quarter Horse World Show interviewing champions, producing shows. Those are
long, long busy days. I go for weeks at a time. Sometimes I'm doing keynotes,
so I'm flying. I'm on airplanes a lot, airport hotels, delivering keynotes to
people all over the country. I'm also trying to run my own business and grow Fancy
Lady Cowgirls. Every day looks different. When I'm home, I like to get up, make
some coffee. A couple of years ago I treated myself to an espresso machine, so
I love to get up, fire up my espresso machine, have a coffee, check emails, and
workout. I love to go on long walks. I live in a city, but I love to be
outdoors. I grew up on horses, I grew up on a ranch, so anytime I can get
outside I go on long walks and listen to podcasts, come back and work the rest
after the afternoon. Every day is different.
GM: Every woman
would like to know the key to staying inspired and motivated. What drives your
success?
CD: When it comes
to what I'm doing, this business that I'm building, it's really easy to stay
motivated and inspired. What I'm building isn't money focused. What I'm
building isn't about necessarily selling a tangible product. When I am doing,
what I get up every morning to do is to keep the lifestyle that I grew up in
alive. What I do every morning when I wake up saying, “How can I take the
cowgirl mainstream? How can I introduce the rest of the world to the amazing
people in agriculture and the amazing horse people all over the world? How can
I use my platform to introduce mainstream audiences to who we are and what we
do?” It's easy for me to stay motivated because this is a passion, this is very
deep rooted within me.
GM: You know your
way around horses, and we always need cowgirl wisdom. What advice do you have for
those looking to purchase their first horse and follow the cowgirl lifestyle?
CD: My personal brand that's turned into a global
lifestyle brand, I believe that you can live the cowgirl lifestyle without a horse.
My advice first would be if you wanna wear cowboy hat, buy a cowboy hat. If you
wanna wear a pair of cowboy boots, go out and buy a pair of cowboy boots. You
can live the cowgirl lifestyle in whatever way makes sense to you. I live in
one of the biggest cities in America and I'm still living the cowgirl lifestyle
because to me the cowgirl lifestyle is not about your occupation, not about how
many horses you own or if you even own a horse. It’s not about how many cowboy
hats you have, you don't have to own a cowboy hat. To me it is a state of mind,
so I think that you can live the cowgirl lifestyle in whatever way makes sense
to you.
If you're looking
to purchase your first horse, well my advice would be to save your dollars. I
have big goals. I would love to buy a cutting horse and get into the world of
cutting my mom shows in. What I have discovered is that I have very good taste
in horses apparently, so as far as purchasing your first horse, save your money,
do your research, and don't make a rash decision or investment. Do your
research, talk to people in the industry, reach out to people like me on social
media, and be like, “Hey, what are your thoughts what are your advice? Where
would you go first?”
GM: Who can be a Fancy
Lady Cowgirl and how does a rural girl like me fit in?
GM: What does
horsemanship mean to you?
CD: I mentioned I was a barrel racer, so
everything was fast and full speed all the time. It wasn't until I got to
college – I had this really good barrel horse that we bought as a futurity
colt. I was having a lot of trouble with him and took him to a cutting horse
trainer as a last resort. I told him, “I can't get with this horse.” He told me
that I was a great rider, I mean I could ride anything. He said to me, “Well,
first of all I'm going teach you horsemanship.” I was so offended, but to me
horsemanship really means understanding your horse. It's not just about throwing
a saddle on and riding around. It's learning to feel. It's learning to
anticipate their movements and what they're about to do before they even do it.
That's something that this cutting horse trainer really taught me - the value
of having a good handle on your horse. I guess horsemanship to me means being
one with your horse and being able to anticipate their needs before they need
them. This can be on the ground or while you're riding. I think a big part of
horsemanship is being able to read them. You can tell by the look in their eyes
if something is up – if they’re not feeling right, or if something is out of
whack. To me, all of these things make up horsemanship.
Connect with
Courtenay:
All Photos: Kirstie Marie Photography,
Styled by Cohen and HMU by Daniela Bell Beauty
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