American Hat presents: Jackie Crawford

Jackie Crawford is accustomed to pressure. The 20x World Champion breakaway roper backed into the box at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and made a 2.26 second run to win The 2022 AMERICAN and $100,000. “When you’re roping at this level, once you leave the box, you don’t think – you can think before, but muscle memory has to take over. You’ve got to nail the barrier and take your first best shot.”
Jackie has been amongst a handful of women that have blazed the way for breakaway ropers to rope for incredible amounts of money. When she saw a need for a breakaway roping event in California, she started one – California’s Richest. “I drove out there for two years to make sure it got going.” When they added breakaway roping to the rodeo in Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington, she drove there from Texas to support it. “I was trying to be a face there supporting it and thanking the committees for it,” she said. Her son, Creed, was a newborn when she started making that trek. She has given back to the sport by teaching what she knows to others, creating the next generation of successful breakaway ropers.
One of her many sponsors is American Hat. “American Hat is one of the companies that our family is proud to be part of. It’s not just about putting a hat on,” she explains. “They’ve tried to help us as endorsers to be more successful in our business. They have invested in us and our future.” Jackie and her family have been welcomed into the American Hat family with open arms. “They are one of my favorite companies.”
Jackie and her husband, Charly (11-time PRCA NFR qualifier Team Roping Header), make their home in Stephenville, Texas. Along with Creed, they have a step-daughter, Kaydence, and a daughter, Journey Lynne Crawford, who is celebrating her first birthday in March. Jackie roped her last calf at the NFR, just three months before Journey was born. She had a special saddle made for her, without the horn, to accommodate her growing baby. “The day I roped my last calf at NFR I quit; from December to March.” Although she missed riding and roping, she did other things. “I try to look at the positive in everything in life; I took the time to do what I don’t do when I ride.” She decorated her house and got it ready to be featured as part of cowboy cribs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhFrytGGfm8.
The family literally lives within the barn, where the horses are. “We built everything under one roof: a three-bedroom home, the gym, an apartment, and a six stall barn. Our horses are part of our family.” In order to be as ready as she can be for an event, she has built boxes in one of the two outdoor arenas that are adjustable, so they can be changed to the setup for wherever she goes.
Jackie juggles her time between family, roping, riding, clinics, lessons, preparing for her weekly group coaching meeting, social media, interviews, and helping around the place with the rentals and numerous other things that pop up during the day. “Having kids – honestly – it’s like trying to manage a walking circus; you figure it out and keep going forward. I can’t do the things I used to do – I don’t have the time.” She admits she has a hard time delegating. “I want to be whatever everybody needs.” She and Charly have lots of things in the works in preparation for the future. “We don’t want to look up one day and be broke down and broke.” They feel blessed to have accomplished all they have done. “To be able to have this home is a dream – it’s more than either one of us expected to have – Rodeo has given us this opportunity and to have our kids grow up with these opportunities is truly amazing.”