story by Lindsay King
Angela Chaffin left the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Novemeber with a few new buckles and the year-end breakaway saddle in the ACRA. But something else was waiting for her just a few days later. An invitation to Las Vegas for the biggest meeting of breakaway ropers the rodeo world has ever seen, Roping for the Crown. “I don’t know much about it really, some girls from Texas are organizing it and inviting all the champion breakaway ropers from associations and big jackpots to compete,” said the Tahlequah, Oklahoma, native. One roper will leave Nevada as the top breakaway roper, a title never claimed in this sport before now. Angela is used to competing on a stage of that caliber though.
“My parents started my sister and I in rodeo when we were really young. We both won national titles on the same horse in high school.” The through and through breakaway roper competes in barrels on occasion. “I started breakaway when I was in junior high, and have done it ever since. I really like the training aspect of it more than anything.” Always astride homemade horses, the sweet taste of success is that much more satisfying. “My family takes a lot of pride in the horses we produce. It keeps us going. All of our horses are trained to do all the events though.” Her current pride and joy is an 8-year-old gelding known as Hit Man. Named breakaway horse of the year in the CRRA and ACRA in 2018, Angela cannot think of an accomplishment she is more proud of than that.
“I can honestly say my success has come from having a strong mental game. I just try not to overthink anything. I believe that if you can visualize what you need to do that makes it pretty easy to execute. Everyone struggles with it at one time or another.” As the only roper to catch all three calves without penalties at the ACRA finals, Angela credits her mental game for staying at the top of the association in the event. She also took home the average of the finals buckle. Now a five-year veteran of the ACRA, it’s been a gradual climb to the top of the breakaway roping against some tough competition. “The last two years I have been towards the top of the standings. We haven’t really chased the points, I have just had two really successful years.”
An alumnus of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M University provided a home away from home for this Kansas-born cowgirl. This is where she met her best friend and competes at her favorite rodeo still today. “Rodeo Miami is my home away from hometown rodeo. And it is a pretty big deal in the amateur stakes.” Now that Angela has climbed the ladder of success to the top, her main goal for the year is staying there. “I have another colt coming along that I will rope on this winter to get him ready for the summer run so I can compete on him. That might set me back for my personal standings but in a couple years it will all be worth it.”
In fact, building up a whole herd of competitive rodeo horses is Angela’s driving force right now. Angela and her husband have 18-month-old Colter who is destined for the rodeo arena. “I want to have all these horses ready for him so when he starts he has a strong string to use while he is going through the ranks. I want him to be as involved in rodeo as I got to be, it’s a huge privilege.” This is how the circle of the rodeo life continues generation after generation. Tyler and Angela would not have it any other way.
