Annie Metcalfe, a 2019 May High School graduate and 2018 Brown County Youth Fair Queen Contestant, competed for the first time in barrel racing in 2018 at the Brown County Rodeo. Fast forward five years and with a brand new horse, Metcalfe is starting fresh at the location her barrel racing career began during the 59th Annual Brown County Rodeo.
“I had a horse back then that was a really, really special horse to me,” the 22-year-old Metcalfe said. “I thought the best place to do this would be my hometown and always have the forever memory that I ran him there. The horse I’m running at this rodeo is a new horse and it will be our first rodeo together. So it’s just the perfect place.”
Metcalfe is scheduled to ride Friday, June 2 as the rodeo runs Thursday, June 1 through Saturday, June 3 at the Earl Q. Wilson Arena at the Brown County Fairgrounds on U.S. Highway 377. Action begins each night at 7:30 p.m. with mutton bustin’ with the grand entry to follow at 8 p.m. Advance tickets, for $8, are available at KOXE and Citizens National Bank. Tickets at the gate are $10.
Metcalfe is a seventh generation Texan who lives on her family ranch – the Colonel Burns ranch, established in 1873 – in Brown County.
“I moved out here from west Texas and I’ve showed cutting horses my whole life,” Metcalfe said in regard to her background. “I came to May in eighth grade to and I had a horse and really wanted to do something with him. I used barrel racing as a way to meet people around Brown County and the surrounding area. I started going to jackpots and the local junior rodeos around here and started to really like it. I just turned it into a brain break from cutting horse world. Once I got to college, it was something I couldn’t stop and wanted to keep going.”
After Metcalfe graduated from May, she continued her education at Tarleton, which fueled the fire of her rodeo passion.
“I decided to go to Tarleton because it’s a very big equine school, but it’s small and I graduated from May so I like the small town atmosphere,” said Metcalfe, who graduated from Tarleton on May 13. “All my friends that were in high school rodeo always talked about Tarleton and their rodeo team there is one of the best in the nation. I rodeoed there for one year and it was one of the best years of my life. My horse unfortunately got hurt, but I graduated college and now this new horse I’m so lucky to have. The right time and right place fell and there’s nothing better than to start this horse at this rodeo.”
Regarding her goals and aspirations for the Brown County Rodeo this weekend, Metcalfe said, “I will be happy with a clean run. I’m not looking to be the fastest runner, I want us to be clean, pretty and I want him to feel comfortable. This is his first rodeo so I want him to have the best experience possible. I know he can do it, he has a huge heart, we’re just going to go out there and do what we do – nothing new, just treat it like a normal thing. Hopefully we come back with a win, but if we come back with a really pretty run I’ll be happy with it knowing my horse tried the best he could.”
