Martha Josey
Encyclopedia
Martha Josey is a profesional barrel racer
who has been in active rodeo
competition since 1964. She has earned numerous titles at competitions such as the National Finals Rodeo
(NFR) and events sanctioned by the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA), and Women's Professional Rodeo Association
(WPRA). She also competed in barrel racing as an exhibition event during the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and is the founder and co-owner of the Josey Ranch Barrel Racing Clinic. She was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame
in 1985. She and her husband, R.E. Josey, were jointly inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
in 2002, and the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
in 2007.
/Marshall, Texas
area. Her love for horses
was instilled by her father, who was one of the first directors for the AQHA
, and she began riding on a pony at a very early age. At the age ten, Josey experienced the loss of a parent when her father died due to a heart attack
. Josey's mother kept one of the family's horses, a gelding
named CeBe Reed. After attending a rodeo
in her teens, Josey became inspired to compete in the sport and began to work with CeBe Reed as a barrel racing horse.
Martha married R.E. Josey in 1967, and the pair are still married. He was a three-time AQHA World Champion in calf roping
, and now competes in team roping
.
. Josey and CeBe competed in the NFR
in both 1968 and 1969, winning $3,421 in prize money in 1969. Josey claims this horse is the reason she was able to quit her job and go pro.
Her second horse, Sonny Bit O'Both, brought her to the NFR
four consecutive years (1978-1981). Sonny is the only horse in history to win both AQHA
and WPRA
championships in the same year.
With the horse Jetonfer Pay, Josey won the Pro Tour Circuit in 1985, went to the NFR
again, and was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame
.
Josey and Swen Sir Bug, aka "J.C.", competed in the 1987 NFR
. At the 1988 Winter Olympics
held in Calgary, Alberta
she participated in a Barrel Racing exhibition that was an Olympic special
event where she and J.C. earned a gold medal.
In June 1988, Josey suffered a serious accident at a rodeo
in Austin, Texas
. Doctors discovered two skull fractures, a broken pelvis, six broken ribs, and a punctured lung. Though told she might not walk again and certainly never ride, she proved her doctors wrong. She worked out daily in the swimming pool with the help of her husband, and regained enough strength to not only ride again, but also compete professionally. After her accident, however, Josey became a strong advocate of equestrian helmet use and endorses Troxel riding helmets and safety gear.
After her successful recovery, her next horse, Mr. Revolution Bars, accompanied her to the 1989 and 1990 NFR
, making her one of only two barrel racers to ever compete in the NFR in four consecutive decades. After that, Orange Smash carried her to a championship in the NBHA Senior World Championship 1997 and to the NFR in 1998.
IN 1999, She was received the Dennis D. High Lifestyle Achievements Award and was chosen as the Women's Sports Foundation AQHA Female Equestrian of the Year. In addition, Orange Smash received 1999 AQHA “Best of America’s Horse Award” and was created as a model horse by Peter Stone
.
In 2000, she entered her fifth decade of competition with the horse, Joe B Jammin and in that year ran the fastest time at the Lone Star Finals. They went on to be the Go Round Winner at the 2001 Copenhagen Cup Finale in Dallas, Texas. In 2002 she placed first and second in the NBHA Holiday Classic in Jackson, Mississippi
, riding Joe B. Jammin and Sweet Sailin' Six. 2003 ended with a championship in the Equus
America competition in Houston, Texas, as well as a reserve championship in the AQHA
World rodeo event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
. In 2004 she obtained Red Man Bay, and the pair won the 2004 NBHA Holiday Classic Sr. 1 D Championship in Jackson, Mississippi and went on to win the 2004 and 2005 NBHA Sr. Division Reserve World Championships. As of 2009, Josey was still competing in barrel racing.
, where they own the Josey Ranch. They train and market barrel racing and roping horses. At the ranch, and at various other places around the United States, the Joseys, along with "The Josey Team" of previous students, hold clinics for aspiring barrel racers and calf ropers to improve their skills and learn more about these events. The Josey Clinic was the first barrel racing clinic in the sport and has assisted thousands of riders over a 40 year period. As of 2010, Joseys claim a total of 80,000 student have passed through their clinics and ranch competition. However, it is unclear how this figure was calculated. The Josey Ranch sponsors several competitions, including the Josey Jr. World Championship Barrel Race for youth age 20 and under and the Josey Reunion Round-Up.
Martha Josey has also recorded several videos, written books, and has appeared in magazines such as Western Horseman
. Both R.E. and Martha have also had television appearances on ESPN
, RFD-TV
and other networks. In addition, the Joseys have a substantial number of product endorsements, many of which they sell at their Josey Western Store and online mail-order shop, headquartered out of their ranch.
Barrel racing
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo...
who has been in active rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
competition since 1964. She has earned numerous titles at competitions such as the National Finals Rodeo
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
(NFR) and events sanctioned by the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA), and Women's Professional Rodeo Association
Women's Professional Rodeo Association
The Women's Professional Rodeo Association is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older...
(WPRA). She also competed in barrel racing as an exhibition event during the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and is the founder and co-owner of the Josey Ranch Barrel Racing Clinic. She was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit...
in 1985. She and her husband, R.E. Josey, were jointly inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, a museum in Fort Worth, Texas, "pays tribute to the cowboys and cowgirls of the Lone Star State." Most of the exhibits are male-oriented, as there is a separate National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in the Cultural District of Fort Worth.The museum, which offers...
in 2002, and the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
- History :Now housed in the Historic Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The organization, dedicated to the sport of rodeo and the recognition of Texas' contribution to that sport, the TRCHF was founded in 1975 by Johnny Boren and a group of Belton, Texas, businessmen...
in 2007.
Early years
Josey is originally from the Kilgore, TexasKilgore, Texas
Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk Counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn...
/Marshall, Texas
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
area. Her love for horses
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
was instilled by her father, who was one of the first directors for the AQHA
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
, and she began riding on a pony at a very early age. At the age ten, Josey experienced the loss of a parent when her father died due to a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. Josey's mother kept one of the family's horses, a gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
named CeBe Reed. After attending a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
in her teens, Josey became inspired to compete in the sport and began to work with CeBe Reed as a barrel racing horse.
Martha married R.E. Josey in 1967, and the pair are still married. He was a three-time AQHA World Champion in calf roping
Calf roping
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by...
, and now competes in team roping
Team roping
Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer and two mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header," the person who ropes the front of the steer, usually around the horns, but it is also legal for the rope to go around the neck, or go around...
.
Career
Her first barrel horse was CeBe Reed, who took her to 52 consecutive wins, and the awards she was given included 7 horse trailersHorse trailer
A horse trailer or horse van is used to transport horses...
. Josey and CeBe competed in the NFR
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
in both 1968 and 1969, winning $3,421 in prize money in 1969. Josey claims this horse is the reason she was able to quit her job and go pro.
Her second horse, Sonny Bit O'Both, brought her to the NFR
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
four consecutive years (1978-1981). Sonny is the only horse in history to win both AQHA
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
and WPRA
Women's Professional Rodeo Association
The Women's Professional Rodeo Association is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older...
championships in the same year.
With the horse Jetonfer Pay, Josey won the Pro Tour Circuit in 1985, went to the NFR
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
again, and was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit...
.
Josey and Swen Sir Bug, aka "J.C.", competed in the 1987 NFR
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
. At the 1988 Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
held in Calgary, Alberta
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
she participated in a Barrel Racing exhibition that was an Olympic special
event where she and J.C. earned a gold medal.
In June 1988, Josey suffered a serious accident at a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Doctors discovered two skull fractures, a broken pelvis, six broken ribs, and a punctured lung. Though told she might not walk again and certainly never ride, she proved her doctors wrong. She worked out daily in the swimming pool with the help of her husband, and regained enough strength to not only ride again, but also compete professionally. After her accident, however, Josey became a strong advocate of equestrian helmet use and endorses Troxel riding helmets and safety gear.
After her successful recovery, her next horse, Mr. Revolution Bars, accompanied her to the 1989 and 1990 NFR
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
, making her one of only two barrel racers to ever compete in the NFR in four consecutive decades. After that, Orange Smash carried her to a championship in the NBHA Senior World Championship 1997 and to the NFR in 1998.
IN 1999, She was received the Dennis D. High Lifestyle Achievements Award and was chosen as the Women's Sports Foundation AQHA Female Equestrian of the Year. In addition, Orange Smash received 1999 AQHA “Best of America’s Horse Award” and was created as a model horse by Peter Stone
Peter Stone
Peter Hess Stone was an American writer for theater, television and movies.-Life and career:Stone was born in Los Angeles. His mother, Hilda , was a film writer, and his father, John Stone was the writer and producer of many silent films, including Shirley Temple and Charlie Chan movies...
.
In 2000, she entered her fifth decade of competition with the horse, Joe B Jammin and in that year ran the fastest time at the Lone Star Finals. They went on to be the Go Round Winner at the 2001 Copenhagen Cup Finale in Dallas, Texas. In 2002 she placed first and second in the NBHA Holiday Classic in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, riding Joe B. Jammin and Sweet Sailin' Six. 2003 ended with a championship in the Equus
Equus (magazine)
Equus is a monthly magazine for horse owners that was first published in November 1977.The intent of the magazine is succinctly stated by founding editor and publisher Ami Shinitzky's original working title: The Horseman's Veterinary Journal...
America competition in Houston, Texas, as well as a reserve championship in the AQHA
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
World rodeo event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. In 2004 she obtained Red Man Bay, and the pair won the 2004 NBHA Holiday Classic Sr. 1 D Championship in Jackson, Mississippi and went on to win the 2004 and 2005 NBHA Sr. Division Reserve World Championships. As of 2009, Josey was still competing in barrel racing.
Business enterprises
Presently, Martha and R.E. Josey reside in Karnack, TexasKarnack, Texas
Karnack is a rural unincorporated community in northeastern Harrison County near Caddo Lake in the eastern region of the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 775 at the 2000 census....
, where they own the Josey Ranch. They train and market barrel racing and roping horses. At the ranch, and at various other places around the United States, the Joseys, along with "The Josey Team" of previous students, hold clinics for aspiring barrel racers and calf ropers to improve their skills and learn more about these events. The Josey Clinic was the first barrel racing clinic in the sport and has assisted thousands of riders over a 40 year period. As of 2010, Joseys claim a total of 80,000 student have passed through their clinics and ranch competition. However, it is unclear how this figure was calculated. The Josey Ranch sponsors several competitions, including the Josey Jr. World Championship Barrel Race for youth age 20 and under and the Josey Reunion Round-Up.
Martha Josey has also recorded several videos, written books, and has appeared in magazines such as Western Horseman
Western Horseman
Western Horseman, a monthly magazine published by the Magazine Division of Morris Communications, was first published in January 1936. It features articles on Western riding, the breeding and care of horses, horse training and tack, and ranching...
. Both R.E. and Martha have also had television appearances on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, RFD-TV
RFD-TV
RFD-TV, or Rural Free Delivery TV, is a United States satellite and cable television channel devoted to rural issues, concerns, and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons...
and other networks. In addition, the Joseys have a substantial number of product endorsements, many of which they sell at their Josey Western Store and online mail-order shop, headquartered out of their ranch.
Books authored
- World Champion Martha Josey's Running to Win: How to Win at Barrel Racing Both Inside and Out by Martha Josey (Paperback - Jul 1985)
- Fundamentals of Barrel Racing by Martha Josey (Paperback - Jan 1, 1977)
- Riding the Gymkhana Winner (Farmam Horse Library Series) by Martha Josey (Paperback - Nov 1972)