Interview | Katy Jade Hall

This month’s Buckaroo Barbie is someone whom Adrian and I have been following for quite some time. “Lizzy, look at this girl’s style!” Adrian said to me one day back in 2008, showing me her MySpace screen. “It’s just…different. She has that thing that makes her stand out.” And she did. Five years later, Katy Jade Hall is making splashes in the rodeo fashion world with her own style, and is a graphic clothing designer for a brand new company called Apparel By Twisted J. 

Katy was raised between two beautiful places, Salado and Oatmeal, Texas, USA. Her parents divorced when she was very young, ensuring that Katy experienced two very different western lifestyles. Her father used to ride bulls and now ropes while her stepdad was involved in farming and cattle. Katy grew up running barrels, but discovered in junior high that her real love was roping. After graduating high school at a young age, Katy sold her horses and moved to Austin to attend Art School. A year into that she received a full-ride rodeo scholarship to Weatherford College where she college rodeoed for 2 years before realizing she needed to follow her talent and her dreams. This time she kept her horses and will soon be graduating from Art School in Fort Worth with a Bachelors in Fine Arts with a specialty in Graphic Design. Any free time that Katy has is usually spent traveling to a rodeo to “be a bleacher creature”, as she laughingly puts it, while watching her boyfriend Tilden Hooper compete in bareback riding. Since Tilden has qualified for the NFR 3 times, that means he rodeos a lot. 

Keep your eyes open for Katy’s designs that will be launching this fall and stay up-to-date with the clothing line on Facebook and the soon to be launched website!

What makes home home is….Where my heart feels comfy, I guess. I don't find myself at home very often so I've learned to love the road and the places surrounding me. But when it comes down to it.....there is nowhere like Texas....THAT'S home. 

If I could achieve anything in the world it would be…I used to think I wanted to rodeo and make the NFR, but the older I got and the harder I worked at school and a career I realized something different. I would love to have a show or be known for my creativity, whether it's my clothing, interior design, furniture or graphic design. Just being happy with what I'm doing is an achievement to me. 

The one piece of advice I would give to girls who are interested in the cowboy world is...Nothing comes easy. Keep dusting yourself off and going for your dream. Stay humble and confident and happy. If you aren't finding happiness in what you’re doing then you are not doing it right. And beware of all cowboys no matter how cute they look in those starched jeans! =]] 

My most prized possession is…Well, besides my small brim hat I guess I would have to say my little homestead. Not because it's mine but because it's for everything I love. It's a place for my animals to be safe and a roof over our heads. It's where all my friends come together and make memories. I have an open house for anyone to stay at on their way or just come over to fill their bellies. 

As a kid I was always…Dirty. I was a complete tomboy and loved to help my stepdad on the ranch or my dad at the auction yard...shoot I just wanted to be a part of everything! And if not that, I was horseback, driving the old truck, or fishing! 

My favorite non-cowboy activity is… Being on the water wake boarding, wood-working, painting, or road trips! 

I knew I was on the right track in life when…I change paths too often to know!!! I fly by the seat of my pants. But the day my boss called and offered me the job of a lifetime felt pretty good too. 

My ideal day would include…Being outside in the middle of nowhere with all my friends and a river....and a guitar with someone who can play and sing (cause I can't), with a firework show and a pot of crawfish. 

My favorite cocktail is…Wine, Dos Equis in the bottle, or Crown Royal with Cranberry 

If I could be friends with anyone in the world, dead or alive, it would be….Oh boy just one person!!!!! Geez. Okay, I would want to hang out with Rob Dyrdek. I love that guy he is nuts. Just one day in the fantasy factory being a dare devil sounds awesome to me! 

My favorite beauty product is…Anything Tarte! It's like heaven on your face but in all honesty I can leave the house without make up but I can't leave without my jewelry. 

I don't have to wear boots and hat everyday or prove how cowgirl I am.... It's about what you are not who you are. I can take a fall off a horse or trip in my heels. Either way I'm getting up the same person…and that’s what makes me a Buckaroo Barbie!

Interview | Julie Dunlap

I first met Julie Dunlap at a branding several years ago, and I don’t know what was more fun to watch…her roping, or her roping with her husband and best friend, Jim Dunlap. Julie has been a huge role model and an encouragement to me ever since. When I was still very sick with Lyme disease and desperately wanting to braid but physically unable…she and Jim skinned an old cow in the cold rain of winter and delivered it to me with the hopes that I could use it someday. Her kindness, work ethic, and drive to always better herself continuously inspires me.

Julie was raised on a remote ranch east of San Jose, CA and met Jim Dunlap in college at 19 years old. ” I went to a one-room school that went from 1^st-12^th grade. I met my husband Jim when we were 19 years old at college. We will have been married 28 years in August and we have 3 kids. Being a mother has made me a better person in every way and is the best thing I have ever done. Family and church are the most important things to me. I don’t really have any hobbies, I just like to work. I like making a good horse from the ground up. I love every phase of the process. My husband is my biggest supporter. He has always encouraged me and believed I could accomplish anything.”

What makes home home is…Because we move twice a year, I have learned that home is where ever we are together as a family.

If I could achieve anything in the world it would be…there is so much I would like to achieve. I would really like to get into a horses mind and be able to understand them better. Also I am always trying to be a better person, which is a real struggle. Some days it’s one step forward and two steps back.

The one piece of advice I would give to girls who are interested in the cowboy world is …don’t sell yourself short because you are a girl. You are capable of more than you think you are. Push yourself beyond what you think you can do but don’t try to be one of the guys.

My most prized possession is…I have two things that I hold very dear. A saddle my husband Jim surprised me with for Christmas many years ago. The other is a bridle set up made completely by my husband from the spade bit to the California style rawhide reins. Is it wrong to include my husband Jim as one of my most prized possessions?

As a kid I was always…with my Dad. Whatever he was doing I wanted to be doing it too, working cows, greasing tractors, fixing fence, cutting firewood. He always told people his girls were cowboys NOT cowgirls.

My favorite non-cowboy activity is…I love watching my kids play sports! We are down to one at home now and she plays volleyball, basketball and softball. I try to make all her games and hate when I have to miss one.

I knew I was on the right track in life when…I met my husband Jim. I didn’t know where life would take us but I knew I needed to be with him.

My ideal day would include…Branding calves with all the kids. We have so much fun when we are together.

If I could be friends with anyone in the world, dead or alive, it would be….I know this sounds corny, but I would like to be friends with Jesus Christ. As the creator, He would have all the answers to all my questions about the mysteries of life.

My favorite beauty product is…moisturizer with sunblock. A must!

Honestly I didn’t know I was!! I think it is that I have been able to make my way in a man’s world while not losing sight of the fact that I am a woman first…is what makes me a Buckaroo Barbie!

Interview | Mesa Pate

I have enjoyed an “internet friendship” with Mesa over the last several years where we’ve talked horses, gear, and an occasional workout program. While I have never met her in real life, she has been someone I have admired for a long time. She is classy, hard working, and has done nothing but live in a manner that gives women in the cowboy/roughstock industry a good name. How can you NOT look up to someone like that?

Mesa Pate was born in Helena, Montana.  Her parents worked on local ranches, started outside horses and eventually bought a place of their own in the valley when she was just a baby. Her father, Curt Pate, was a technical advisor on the Horse Whisperer when she was about six years old.  That opportunity set him up to start doing clinics and demonstrations on the road.  He became part of the Purina and Priefert teams and Mesa and her brother Rial spent their childhood homeschooling from the backseat of a pickup. “Our teachers weren't just my parents, they were the people we got to meet, the places we got to see and the horses we got to ride.”

Mesa grew up watching the PBR with her family and during high school decided that it was something she wanted to be a part of as well. She didn’t rodeo her senior year and instead saved her money and bought her first set of rodeo cows. The “crippled” breeding bull that came with them ended up being a bull called Highway 12 who was in the running for PRB Bull of the Year her very first year of hauling bulls.

While attending Panola College in Carthage, Texas on a rodeo and writing scholarship, Mesa spent a lot of time with mentor and stock contractor, Terry Williams. It was there that she bought a few more bulls and Highway 12’s career really took off. Since then, she has had the opportunity to haul quite a few bulls to the PBR, something she feels very blessed to have been able to do.

Mesa is now living in Ardmore, Oklahoma and dating HD Page, who as she says, “is probably the best bull man there is.” She works for their operation, D&H Cattle, and is in the midst of starting over with her own bucking bull program, focusing on raising her bulls from the ground up. She is also is able to concentrate on her horse program and loves the fact that everything they do with the bulls is done horseback. Mesa has a mare she is planning on showing in the reined cow horse this year, along with three young prospects that she is very excited about. “Training rope horses, ranch horses and cow horses is what I want to focus on, along with raising bulls.”

You can follow Mesa here on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

What makes home home is….well, I tend to change homes pretty often! Home will always be in Montana where my family and mountains are, but for someone like me who tends to move around a lot, home is also where my animals and people close to my heart are. 

If I could achieve anything in the world it would be…to be a great hand. I would like to be known as someone who makes really great horses and bulls. I'd also like to show the same horse in reined cow horse, a couple roping events and barrels, and be able to go do a days work on him/her. My goal is to make really versatile, all around horses. 

The one piece of advice I would give to girls who are interested in the cowboy world is...oh man, I probably have way too much to say about this! First of all, everyone was a beginner at some point. Don't worry about screwing up if you are trying hard! The right people will see the effort. Second, be proud of your accomplishments, but don't give yourself too much credit just because you are a woman. Gender has nothing to do with working hard and doing a good job. And there's always someone out there better than you (man or woman), don't let envy or jealousy keep you from learning how they got there! 

My most prized possession is…my bay horse, Dakota. 

As a kid I was always…glued to my dad's hip. I remember one time he was about to go outside and I asked where he was going. As I was running to get ready to follow him he said "crazy!" Without thinking I hollered back, "hold on, let me get my boots!" I literally would, and still would, follow him anywhere. 

My favorite non-cowboy activity is…to do anything outside. Hiking, kayaking, fishing...I just never get to! I love to read and if I can ever get to a concert that's awesome. I'm a music freak. Also...Pinterest. 

I knew I was on the right track in life when…shoot, I haven't quite gotten there yet, ha! In a lot of ways I have, but I've obviously gone through quite a few changes and gone a few different routes in life. I think that's ok, I just try to make sure I know what kind of morals and character I want to have, and try to constantly work on myself, my faith, etc. I am pretty positive the rest will fall into place! 

My ideal day would include…if I could have a day where I got to brand all morning with my whole family and close friends, then bucked some calves in the afternoon and worked horses and roped that evening, I can't think of a better day! 

My favorite cocktail is…depends a little on the season. Crown and water is my go to. Gin and tonic is my summer drink. I'm a big beer fan though. The darker the better! 

If I could be friends with anyone in the world, dead or alive, it would be….that's such a good question! I would have really loved to have known Tom Dorrance, I only got to meet him a couple of times. Also, I've always wanted to have a conversation with Christoph Waltz. And Beethoven! Oh wait, you didn't say to make a list? 

My favorite beauty product is…Tarte Amazonian clay foundation! On a day-to-day basis that's usually all the makeup I wear. I love it. 

I'm working hard to be respected as a person, stock contractor and horsewoman, and to advocate our way of life…and that is what makes me a Buckaroo Barbie!