Andrea Busby has once again secured her spot among the top barrel racers in ProRodeo, qualifying for her second consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2025. The Brock, Texas, cowgirl enters Las Vegas No. 14 in the WPRA world standings with $133,098 earned across 78 rodeos.

For Busby, returning to the Finals marks another step in a journey that began long before the bright lights and record-setting runs.

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From the High Plains to the ICU

Busby grew up on her family’s ranch near Lusk, Wyoming, where horses were essential to daily life. “My dad used horses to move cattle—they were tools to our survival,” she said. Her first horse, a pony named Lightning, bucked her off nearly every day, and her second, an Appaloosa mare named Katie, became her first barrel horse and taught her patience early on.

She balanced ranch chores with sports, eventually playing volleyball and basketball before earning a scholarship to Montana State University. Busby studied nursing while competing as a Division I athlete. “College sports is a huge commitment, plus nursing school,” she said. “I originally thought I could rodeo on top of it, but it turns out I’m not superhuman.”

When her horse died unexpectedly during college, rodeo took a backseat. After graduation, she went to work in the ICU in Billings, Montana. “I loved it. It’s hard, but you learn composure. You don’t get to panic—you breathe, assess, act. That transfers straight to the arena.”

The Horse That Changed Everything

Busby’s return to barrel racing came gradually. She began buying and selling horses while working full-time as a nurse. In 2007, she attended an all-girls rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, where she saw her first Dash Ta Fame offspring make a run. “I remember thinking, I don’t know what that is, but I want one of those,” she said.

Her search led her to Utah horsewoman Annie Rose, who connected her to a gelding named Soul Flame, then owned by Texas horseman Jeff Busby. Andrea called Jeff for months before finally getting a chance to try the horse. “He didn’t say no, but he didn’t say yes either. So I kept calling,” she said.

When Jeff finally agreed, she flew to Texas to try Soul Flame at Lone Star Arena. He was challenging, but never scared Andrea. “He was a lot of horse, but I didn’t think he was trying to kill me—he was just playing,” she said with a laugh. She leased him and hit the winter rodeos, winning checks at Odessa, Denver, and Fort Worth.

The following years were marked by setbacks. Soul Flame battled soundness issues, and Andrea weathered personal change. “It wasn’t glamorous—it was real life,” she said. “But that’s where I learned resilience.”

Building a Foundation

Andrea and Jeff later married, combining his discipline and eye for horses, and her horsemanship and drive into what would become the impressive program, Busby Quarter Horses. They began buying foundation mares like Lady Perks, stallion Blazin Jetolena and spent years developing bloodlines known for heart and longevity.

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“It doesn’t happen overnight,” Busby said. “From the time we bought those mares, it took sixteen years for those bloodlines to start showing up at the highest level. You can’t rush a good horse—or God’s timing.”

Mentorship from horsewomen like Sue Smith and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi helped Andrea refine her training, horsemanship and ProRodeo game. “Brittany taught me how to rodeo, and Sue taught me—and continues to teach me—true horsemanship,” she said. “I worked my way up, and it didn’t come easy.”

Faith Through Fire

Eight years ago, life shifted when Jeff was diagnosed with throat cancer. The treatment and recovery changed their perspective on everything. “That was the hardest season of my life,” Busby said. “We went through the trenches of hell together.”

During Jeff’s treatment, Andrea leaned on her faith and on mentors like Sue Smith, who was fighting the same illness at the time. “I knew who Jesus Christ was before that,” Busby said. “But I don’t think I had the relationship with Him that I do now.”

That experience reshaped her approach to competition and success. “I don’t serve barrel racing,” she said. “I serve a big God. This is what we do, but it’s not who we are.”

The Breakthrough

As she worked her way through, Busby went from placing, to winning, to just missing out on NFR appearances in the past. She’s qualified for multiple Mountain States Circuit Finals and walked away with the win, captured titles at some of the biggest rodeos in the world (heard of Cheyenne Frontier Days?) and proven that she can jockey and compete with the best in the business. But 2024 was the season that changed everything.

In 2024, Busby and Jets Top Gun—the Busby-bred gelding known as Benny—qualfiied for the NFR and broke the Thomas & Mack average record in her debut appearance. The horse had carried multiple riders to success before bringing Andrea full circle. “Benny’s been special since day one,” she said. “He’s gritty and all business. If I do my job, he’ll do his.”

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After Benny was sidelined with injury in 2025, Busby questioned whether she could repeat her success. “I didn’t know if I had the ability to do it without Benny,” she said. “But my horses stepped up, and I had to step up with them.”

This season, she relied on a diverse string that included Born On Derby Day (“Derby”), Blazin With My Dude (“Tito”), and Hanksinthefastlane (“Goodbye”). Each contributed to her second NFR qualification. “Derby got more solid every run. Tito is as honest as they come, and Goodbye is as steady as they get,” Busby said.

Faith, Family, and Focus

Through it all, Busby credits her faith and her husband for grounding her. “He’s the cheerleader, the fixer, the driver,” she said. “He’s the reason I’m still doing this. I hope I love him as well as he loves me.”

As she prepares for her second NFR, Busby carries the same mindset that carried her from the Wyoming plains to the sport’s biggest stage. “When I look back, I just see a lot of grace,” she said. “Every season, every horse, every person along the way—it’s all part of the story.”

Bonus: Favorite Quotes

Busby shared some of her favorite quotes that she keeps handy for motivation and clarity, here’s a few of our favorites:

• “Losing strengthens you. It reveals your weaknesses so you can fix them.” – Unknown
• “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear & the blind can see.” -Mark Twain
• “When talent meets talent, talent is no longer enough. Now it’s about character, now it’s about preparation, now it’s about who is relentless, who wants it the most.” – Inky Johnson