Sydney Graham and her stallion, DuPont First, have shown up in a big way since the start of his career, but recently picked up aggressive momentum with a Ruby Buckle East Championship in the fall and a rise up the top 20 in the WPRA.
Their journey hasn’t been without obstacles, and once you listen to how this duo came to be a team, we know you’ll be as big a fan as we are. And fun fact…right after recording the podcast, they went on to win the Mercedes, Texas, Pro Rodeo.
Listen to the full episode of The Money Barrel, presented by Martin Saddlery, below.
Graham didn’t come up through a program. She built everything herself, starting with one horse and figuring it out as she went.
“I actually, me, myself, I trained my first horse to run the barrels… I was a kid, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I just repetitively took her through the barrels and the poles… she had no other choice but to learn it… and she ended up qualifying for state three years in a row.”
That background shows up later when she talks about stepping into the pro rodeo world and realizing it wasn’t the same game.
“I don’t think I won a single dime for three years in the WPRA… I was really trying, but they have a different type of horses (at the ProRodeos).”
“It for sure is horsepower for one. And then two, really, it’s a huge mental game… once you’re confident that your horse can do it and you will do it, then it’s different.”
DuPont First came into her program during COVID when they were looking for a stud prospect.
“We thought, surely we can get something cheap… yeah, no… I had never been to a racehorse sale before and that’s a whole different level… but we found him and ended up getting him way cheaper than what we expected.”
What made him stand out early was how simple he was.
“He took everything like a 10-year-old ranch horse… I can’t explain enough how good-minded he is… he has never given me a reason to even consider cutting him.”
That showed up quickly once he started going.
“I exhibitioned him a few times and he would win the barrel race by three tenths and not even trying… I was like, okay, we better keep this one sound and healthy.”
One of the more interesting parts of the episode is how she explains his style, because he doesn’t fit what people expect on paper.
“He’s not bred to run the barrels… he was bred to race on the racetrack and here he is totally changing the racehorse style… he’s not a runoff, he turns like a cowhorse.”
That ties directly into how she rides him and what she lets him do.
“They have to have that want… they want to win just as much as you… if he can do something that’s going to give him attention, he’s going to do it.”
The EHV situation is another part of the episode she walks through in detail, especially how quickly things can change on the road.
“I thought everything was done… we had worked so hard… we were in the top of the standings… I was like, well, this is over.”
Instead of going backwards, he came back sharp and picked up right where he left off.
“He’s just a freak… he’s resilient… he’s just a tough sucker.”
Now she’s figuring out what it looks like to capitalize on that momentum at the rodeo level.
“I told a lot of people that my goal… is to get him to the NFR… I don’t have a second goal because that is my goal.”
This episode is brought to you by Martin Saddlery. Designed with performance and rider position in mind, Martin Saddles are trusted by competitors at every level. Learn more at martinsaddlery.com.