Timber Allenbrand got the win at The American Central Regional Qualifier in Oklahoma City, April 17-18, with a 2.13-second run in the finals to secure her spot in The American, May 22.
Allenbrand did it on her brand-new mount, Spot San Baby aka “Juice Box.” Juice Box has only been a part of Allenbrand’s string for a month, but she’s had her eye on him for the better part of a year.
She first noticed this 8-year-old gelding last year when calf roper Blaine Cox was riding him for Trevor Kernick—and when he sold, she wanted to find him again.
Allenbrand found him in February with Quade Hiatt, and she went to try him. It was a fit, and they have been in sync ever since.
“It felt like a long wait to find him,” she said. “But there’s a lot of waiting periods in life always—and I felt like he was a huge blessing and a visual of what the wait is worth.”
And for Allenbrand, that patience showed up in more than just finding the right horse.
Coming into the finals on Saturday, April 18, Allenbrand was sitting sixth in the average with a time of 4.37 on two head, but that didn’t matter anymore because the winning check is claimed on one head.
In a crazy fast setup, Allenbrand didn’t let the pressure affect her performance.
“Those girls were roping their butts off,” she said. “I just knew I needed to do my job.”
That’s where Allenbrand’s recent focus on fundamentals showed up.
“I’ve really just been working on my fundamentals and why things work the way they do and understanding it completely,” Allenbrand said.
That understanding kept her from overthinking in a fast roping, allowing her to stay focused on her swing and the feel of her tip.
“I’ve worked on a few things in my swing and just having more feel on my tip, and I had a better feel of it this weekend,” she added.
Allenbrand, 28, is a Kansas native who went to school in Stephenville, Texas, and transitioned from running barrels and roping calves to focusing on breakaway as her professional career evolved.
“It gets tricky to do both and really be a top athlete,” Allenbrand said. “I’ve had the rope horses to rope more and chose to do that.”
