Brandi McDowell may balance a full-time gig alongside her horse training ventures, but that didn’t keep the Moreland, Oklahoma, cowgirl from hitting a home run at the 2025 Gold Buckle Futurity World Finals in Abilene, Texas, riding Quanahs Style and earning a total of $44,275.
The 4-year-old gelding is owned by Shawn and Rikki Moyer, who also own an electric company based on Woodward, Oklahoma, where McDowell and her husband Ethan work. The tight-knit group got to watch as McDowell put together three solid runs totaling 910.89 on Quanahs Style to top both the main 4-Year-Old Futurity and Intermediate Division.
The Breakaway Roping Journal got to catch up with McDowell following her big week in Abilene to hear a little more about the win and the people that helped make it happen, thanks to Rattler Rope.
Brandi McDowell’s Gold Buckle Futurity Win on Quanahs Style
BRJ: Let’s talk about Quanahs Style. What’s his story and how did you get him?
McDowell: He’s by the stallion Quahadi, and I’ve heard a lot of people say they haven’t really seen many of his babies in the roping yet.
We got Quanahs Style from Audy Reed in Spearman, Texas. He had probably around 60 days—give or take—of just riding when we bought him. We were looking for something, and I came across him on Facebook. I told Shawn and Rikki about him and they said, “Go look at him.”
We went out, rode him and brought him home. He was very, very, very broke for that stage.
BRJ: What stood out to you about him early on?
McDowell: He just wanted to be broke. Super athletic. You ask him to do something—he is full contact going to do it. We roped the sled a little bit and I remember thinking, “He doesn’t even need this.” He was just kind of a freak that way. When we brought him home he really wasn’t that big, but he’s a big boy now.
He’s not your typical-looking breakaway horse. He’s more of a head horse build. But I tell people all the time: I know he’s big, but this is by far the easiest horse I have to rope on. He’s so quick-footed that it doesn’t feel like you’re on a big horse. He’s just different—a freak of an athlete, I’ll tell you that.
BRJ: You called him “feral” in a loving way. What’s his personality like?
McDowell: We call him feral—very feral. You could put him in a hundred-acre pasture and forget about him. He’s very particular. He doesn’t really like anybody but me and Shawn. He’s kind of got his people.
It actually took me six months to get him to take a treat out of my hand. The whole warming him up process was a deal. He’s getting better, but he’s still kind of like that—just a little more watchy.
BRJ: Before this Gold Buckle win, where had you shown him?
McDowell: Back in March at the RFA—the Ropings of America—I roped on him in the slot roping. I placed in the first round and was set up good for the second round and I missed. The next day we came back around for the actual futurity and I won it on him.
Then I took him to Gold Buckle in May, and then to the Royal Crown in Guthrie. I actually took him out to the Old West Roping Futurity in Utah. He’s seen quite a few things now.
Going to Utah was a little much for him. He handled it good, but when I came home, I turned him out for a month. We kind of amateur rodeoed and then I started getting him back in shape and ready for Abilene. I think that did a lot of good for him.
BRJ: Going into Abilene this time, how were you feeling about him?
McDowell: Really good. I felt like he was working the best he ever had. He’s always worked good, but I just felt like he was taking everything better when we were practicing. I took him to a little backyard jackpot a couple weeks before, and he did really good. I was really pleased. We were super pumped and excited to see what he could do. But you just never know when you’re riding babies. One run could be the best run, and the very next one they can humble you real quick.
BRJ: Walk me through your runs at the Gold Buckle—start to finish.
McDowell: The first one, I thought he did really good. I was a little closer on the barrier than I should’ve been, but he made a really good run and just set us up for the rest of the day. I was really pleased with the score.
In the second round, he got a little nervous in the box—not too bad. He wanted to squat a little bit and I was just trying to pick him up out of the corner. He recovered really well, then made a nice run in the field. They got us a little bit on the score, which they should have.
Third round, he recovered so well. That was the round we won. He’s just one of those that keeps getting better [as you go]. I think we were a 232.27 in that third round and made a beautiful run.
In the short go, I was a little bit off the barrier, but he’s got some wheels. I’m glad that was the last one because he was getting strong running to the calf, and that was an awesome run. It felt great.
BRJ: Did you realize you’d won it when you came out of the arena?
McDowell: No. I rode out of the arena and kind of went off back where everybody was sitting, got off, took his boots off, and started walking back to the stalls. My husband was like, “Where are you going?” I said, “I’m going to the stalls.” He said, “Well, you’ve got to go get your stuff, you won it.” I couldn’t believe it. It was pretty awesome.
BRJ: You don’t ride him in a tie-down—what led to that decision?
McDowell: Growing up, my horses were not really that broke. My finished horses ran straight lines pretty much, so I always put tie downs on them. I had a tie down on him for a while and I just wasn’t liking what it was doing—It was stiffening him up a little bit. Recently I took the tie down off, and it really freed him up. It’s kind of scary—he gets to running fast—but he can shut it down real quick.
BRJ: What do you think the Gold Buckle series is doing for breakaway futurity horses and the industry?
McDowell: They’re awesome. I think it’s a great event—well-run and just top-of-the-line production. From the chute help to the judges to the flagmen, it’s just a great organization.
We’re so happy to be a part of it, and I just can’t wait until next May. I’ve got some up-and-comers—a couple of three-year-olds I’m super excited about that are coming together—and I just can’t wait.
Just putting together those videos—it’s stuff I’ll have forever. It makes you feel really special. I wish I could do some of that stuff because it’s pretty awesome.
They had me come back in there and do some other stuff and it was just awesome. It really makes you feel like you’re on top of the world.
BRJ: How did you find your way into the futurity world?
McDowell: Last year, I was just really not in a position to take off and go rodeo, trying to make the breakaway finals or anything.
I came across the futurities and thought, “Hey, this might be something I could do.” I could stay home, rope on horses, and then just be gone a couple days out of the year to show them. It just seemed like a better fit for the stage of life we’re in.
I did pretty good on my first one. I won the Gold Buckle Futurity 6-and-Under Intermediate at Ardmore last year on my rodeo horse Metallic Rio—he was still eligible. I made the short go at Abilene and did good.
So I was like, “Well, maybe this might be something to look into.” Now we’re all in, and my husband is trying to cut me off [from buying horses].
BRJ: Did you always picture yourself as a rodeo girl? Where did the futurity dream come in?
McDowell: Growing up, the dream was always to go to the NFR. My grandpa Jr Lewis went in the calf roping, and he actually had the Horse of the Year and the runner-up Horse of the Year in 1996. He mounted several guys throughout the years.
My mom made it in 1994 in the barrels—her name’s Mardee Hollenbeck. My dad is a calf roper and made several circuit finals, but he kind of took a step back and let my mom chase her dream and helped her make it to the NFR. He still ropes.
My dad’s dad, my grandpa, trained all his own horses and he’s actually still roping. He’s around 85, and he goes all over to the senior pro rodeos.
We’ve always trained a lot of our own horses. We’ve bought some, too, but the training part has always been a big deal in our family.
BRJ: For this phase of your life, what do you love about the futurities?
McDowell: I just love riding the colts and seeing them progress. It’s really rewarding to me. I still like to go—I go to a couple circuit rodeos and stuff like that—but it’s more of a want to, not a have to. It’s not, “I have to qualify for this, I have to do that.” It’s more, “I’m seasoning, I’m having a good time, and I get to go do this rodeo.”
And I love watching at the futurities—I couldn’t wait for Abilene. I like watching all the ropers and the horses. I think it’s amazing what they’re doing at that young of an age. It’s really cool to watch, and it’s raising up solid horses for the jack potters, the rodeos—whatever they go on to be.
BRJ: Who do you want to thank for helping you and Quanahs Style reach this moment?
McDowell: I want to say thank you to Shawn and Rikki Moyer for everything they do for me and for letting me practice at their facility.
My husband Ethan works the chute, opens the gate, pushes calves, and shoes all my horses. It definitely takes a team to do it, and I have one of the best teams, I’ll tell you that.
Their daughter, Merrick Moyer—she ropes with me sometimes in the mornings. She helps me rope and I help her rope before work. Then a lot of times I go back out there after work.
It’s just a nice little community. It’s awesome.
