Leading the charge for northeastern cowgirls in the sport of breakaway roping rides Emily Fabian of Gansevoort, New York. This mother, wife, and business owner flawlessly transitioned from the ProRodeo stands to the arena dirt to dominate not only the 2021 First Frontier circuit championship, but also capture the aggregate title at the First Frontier Circuit Finals (FFCF) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Jan. 13–15, 2022.

A successful regular season gave Fabian a dominating lead on the field, but she didn’t plan on letting off the throttle at the FFCF. Fabian placed in all three rounds and captured the aggregate title with a time of 9.90 seconds on three head. She amassed $3,107 in earnings over the three-day event, and ended the season with $9,393.01, an impressive finish over Sierra Galusha of Warrensburg, New York, who captured the reserve championship with $4,062.68 in earnings. Both Fabian and Galusha will go on to compete at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on July 13–16, 2022. 

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“I felt more prepared than I ever have for a rodeo in January. When I got to the finals, I just wanted to have fun. I had such a lead that I knew I was there to finish the job, and I focused on getting them caught,” Fabian said of her mindset going into the event. 

Fabian recently parted with her 2021 First Frontier Circuit Breakaway Horse of the Year, Hollywood Jac Dun It, so she was left without a mount for the FFCF. However, she happened to click with her husband’s green, 8-year-old mare. Aladdin’s Approach, or “Lexus,” as she is affectionately known, hadn’t been entered more than 20 times before stepping into the bright lights in Harrisburg, but she handled it so well that Fabian plans to continue to use Lexus in the 2022 season. 

This New York cowgirl began her rodeo career early as a barrel racer, but a high-school crush on a team roper named Eric Fabian motivated her to pursue the sport of breakaway roping. The duo started dating just before a high school rodeo at the Harrisburg Farm Show Complex, the same arena where the FFCF is held, in 2006.

“I told my mom that she had to take me to the high school rodeo so that I could hang out with my future husband,” she recalled.

Fabian’s next trip to Harrisburg was in 2011, where she was on Eric’s arm for his first circuit finals. 

Fabian spent the following decade making a name for herself on the amateur circuits. Amongst her many career accolades, she is an eight-time qualifier to the International Finals Rodeo. However, like many other skilled breakaway ropers, she found herself cheering from the stands during circuit finals every year. She made the best of it and enjoyed rocking sky-high heels, glamorous outfits, and fun hairstyles with the other rodeo wives and girlfriends. 

With the addition of breakaway into PRCA/WPRA rodeos, Fabian traveled to 22 rodeos in 2021 and amassed $6,352.52 in regular season earnings. Despite roping alongside the cowboys all year, she still believed she would take her usual place in the audience, with the addition of her 9-month-old son, Easton.

“I was thinking this year, I would hang out with my baby and go to the circuit finals as usual. We would look so glamorous and be this cute little family,” she said, laughing.

 However, in November, the circuit announced that the breakaway ropers would have the chance to back in the box during the performances at the FFCF after all. 

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“They said we were going to be there, and it was a total shift of gears,” remembered Fabian, who went from solely focusing on preparing Eric for the finals, to keeping herself and her horses in shape, as well. “It definitely changed our plans a lot, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m going to be so grateful when I get to show Easton pictures of him as a baby and show him that his mom and dad got to compete together his first year going to the circuit finals. That will be something special.” 

Marking her place in the history books is something that Fabian is still processing, but she extends her thanks to the First Frontier circuit for allowing the qualifiers the chance to compete and to the sponsors who stepped up to add to the purse.

 “It was a great feeling to be there for the first year and to be able to represent with the group that we had. We were all extremely grateful, and I felt that we all did an excellent job representing ourselves,” she said. “There wasn’t a single one of us that wasn’t grateful to be there, and we had a ton of fun. We were so blessed to have the opportunity and, hopefully, we get to go back next year, and for all the years to come.”

Full Results:

First round

1. Sierra Galusha, 3.00-second run, worth $888

2. Emily Fabian, 3.80-second run, worth $666

3. Cheyenne Chamberlain, 4.10-second run, worth $444

4. Lauren Wagner, 4.50-second run, worth $222

Second round

1. Sierra Galusha, 2.30-second run, worth $888

2. Cheyenne Chamberlain, 3.00-second run, worth $666

3. Emily Fabian, 3.10-second run, worth $444

4. Taylor Feldeisen, 4.30-second run, worth $222

Third round

1. DeNiess Kilgus, 2.90-second run, worth $888

2. Emily Fabian, 3.00-second run, worth $666

3. Kasey Kostraba, 3.90-second run, worth $444

4. Taylor Feldeisen, 4.30-second run, worth $222

Average

1. Emily Fabian, 9.90 seconds on three head, worth $1,331

2. Sierra Galusha, 5.30 seconds on two head, worth $998

3. Cheyenne Chamberlain, 7.10 seconds on two head, worth $666

4. Taylor Feldeisen, 8.60 seconds on three head, worth $333