Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi (born February 9, 1984) is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing. She is a three-time Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) world champion barrel racer. In 2007, 2009, and 2023, she won the championship at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, Nevada. [1]
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi was born Brittany Pozzi on February 9, 1984, in Victoria, Texas. [2] She learned barrel racing from her father. [2] She moved to Lampasas, Texas, in April 2019. [3] She attended Texas A&M University (College Station). She was previously married to tie-down roper Doug Pharr. She is currently married to team roper Garrett Tonozzi. They have one daughter.
Tonozzi joined the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) in 2003. That same year, she was the WPRA Barrel Racing Rookie of the Year. She won the WPRA barrel racing world championship at the NFR in 2007, 2009, and 2023. She won the NFR Average title twice in 2006 and 2007. She has qualified for the NFR 15 times; in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023. She also qualified for the National Circuit Finals Rodeo twice in 2012 and 2013. Tonozzi's earnings in 2019 were $105,503. She came in 5th in the world standings. Her career earnings to date as of 2019 were $2,321,480. [2] CNBC recognized Tonozzi as one of their "Blue Collar Millionaires", for her hard work in breeding and training horses as well as barrel racing. [4]
Tonozzi won the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo in Mercedes, Texas. She won the Evergreen Rodeo in Colorado. She was the co-winner of the Elizabeth Stampede in Colorado. She won the Kit Carson County Pro Rodeo in Burlington, Colorado. She won the Canby Rodeo in Oregon. She qualified for the NFR. [2]
On Friday, February 7, Tonozzi won her fourth title at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo in San Angelo, Texas. She ran a time of 13.93 in the finals, and it was the fastest time of the rodeo. She won $3,270 for the finals along with her $6,622 for winning the average with three runs for a total time of 44.15. [3] At the finals at the end of February, Tonozzi won the title at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas. [5]
Tonozzi also finished second at these rodeos: Yuma Fair & Rodeo in Colorado, Oakley Independence Day Rodeo in Utah, Coleman PRCA Rodeo in Texas, and West Texas Fair & Rodeo in Abilene, Texas. [2]
She has a horse with the registered name KissKiss BangBang, nicknamed "Mona", who is a 11-year-old mare as of 2021. Mona is by Dash Ta Fame out of CD Nick Bar. She has another horse with the registered name Babe on the Chase, nicknamed "Birdie", who is a 10-year-old mare as of 2021. Birdie is by Chasin Firewater and out of Streakin Six Babe.
She has another horse registered name Ima Famous Babe, nicknamed "Katniss", who is an 8-year-old mare as of 2021. Katniss is by Dash Ta Fame and out of Streakin Six Babe. Ima Famous Babe won the 2019 Scoti Flit Bar Award. [6]
She has another horse registered named Steele Magnolias, nicknamed "Steeley", who is by Magnolia Bar out of Kings Frosted Lady. Her horse registered name Sixth Vision, nicknamed "Stitch", won the AQHA/WPRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year Award in 2007, and came in second in 2006. Her horse registered name Yeah Hes Firen, nicknamed "Duke", tied for the award in 2011 and won it in 2012. [7]
The Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Association currently has over 3,000 members from all over the contiguous United States, Canada, and Australia.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The PRCA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
Gills Bay Boy, nicknamed "Scamper", was a ProRodeo Hall of Fame timed-event horse notable for his success in barrel racing. His owner, Charmayne James, rode Scamper from 1984 to 1993 in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). They won the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) World Championship consecutively from 1984 through 1993. They won the NFR in 1984, 1986–87, 1989–90, and 1993. He is also the recipient of the 1992 American Quarter Horse Association Silver Spur Award. Both Scamper and James won many other championships, awards, and honors. After being retired from competition after last competing in 1993, he was cloned six years later. The clone, nicknamed "Clayton", has been kept a stallion and stands at stud. Scamper died on July 4, 2012, at the age of 35.
Martha Josey is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing. She has been in active rodeo competition since 1964. She won the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA) barrel racing world championship in 1980 and was the last barrel racer to win a world championship under the organization's former name before it was renamed the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) in 1981. She has earned numerous other titles at competitions such as the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and events sanctioned by the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) and WPRA. She also competed in barrel racing as an exhibition event during the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and is the founder and co-owner of the Josey Ranch Barrel Racing Clinic.
Charmayne James is an American former professional rodeo cowgirl who specialized in barrel racing. In her career, She won 11 Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) barrel racing world championships, the most in history. She won ten consecutive world championships from 1984 to 1993, and then a final one in 2002. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) 19 times and also won seven NFR barrel racing average titles in 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 2002. James retired her horse, Gills Bay Boy, nicknamed Scamper, whom she won the bulk of her titles with, in 1993 after winning her tenth world championship. James herself would retire from barrel racing in 2002 after winning her 11th world championship.
Sherry Cervi, is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who has won four world championships in barrel racing. She won the barrel racing title at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 1995, 1999, 2010, and 2013. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2018.
Mary Burger is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing. She has won two Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) barrel racing world championships in 2006 and 2016. Burger was 68 years old when she won the championship in 2016, setting a new record for oldest professional rodeo world champion in any rodeo event, male or female. She broke the existing record set by Ike Rude of 59 years old in steer roping set back in 1953. She also broke the record set by Mary Walker in 2012 at 53 years old. Also In 2016, she became the third WPRA barrel racer to wear the No. 1 back number at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). She set a new record for season earnings, and she set a new record by becoming the oldest WPRA qualifier to the NFR at 68 years old. Her horses, Mo and Fred, whom she used to win her titles with, she trained in barrel racing herself. In 2017, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
Mary Walker is an American former professional rodeo cowgirl who specialized in barrel racing. She won the Women's Professional Rodeo Association barrel racing world championship in 2012. Despite several traumatic events in the two preceding years, she persevered. She also became the oldest woman, at 53, in rodeo to win a world championship in the barrel racing event at the National Finals Rodeo. She was later surpassed by Mary Burger in 2016 when Burger won at age 68. She lost her only child to a car accident in 2011. Two months later, Latte, her horse, fell on her during competition and severely injured her. It was about a year and a half after these incidents that she won her world title. Walker was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2013.
Wanda Harper Bush was an American professional rodeo cowgirl. She competed in the Girl's Rodeo Association (GRA), now known as the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), and won two barrel racing world championships, in 1952 and 1953. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 1978 and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017. The August 2017 induction ceremony was ProRodeo's 38th annual event, and marked the first time in the event's history that the class of inductees included barrel racers from the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).
Fallon Taylor is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing. She is the 2014 Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Barrel Racing World Champion. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) seven times between 1995–1998 and 2013–2015. She made her first NFR debut when she was 13 years old in 1995. Her horse BabyFlo was named the Women's Professional Rodeo Association/American Quarter Horse Association WPRA/AQHA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year in 2013.
Hailey Kinsel, is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing and competes in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). She won the WPRA barrel-racing world championship in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). She has also won the NFR Average title once in 2020. Kinsel and her horses have qualified for the NFR eight consecutive times in her years in professional rodeo from 2017 through 2024. She has been competing in rodeo since adolescence, winning awards through high school and college in both barrel racing and breakaway roping, as well as professional rodeo. Her horse, Sister, won the Barrel Racing Horse of the Year Award in 2018.
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