being of all performance horses. “I have always felt it was important to put back in the industry, because it is one that as soon as you quit competing, this industry forgets about you. It is just the way it is,” said Pozzi Tonozzi. “I have always tried to stay on top and had futurity horses coming up. If rodeos weren’t going well, then I would try to do the futurity. And Conquer Equine was a no-brainer when we moved to Lampasas and got more centrally located. We met some friends and found someone to run it – Codi McCorkle. It was a no-brainer after being put in the right situation not only from a business standpoint but to help our own horses. “Crazy if you work hard enough and keep your head down how things will come together, and they have. Twenty years later we are starting to reap the benefits.” Conquer Equine Rehab and Fitness is owned by Brittany and her husband, Garrett Tonozzi. Their facility is committed to offering services to get horses sound and back to work faster because they understand the importance of competing and having your athlete at its best. And it looks like the couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Tinlee, plans
third gold buckle. “I am so thankful for this horse,” said Pozzi Tonozzi. “I have never felt a horse like this before and how he goes around the barrels. I am thankful for the Busby’s, my husband and my daughter. This is so awesome.” Following their win in Dodge City the first weekend of August, Pozzi Tonozzi had collected $188,921 on the year with two months of rodeos left in the regular season. Tiany Schuster holds the record for most money won in a regular season (prior to the NFR) with $250,378 set in 2017. Reigning world champion Hailey Kinsel holds the second spot on that list with $192,834 set in 2018. Kinsel also holds the top two spots in highest single-year earnings with $350,700 and $349,076 set in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Pozzi Tonozzi could take aim on both records in 2023. Although she is in the driver’s seat for her third gold buckle, she is not quite ready to allow herself to think about that. “I tell people you don’t think about gold buckles until round eight (of the NFR),” said Pozzi Tonozzi, who has qualified for 16 NFRs with 17 to be checked off in 2023.
to carry on the family rodeo interests; she is competing in the barrel racing. In fact, Tinlee recently ran her fastest time of the summer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, aboard Chocolate Chip. She is also making wardrobe plans for her trip in December to Las Vegas. “Tinlee is super excited as she already has her dresses picked out for the NFR,” Pozzi Tonozzi said laughing. “I didn’t think she was a dress kind of girl, but she is ready for Vegas.” While Pozzi Tonozzi’s first two titles came before she was a wife and mother, there is no doubt that if this season ends with another gold buckle, it will have extra special meaning for her. “It is super fun to do it with the family,” she said. “It is now definitely more of a team feel with Garrett and Tinlee, and it makes the wins that much more special.” Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi was all smiles after collecting her first set of Reno Rodeo spurs given to each champion. Pozzi Tonozzi, who has been a member of the WPRA for 20 years, can’t believe all the first she is experiencing in 2023 but she is loving the ride. Photo by Fernando Sam-Sin
Pozzi Tonozzi might not have come from a rodeo family, but she continues to make a mark on not only the barrel racing industry but the rodeo industry as a whole. She has definitely invested her winnings back in not only a successful breeding program but also in the well Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi and Benny captured the gold medal at the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City and in so doing surpassed the $3 million mark in career earnings. Pozzi Tonozzi now joins Sherry Cervi and Lisa Lockhart in this very prestigious group. She is hoping to turn her gold medal performance into a gold buckle at the end of the year at the NFR. Photo by Ric Andersen
AUGUST 2023 WPRA NEWS 13
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