RETURN TO THE TOP Crowther Claims Title in Caldwell By Allie Bohus W hen WPRA member Margo (Peters) Crowther first had a shot at qualifying for her first Wrangler NFR she had just graduated from Tarleton State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business. The year was 2008. She was at the top of her game, sitting in the top 15 in the WPRA World Standings, when disaster struck.
Following a run at the Cody (WY) Stampede, Crowther’s beloved horse, “Lexus,” registered Fast Time Lynx, started exhibiting signs of liver failure. She was shipped to the Montana Equine Medical and Surgery Center in Bozeman, Montana, where it was determined that she was suffering from salmonella, a bacterial infection that ended up being fatal for the 8-year-old sorrel mare, who succumbed to the illness on July 5, 2008. “It was before Facebook and smart phones were really around, and everyone was like ‘Where did Margo go?’ It was devastating to say the least! Looking back now, I was so young, it really was traumatizing, but it made me who I am today….being on the road at 22 and your horse dying definitely made me tough! Lexus was my child, she was a really sweet mare that always gave me 100-percent. She won Horse of the Year in the [National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s] Southeastern Region my senior year at Tarleton State,” she said. At the time of her devastating loss, Crowther was sitting 11th or 12th in the world standings. It was a tragic blow to her first bid at the Wrangler NFR. Crowther decided to sell her place in Morgan Mill, Texas, where she had been living while attending college, just a few days after Lexus’ passing and moved home to Florida. Later that year she met her husband, they later got married and started a family, putting her rodeo goals on hold for a few years while the rest of her life blossomed. Although she wasn’t pursuing a Wrangler NFR qualification, during Crowther’s time away from professional rodeo, she actively trained
horses, competing in futurities, super shows and local jackpots, as well as started a (200 employee) roofing company: Target Roofing and Sheet Metal - ‘Southwest Florida’s top commercial roofer’, had kids, and “focused on growing up” she said fondly. Then in 2017, Crowther won the Old Fort Days Futurity & Derby (Fort Smith, AR) on her mare Shes Packin Fame, a 2012 petite sorrel mare, “Sissy,” who Crowther bought because she reminded her so much of her former beloved horse Lexus. Once she clicked with Sissy, Crowther realized she wanted to try and rodeo more seriously again. In 2020, despite so many rodeo cancellations, Crowther won second in the Southeastern Circuit Finals Rodeo, and qualified for the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo, finishing the year in the Top 25. 2021 was a trying year for Crowther, who got burnt out from juggling rodeo and life at home. So when the 2022 regular season started, Crowther was refreshed and ready to hit the road. It helped that Crowther’s 10-year-old daughter Stella (a Junior WPRA Member) was rodeoing with her as well! “[When the season started] I set goals to win my circuit. I told myself that am going to circuit rodeo, and not look outside my circuit. And then I started doing really well… I was just winning so much in the fall that come spring I was [still] doing well and I entered Austin (the day before Austin somebody drew out, so I got into Austin) and loaded up with my mom and the girls [Stella, 10 and Saylor, 3]. From there, I entered San Angelo and won like $11,000 and that boosted me up. Everyone was like ‘Oh my gosh, you are sitting 12th or 11th, you have to make a summer run!’ ” Crowther said. So after San Angelo, she decided to go home and rest and decide what she was going to do for the rest of her year. Margo Crowther and Shes Packin Fame, a 2012 petite sorrel mare she calls Sissy claimed the barrel racing title at the Caldwell (ID) Night Rodeo. The duo won the average in a total time of 51.81 seconds on three runs. Photo by Ty Stockton
Margo Crowther and Sissy are racing their way to their first Wrangler NFR qualification and got a big boost winning the title in Caldwell, Idaho. They picked up a total of $8,074 to add to their 2022 ProRodeo earnings. Photo by Ty Stockton
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16 WPRA NEWS SEPTEMBER 2022
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