Raised in the rice fields of Hockley Texas, Cathy grew up with a love for horses and going fast. Her favorite pastime as a child was chasing jackrabbits horseback through the pastures. At age 7, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. F.E. Dennison, aka Manuel and Ruby, enabled her to pursue a career in barrel racing aboard ‘King’ Nassau. In 1970, they bought her GRA card, now known as the WPRA, to enter the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. At 9 years old, Cathy split 2nd and 3rd in the 1st go round and holds the record for the youngest competitor to win money at the Houston Astrodome.
Farming and Ranching full time, the Dennisons could not hit the rodeo trail nationwide, so they exchanged Cathy’s GRA membership for two Texas-based associations; the Texas Barrel Racing Association and Southwestern Rodeo Association. She finished 1970 in the top 15 of the TBRA and Champion Barrel Racer of the SRA. She held Top 10 status in the TBRA from 1970–1983 winning the Championship in 1972 and 1974 and Reserve Champion in 1973 and 1975. She remained the SRA Champion through 1972.
The loss of ‘King’ in 1976 left a huge void, but Cathy and her dad started training barrel horses again. In 1984, a colt they had raised, Bays Toy Jet, was successful in the Futurity world and in 1987 Cathy and ‘TJ’ qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on their home-grown colt. That year also brought them a Texas Circuit Finals Championship, the Texas Circuit Year End Reserve Title and once again, a paycheck at the Houston Astrodome.
Cathy slowed down after 1988 to raise a family, with her husband Rusty. Living in Mason Texas, they raised 3 children, Caleb, Cahan, and Catelyn. Cathy and Rusty celebrated 42 years of marriage in 2024.
