Gayle was born on September 18, 1961, to Margaret and Chester Brittain. She has two brothers and one sister. From a very early age, Gayle was found with the animals on the family ranch in Sinton, Texas. Being raised in a family involved in farming, ranching, and horse business, it was inevitable that Gayle would work with animals throughout her life.
From an early age, she participated in Texas youth rodeos. During high school, she was competitive in several events and qualified to compete in the National High School Rodeo Association Finals in 1979 in Fargo, North Dakota.
From 1979-1982, Gayle moved across Texas and made Lubbock her home while attending Texas Tech University. There, she competed in college rodeo events, including goat tying, breakaway, and team roping. After college, she became more active in competition and, in 1987, became a member of the Professional Women’s Rodeo Association (PWRA). In her rookie year, she won the PWRA World All-Around title. She competed in tie-down roping, breakaway, steer undecorating, barrel racing, and team roping at rodeos across the United States. In many of these events, she rode her horse, Jr., that she had raised and trained. Later, Jr. was often ridden by top PRCA calf ropers in competition.
In 1988, at the Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Gayle set an arena record of 10.5 in the calf roping event during the PWRA Finals. In 1989 and 1990, Gayle continued to win at major rodeos, qualifying her for the PWRA Finals.
For the next several years, Gayle continued her love for the sport while still competing in United States Team Roping Championship (USTRC) events. In 1995, Gayle became the first woman to win a truck at a major championship team roping event.
Today, you can find Gayle riding and working with her family at their farm and ranch operation in Sinton, Texas. Her athleticism also extends to the golf course, where she has competed with the Texas Women’s Amateur Golf Association.
