Women’s Contestant Nominees
Mary Walker
Mary Walker is no stranger to adversity. With one of the longest running careers in the WPRA, Mary’s persistence and determination to achieve the world title in barrel racing has never faltered. After losing her only son and having to relearn how to walk, Mary showed the world what it means to be a true champion. In less than a year from the loss of her son and her near career ending accident, Mary began a season run that would qualify her for the National Finals Rodeo in third place. After the ten nights in Vegas, Mary left as the top money earner of all finalists, across all events setting a new earnings record for the NFR of $146,941.10, she received the best dressed award, and took home the Gold Buckle as the 2012 Barrel Racing World Champion.
Awards:
Inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum, 2013.
Perculatin named 2012 AQHA/WPRA Barrel Horse of the Year.
Awarded the Tad Lucas Award from the Cowboy Hall of Fame (Oklahoma
City), 2013.
Won the Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award at the 2012 Wrangler NFR.
Accomplishments:
World titles: 1 (2012)
Wrangler NFR qualifications: 5 (2012-16)
DNCFR/RNCFR qualifications: 1 (2015)
First place wins at Cheyenne, Ellensburg, Denver, Fort Worth (5x), and many others.
Became the WPRA's seventh earnings millionaire in 2016.
Oldest athlete to when a world title in 2012. (surpassed by Mary Burger in 2016)
Mary has pursued her passion for good horses and rodeo since she was a little girl. Her love of animals and her care for those around does not go unnoticed by those in her sport. Her husband Byron Walker is a World Champion Steer Wrestler, million-dollar cowboy, and ProRodeo Hall of Famer. This couple is one in only a handful of Gold Buckle households in
the world. The couple has a strong belief in giving back to the sport that has brought such joy and success into their lives. The couple owned a rodeo production business for several years and owned some of the finest horses and bulls in the professional rodeo circuit. Their knowledge of equine bloodlines, conformation, and a what it takes to have a winning horse are second to none. Mary spends her off season time putting on barrel racing clinics at locations across the country. Impacting the lives of future barrel racers and perhaps, a world champion.
Kathryn “Kappy” Allen
Kathryn “Kappy Allen” was raised on a horse by her Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame father, Grady Allen. She is a four-time National Finals Rodeo Qualifier, three-time Texas Circuit Finals Qualifier, two -time National Circuit Finals Qualifier and the Salt Lake City Cultural Olympics Gold Medalist. In 2000 Kappy won the National Finals Barrel racing average and was crowned the WPRA World Champion Barrel Racer aboard her main mount, “Risky Chris”. “Chris” was a sorrel gelding known for his smooth style and consistent
runs. The dynamic duo returned in 2001 to win the National Finals Barrel Racing Average – again being the fastest on ten runs. In all four times to the National Finals Rodeo, Kappy and Chris never hit a barrel. Allen has been featured in many articles as the superwoman of barrel racing as most of her pro rodeo accomplishments were won while she was raising her two young boys and working as a full-time attorney in Austin, Texas. It was Allen’s love of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and her expertise in the legal field that restored the members of the WPRA their right to vote for their President. Kappy has won such prestigious rodeos as Austin, Denver, Reno, San Angelo, Fort Madison, Sikeston, Calgary, and many others. One of her most memorable wins was before her first World Championship while competing at Salinas, California. Kappy was feeling overwhelmed and underqualified to be there amongst the greatest barrel racers in the world. She called her daddy, Grady, for some fatherly advice. He reminded her of what she and her horse were capable of and why she was there. She consequently won that rodeo – and the rest, as they say, is history. Kappy Allen is a Hall of Fame Cowgirl – in and out of the arena.
Cathy Felts
Record holder for the youngest competitor to win money at the Houston Astrodome. Cathy Dennison Felts split 2 nd & 3 rd in the 1 st go round of the GRA barrel race in 1970 at the age of 9, aboard her dynamic and ever so consistent gelding, King Nassau. King was an own son of King P234. In the Spring of 1970, Cathy joined the Texas Barrel Racing Association (TBRA) and went on to make the Top 20 Standings from 1970 to 1983. She and King were the TBRA Year-end Champions in 1972 and 1974 and Reserve Champions in 1973 and 1975. Southwestern Rodeo Association Champion 1970, 1971 and 1972. King passed away at the age of 16 in 1976. Aboard Bays Toy Jet, ‘TJ,’ Cathy had much success in the Futurity world. From there they launched into the 1987 National Finals Rodeo and brought home the Texas Circuit Finals Championship, along with the Texas Circuit Reserve. Cathy carried on with her success to be in the 1988 WPRA Top 20 and TexasCircuit Finals Qualifier, as well as serving as WPRA Texas Circuit Director from 1988-1990.
Record holder for the youngest competitor to win money at the Houston Astrodome.
Split 2nd & 3rd in the 1st go round of the GRA barrel race in 1970 at the age of 9.
• Resigned from the GRA association in the spring of 1970 and joined the Texas Barrel
Racing Association(TBRA)
• Top 20 in TBRA from 1970 to 1983
• TBRA Champion 1972 and 1974
• TBRA Reserve Champion 1973 and 1975
• Southwestern Rodeo Association (SRA) Barrel Racing Champion 1970, 1971 and 1972
• SRA evolved into the Texas Rodeo Association (TRA) Top 10 barrel racer in this
association in 1973
All these accomplishments were achieved riding King Nassau, who was an own son of
King P234. King Nassau died in 1976 at the age of 16.
• 1984 Texas Barrel Racing Futurity finished 3rd in the Average riding Bays Toy Jet (TJ)
• 1984 Champion of Champions Futurity Reserve Champion
• 1987 National Finals Rodeo qualifier
• 1987 won 6th in the average of the NFR
• 1987 Texas Circuit Reserve Champion
• 1987 Texas Circuit Finals Champion
• 1988 finished in the top 20 of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association
• 1988 Texas Circuit Finals qualifier
• 1988 Alternate for the US Olympic Team at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta
• 1990 was one of eight barrel racing exhibitors for the Rodeo/Grand Ole Opry gala held
for the dignitaries from 8 countries represented at the Economic Summit of
Industrialized Nations at the Astrodomain Complex in Houston Texas hosted by the
president of the United States, George W. Bush Sr.
• 1988 – 1990 served as WPRA Texas Circuit Director
• 2017 inducted into the South Central Texas Rodeo Ring of Honor
Fallon Taylor
Fallon Taylor’s career began at age 7, in 1990. She was the youngest Professional Barrel Racer to belong to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. She firstqualified for the NFR in 1995 at the tender age of 13, making her one the youngest
qualifiers ever.
Accomplishments-
-7 Time NFR Qualifier 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2013, 2014, 2015
-2014 World Champion PRCA/WPRA
-Trainer of the 2013 AQHA Horse of the Year
-1997 Rodeo Houston Champion
-2013 Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo Champion
-2013 All American Prorodeo Finals champion
-2014 black hills roundup champion
-2017 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Champion
-2018 Rodeo Houston Superseries Champion
-Calgary Stampede Finalist
-2018 AQHA World Champion
-The American finalist
– Well over $1,000,000 in career earnings
