Gena Hanagriff of Huntsville, Texas, finished off January with a bang—and an extra $11,248 in her pocket—with the help of Deltas Wrangler and two familial heelers.
Gena and her husband, Roger, first struck gold in the #10 Gold Plus on January 12 at the USTRC Heart of Texas Championships in Waco, Texas. Together, the pair clinched the average, incentive and overall fastest time, taking home $7,958 and a handful of championship buckles.
“It was a great roping for us,” Gena said. “In the last run we had a pup of a steer—he just loped out there—and I just cracked it on him; Roger came in and doubled him really pretty. I was so excited to win, but winning with Roger made it even better.”
Photo courtesy Allen’s Rodeo Photography
The Hanagriffs’ slick runs were impossible to ignore, thanks to their flashy Paint mounts. Gena’s choice ride is Deltas Wrangler, a homebred 2002 bay tobiano gelding by Delta Holliday Olena and out of Iron Country (QH), while Roger’s pick is Gay Bar Typhoon, a 2005 bay tobiano stallion by Gay Bar O Lena and out of Skips Royal Sugar.
“Everybody likes to ride a pretty horse—you’re lying if you say you don’t!” Gena said. “I know you don’t ride ‘pretty,’ but it’s sure nice when your horse is both pretty and fast.”
Gena and “Buster” also saw success the following weekend at the Bayou Championships in Kinder, Louisiana, with the help of her brother, Wade Brown.
Together, Gena and Wade finished third in the #9 average, clocking :40.86 on four steers to earn $3,290.
“I was a little nervous about my fourth steer because they all were running with their heads pretty low,” Gena said. “So I put a little more dip in my rope to make sure I got him. I bet my brother was even more nervous than me—he was roping for his little sister!”
Along with a recent streak of great catches, Gena credits Buster’s attitude and ability for her fast times.
“Buster’s got a great mind—all Delta Olena descendants are great-minded horses—and he’s real quick,” she said. “He breaks hard for me and runs where he’s got to go. Even if I’m late getting to the steer, he helps me out and makes up for it lickety-split.”
Though excited about her past runs, Gena is already looking forward to her upcoming ropings, and she’s certain to include a number of USTRC ropings on her calendar.
“The USTRC does a great job of putting on ropings, and I’ve got to hand it to them for putting all of these events together and making it work,” she said. “It’s always great when a working amateur can walk away with some cash in their pocket.”
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