No longer saddled with the duties of the saddlery business, Rule found herself with less obligations at home and more time and freedom to rodeo professionally. Her children grew up and have families of their own, and she and her husband recently sold the saddle shop. Rule always bought and trained barrel horses, but with two kids in private schools, would always sell her best horses. She always competed in barrel racing locally and was regular qualifier to the Women’s National Finals Rodeo over the years, competing in all the timed events. In the past, helping operate the saddle shop and training barrel horses kept Rule too busy to hit the road to chase the NFR on her own. “I thought to myself, I better get on it or get over it at this age.” “I really never struck out and gave it a solid try until this last year,” she said. Now Dona is in the hunt for a world champion saddle of her own.
“A lot of calf ropers and a lot of steer trippers really liked John’s saddles.”įrom 1988 to 1998, John Rule made the saddles for each world champion in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “His forte is a calf roping saddle,” Dona said of her husband’s work. John made the saddles and Dona operated the retail business. But she is no newcomer to the rodeo world.įor 30 years, Rule and her husband, John, owned the National Saddlery shop in Stockyards City. Rule is one of 13 Oklahoma cowboys and cowgirls who have qualified to this year’s NFR, which begins Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the oldest.
Now at age 61, the Minco cowgirl has ridden herself to the NFR for the first time. Dona Kay Rule has spent most of her life helping other barrel racers get to the National Finals Rodeo.
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