Breakaway roper Rickie (Engesser) Fanning once again leads the standings in 2024, thanks to her exceptional horsemanship and consistency. Although she recently lost her number one horse, Rolo, Fanning is still roping well and staying at the top of the WPRA standings.
We had the chance to interview Fanning before her busy Cowboy Christmas schedule. As a two-time Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping qualifier, she discussed her horses, goals, and even some of her favorite rodeos.
Q&A with Rickie Fanning
RL: Where are you from?
RF: I was born and raised in Spearfish, South Dakota.
RL: When did you first start riding horses and roping?
RF: A lot of it was my dad. He grew up on a farm and ranch when he was younger, then when he married my mom, they bought some land outside of Spearfish where he had horses and roped. Then when we were all born, he got us all on horses at a very young age and we all really enjoyed doing it.
RL: Have you always wanted to be involved in rodeo?
RF: I always wanted to rodeo, it was always a big part of our lives. And it’s just such a family thing. I started in the pros, then it kind of took off. I don’t think I ever thought I’d still be going this hard. But I’m super grateful for the support and those things are always going to be a part of my life.
RL: Did you attend college?
RF: I went to college in Gillette for two years, then I transferred to Tarleton and finished my undergrad in animal science. Then I went on to get my master’s in consumer resources and science there. Going down south was a blessing, and being in Gillette was a great start to prepare me for college before I went to Texas. Everyone wants to go there, and getting that opportunity helped me meet new people and kind of get out of my box. I got to meet a lot of new people and a lot of them turned into family and so I’m really glad we did go down to Texas.
RL: What do you like about rodeo and what makes you want to keep competing?
RF: Competing is always fun, and I love the adrenaline. It’s also family oriented, like we get to bring our family with us to a lot of places. And then honestly, meeting so many great people and seeing new places are all factors in why I like being out on the road. I know there’s a lot of places I definitely wouldn’t see if it wasn’t for rodeo.
RL: Which of your horses is your all time favorite, and what made them special?
RF: I had some really cool horses growing up and they were all my favorites. But I think the one that stands out the most to me is my horse I just lost here a couple months ago. His name was Rolo, he was pretty dang special to me and it was a very God-given thing how I even ended up with him. But just the impact he left on me, the confidence he gave me, and the impact he made on the breakaway industry, was incredible. There were a lot of people that knew him. He was one-eyed and old, but he is probably by far one of my more special ones that I’ve had the privilege to own.
RL: How did you find Rolo?
RF: I decided I needed another horse when I was attending Tarleton State University for college. I just need something to help take some runs off my main horse. So I went and tried this horse out at a friend’s house. And I mean, I had seen pictures, but he wasn’t the cutest. He had a dent in his head. He had one eye, and the other one was blind. He had like no tail and his mane was roached. But I roped a couple handfuls on him and I went and talked to the guy that I was roping with there and I was like, gosh, I really like him, but I don’t know. He said, if you don’t write the check, I’m going to. So I called my dad and I said, dad, I’m buying the horse. I wrote him the check and brought him home, and after about a month of having him, my good mare got a bowed tendon and he was kind of my next thing I really had to go rodeo on. From then on, he was my number one.
RL: What horses are you currently hauling with you?
RF: First I’ve got my gray. He’s turned into my good one, and he’s the one I’ve been riding most of the winter rodeos. And then I just bought a six year old little gelding that I’m hoping to crack out on some of my circuit rodeos to kind of help my good one get a little bit of a break.
RL: Who is your travel partner?
RF: I travel with my sister, Taylor Engesser. She’s been roping since we were young as well. She actually started competing professionally more in barrel racing, and then eventually now does breakaway. We travel together all year long.
RL: What are your goals for this year?
RF: I think one of our major goals is we would like to be in the top 30 to get into the winter run or those winter rodeos. That’s always one of our main goals. But one of our smaller goals that we have is to focus on each run and not look so far in the future. A mid term goal for me is to make Puyallup and the governor’s cup. Another one of my major goals is to hopefully go back to the finals.
RL: What are your favorite rodeos to rope at and what makes them special?
RF: Oh gosh, that’s a hard one. I really like Calgary because that’s the first time we got to go up there, which was really fun. Pendleton’s always a big one because it’s a totally different setup. But I mean, there’s a lot of great ones out there. I love all the winter rodeos. They all do a really good job. The committee members are always great too, so it’s hard to really pinpoint one that is better than the other.
RL: What are you most proud of achieving in your career?
RF: There’s a couple big wins I was very fortunate to get. But one of my really favorite wins, especially now that I lost him, was getting to win the fifth round on Rolo two years ago at the 2022 National Finals Rodeo. That was probably the most special to me. My favorite part about that whole thing is, when we took the victory lap, my horse literally tried to run off the whole time. It makes me smile every time I think about it.
RL: How do you keep yourself and your horses in top shape for your runs?
RF: A lot of it comes down to roping the dummy, roping the sled and not changing how you rope when you get on the road. It can be hard because you’ll want to change things when it’s not working. But you need to trust the process of how you practice and you’ll be prepared.
RL: What advice do you have for younger ropers?
RF: If you want to be a breakaway roper and you want to be good at it, put your work and time into it, and make sure you’re always appreciating the people that have helped you along the way. •
-Interview by Nicole Jasperson
