The first buckle Colby Lovell ever won when he was 7 years old might be his favorite, but it’s right next to his most recent: his 2020 PRCA World Championship buckle. The 33-year-old Madisonville, Texas, native added the coveted championship title thanks to nailing the tenth round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) with a 4.4-second run with his heeler partner Paul Eaves.
“Winning the World is everything for me,” says Lovell. “You have to think you’re the best so you can compete against the best.”
Lovell grew up roping, starting first with heeling, but he didn’t qualify for the WNFR until 2010, when he began heading with then-partner Kory Koontz. Since then, Lovell has made the WNFR six times. Lovell chose to make the switch from heeling to heading because his focus and his mission became much clearer: Support his family.
“If I’m heading, that means I make the call and I’m in charge of everything,” says Lovell. “Supporting my family is very important to me, so I need to be in control. If I can make my catch, I can give my heeler the setup he needs to make his. If I mess up, we’re for sure not going to do well.”
Rodeo is a family affair for the Lovells. Levi is 15 and Jewel is 7, and both love to be around their father in the arena and in the fields. Lovell’s wife, Cassidy, barrel races and ropes as well. When Lovell isn’t on the road, he tries to fit in hunting with his son to get away and relax.
In the roping pen, Lovell relies on Classic Ropes to assist him in his gold buckle-winning ways. Lovell recommends that all ropers keep their ropes out of the heat and in a more agreeable temperature to prolong their lifespan.
“Classic does such a good job producing their ropes, there’s not much you can do to them to wear them out or ruin them,” he says. “I don’t need to do a lot to break them in, I just work a little with them until I get the rope the way I like it, and then it stays in my rope bag.”
Best Horse: Whatever horse I’m riding at the time
Favorite Truck: Ford
Favorite Jeans: Wrangler
Rope in a Cowboy Hat or Ballcap: Either one
Favorite Food: Ribeye, medium-rare
Favorite Restaurant: Roadhouse
Favorite Arena: Thomas & Mack
