| ACTIVE & OUTDOOR
Proctor’s current job is certainly unique. She is the clinical director at a therapeutic boarding school called Montana Academy near Marion, Montana. She lives at the school with her two dogs and four horses. Proctor believes it is her role in society to support and assist young people in being successful through her work, rather than having her own children. Proctor has also found she would rather be single than be with a man who feels threatened by her drive and competitive nature. Proctor’s intense side was clearly visible during her many years of competing in the world of eventing. Eventing is a discipline where a rider on one horse must compete in dressage, arena show jumping, and cross-country jumping. During the winter of 2018-2019, she came to understand that the eventing world was no longer working for her. The multi-month, multi-state circuit was difficult to balance with Proctor’s profession, and she was self-sponsored— lacking financial support from family or sponsor. Wins meant horse blankets with logos and ribbons but no money to help with gas or hay expenses. Proctor decided to rewrite her goals and take her horsemanship into an area where there were plenty of local opportunities to compete and where winning meant picking up a check. The male-dominated sport of roping drew Proctor’s attention, and she suspected she had found her new competitive home. Proctor says she found a lot of support and encouragement, beginning with her very first conversations about starting to rope. Proctor’s farrier, Marion Eash, was the first person she approached about making the change about a year ago. Eash introduced Proctor to coaching team Tammy Jo and Rich Carpenter, and Proctor soon was competent in breakaway roping and competing by the summer of 2019. Proctor found additional inspiration at a roping clinic with Lari Dee Guy instructing. Guy has been a champion roper for decades and started the “Rope Like A Girl” movement to help get in-person and video training along with social support to new and experienced competitors. On January 17, 2020, Guy was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. A board member of that organization, Pam Minick, said Guy was
honored because there are hundreds of ropers just like Proctor that Guy has welcomed into the sport. At the end of 2019, Proctor added team-roping to her résumé. At the same time, she was winning breakaway competitions, like at a December 20, 2019 rodeo in Kalispell. Proctor said that team roping, getting to ‘dally’ the rope around the saddle horn and turn a steer, rather than releasing the rope like in breakaway, increased her confidence and improved her breakaway roping. When Proctor started team roping, she found very few women at the arena competing in ‘Jackpots’ where fees are paid out to the best ropers. Proctor says she appreciated having Tammy Jo Carpenter close by for support, and she improved her roping with advice from experienced ropers. Proctor is keeping one boot in eventing because her eventing horse, Zach, needs to find a new partner. Zach is still in his prime and thrives on the competition, so Proctor wants to find a rider who brings out the best in him. Just like last summer, during the summer of 2020, Proctor might compete at ‘The Event’ at Rebecca Farm during the day and hurry to the Blue Moon Rodeo Arena to rope in the evening. Should Proctor or any woman want to pursue a professional roping career, the Pro-Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) spokeswoman Cassie Emerson says the door is open but, so far, no woman has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in team roping. The PRCA does not host breakaway roping. Proctor has yet to decide where she wants breakaway and team roping to take her. What she does know is she will continue to encourage other women, and her students, to pursue with commitment whatever makes them happy in the areas of family, work, and sport. After all, tomorrow’s history is being written every day.
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