Courtenay Dehoff: Embracing the Cowgirl Spirit
Photo by Shelby Caitlin Photography
Courtenay DeHoff has been surrounded by agriculture her entire life. As part of the fifth generation of a ranching family from Kansas, she showed Angus cattle and participated in rodeos across the country throughout her childhood. After graduating high school, she pursued a degree in agricultural communication at Oklahoma State University (OSU), where she also competed in college rodeos.
Since then, Courtenay’s journey has allowed her to achieve lifelong goals and take on roles she never dreamed she’d hold.
Finding Her Path
During her time at OSU, an internship at a local television station led Courtenay to find her passion.
“By week two of that internship, I knew I wanted to be a television host,” she recalls. “After graduating, I landed my first television job at a network based in Nashville.”
As her career progressed, Courtenay soon learned that the mainstream media industry wasn’t very accepting of a small-town girl with a cowboy hat. So, she took off her boots and stepped into heels, trading her roots for a lifestyle that aligned with her career.
“I hid the best part of who I was for over a decade to fit in and be successful in the industry I thought I wanted to be accepted in,” she reflects. “As I matured, I realized something was missing. No matter how big the job was, no matter how famous the people I interviewed were, there was a piece of me that was missing.”
That missing piece was the cowgirl she had always been—the ambitious, tenacious, never-back-down girl who carried the title of cowgirl with pride.
“My struggle had always been that I wanted to be a cowgirl, but I also wanted to live in big cities and be a mainstream television host,” she explains. “I wanted to be a fancy lady and a cowgirl. That’s how Fancy Lady Cowgirl was born.”
Photo by Kaycie Timm
Today, Courtenay leads Fancy Lady Cowgirl, a network of women who share that same desire through social media, speaking engagements, events, and more. Along the way, she merged her passion for media with her roots as a cowgirl by hosting coverage of major events for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), and the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA), among others.
“Western sports have taken me all over the world,” she shares. “It took me leaving the industry to really appreciate that upbringing, lifestyle, culture, and the people.”
Changing the Narrative
Courtenay’s mission to open doors for women from all walks of life to embrace their inner cowgirl has attracted attention from people across the globe—and not all of it has been positive.
“I’m pretty confident in who I am as a cowgirl, but I was really shocked by the response when I started sharing about Fancy Lady Cowgirl,” Courtenay reveals. “I learned on social media that there are a lot of people who don’t like what I’m doing.”
Photo by Kaycie Timm
Rather than letting the criticism discourage her, Courtenay took it as an opportunity to educate others and welcome newcomers into the Western lifestyle.
“I’m a prime example that being a cowgirl is so much more than an occupation,” she shares. “Even when I was working in mainstream television and hiding my background, the only thing that kept me alive in that volatile industry were the cowgirl values I was raised with.”
Armed with that experience, Courtenay continues to boldly share her message with women from all walks of life, inspiring them to embrace their inner cowgirl.
“I believe that all women have a little cowgirl spirit in them,” she explains. “That’s really the mission behind Fancy Lady Cowgirl: to encourage women to embrace being a cowgirl and to live by the values of courage, originality, worthiness, grit, resiliency, and integrity. Those are the values that lead to doing legendary things.”
Broadening Horizons
In 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation, Courtenay found a new opportunity on her horizon—and it all started with a DM.
“I saw a message request on Instagram from a girl named Katie [Perschbacher] asking if I wanted to partner on a bucking bull,” she recalls.
Becoming a stock contractor had never been part of her plan, but Courtenay was intrigued. After a little research and a visit to meet a wide-eyed yearling bull named Top Dollar, Courtenay agreed.
Photo by Shelby Caitlin Photography
“I remember asking Laramie [Wilson] ‘Why me?’” she shares. “He looked at me and said, ‘Because I am determined to show people that women have a place in the bucking bull industry.’”
Throughout Top Dollar’s yearling year, bucking at American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) events, Courtenay learned that people from all backgrounds—from major league baseball players to movie stars—owned bulls, but not many of them were female.
“It was an honor and a privilege to be one of the few women on the back of the bucking shoots,” she recalls. “And now it’s not uncommon!”
As Top Dollar developed in the arena, Courtenay began sharing his experiences on social media.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” she laughs. “I was learning right along with his [social media] audience as the journey unfolded. It’s been the journey of a lifetime.”
Photo by Shelby Caitlin Photography
That journey has grown to include fans from all over the world who eagerly follow every step of Top Dollar’s career, from being named ABBI Yearling World Champion to bucking at the PBR World Finals.
“We’ve had so many cool experiences with Top Dollar,” she shares. “Top Dollar has met more celebrities than any of us have. We get messages from all over the world, which is really amazing.”
A Brighter Future
Through every step of her journey, Courtenay has grown more steadfast in her commitment to supporting the Western industry and the people in it.
“Cowboys and cowgirls are one of a kind,” she declares. “I think that everyone should do their part to keep the traditions alive. That starts with taking care of the athletes.”
As someone who’s seen the Western industry as both a member of the community and as an outsider, Courtenay has witnessed firsthand the misconceptions about what it takes to pursue a career in rodeo.
“For the casual fan of rodeo, when you see a bull rider stand up on that stage at the end of the PBR World Finals with a million-dollar check, you see a pro athlete,” she explains. “You’d assume he’s rich and famous and that his family is set. The general fan has no idea that those athletes are paying for the fuel, the flights, the medical bills, and the entry fees. There’s way more money involved now, but not many of the athletes are making much money when you consider their expenses. That million-dollar check goes fast when you’re on the road 360 days a year.”
Top Dollar at the 2024 PBR World Finals. Photo by Kaycie Timm
Without the consistency of a salary, cowboys and cowgirls only take home a check when they win—and the bills are still due whether they win a world title or sustain an injury in the arena.
“Whether you’re a breakaway roper or a bull rider, there are going to be injuries,” she states. “Western Sports Foundation is such a beautiful safety net. It’s really the only one these cowboys and cowgirls have. Not only is it reassuring for the athletes, but I can’t imagine how reassuring it is for the families to know that this organization is out there.”
That’s why Courtenay encourages others to join her in supporting WSF and furthering its mission of caring for Western sports athletes.
“Imagine how many more people we could help if there was more support,” Courtenay says. “If you go to a rodeo and you love it, donate to the Western Sports Foundation. It’s a no-brainer to support an organization that gives back to the men and women who are the cornerstones of this country. It’s really special to be part of that.”