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Courtenay DeHoff-The Fancy Lady Cowgirl, Western Fashion Enthusiast, and Bucking Bull Owner
233 Plays3 years ago
Join Justin’s Taylor McAdams, as she uncovers the woman under the cowboy hat, Courtenay DeHoff. Listen as they discuss the agricultural (ag) lifestyle from the Fancy Lady Cowgirl. She owns the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Bucking Bull Top Dollar, is a sought-after keynote speaker, and network television host, and has even spoken in front of 65,000 people at the Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2021 National FFA Convention.
They discuss what it was like growing up in small-town America, the benefits of the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA), what it was like for Courtenay to be on the rodeo team at Oklahoma State University (OSU), and everything Western lifestyle. They even touch on New York Fashion Week and what it was like for Courtenay to run into Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard in Paris, France.
For a full episode transcript, visit our website at www.justinboots.com/kick-your-boots-up
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Transcript
Welcome and Introduction
00:00:03
Speaker
You're listening to the kick your boots up podcast where we swap stories of the West. Whether you're just waking up or getting in for the day. Come on in and kick your boots
Meet Courtney D. Hoff, the Fancy Lady Cowgirl
00:00:12
Speaker
up. Hello and welcome to the kick your boots up podcast. I'm so excited for this episode. This is the one and only Courtney D. Hoff. She's the fancy lady cowgirl. That's probably what you guys know her as.
00:00:23
Speaker
I know her as the girl from Kansas that was at the OSU rodeo team, Oklahoma State University, that is, go pokes. I'm so thankful to have Courtney on and this is going to be a really good episode to talk about her story and all things fancy lady cowgirl and all the different hats
Childhood and Family Roots in Rodeo
00:00:38
Speaker
she wears. So Courtney, thank you for being on today. Thanks for having me. You know, something that's unique about you is you have worn a lot of different hats growing up and then also now in the industry as well. Let's talk about your background a little bit. How did you get started in the industry?
00:00:53
Speaker
Yeah, I was really blessed in the fact that I was born into it. My mom and dad both came from agriculture. My grandparents are still heavily involved in agriculture. So it was all I knew. I tell people, I'm just a little cowgirl from Kansas. Now people see me sometimes as a network television host or as the fancy lady cowgirl and they're like, how did you achieve all those things? And I say, I'm just a little cowgirl from Kansas. I grew up
00:01:17
Speaker
Riding horses was heavily involved in high school rodeo into the national high school finals. I was on the college rodeo team at Oklahoma state, and we also showed Angus cattle all over the country. So I just had this really amazing, beautiful childhood and just a lot of credit to my mom and dad because they spent a lot of hours in the truck. They spent a lot of money on my sister and I, but you know, my dad always said, he goes, I always knew where my kids were.
00:01:42
Speaker
Oh, that is so true. And even you can relate to this being from Kansas small town. I feel like everyone always knew everything about you before you even got home. So it was totally fine. Right.
Rodeo Days: Competitions and Queen Titles
00:01:52
Speaker
Um, and let's talk a little bit more about your family than your mom and dad are very important to you. And obviously, like you said, have just invested heavily, but I also love how involved your mom is still as, as an adult as well. You guys have an awesome, awesome, awesome friendship. Talk to us about your, your family and your parents in particular.
00:02:07
Speaker
Yeah, my mom and dad, they're just, you know, I can't say enough great things about them. They gave my little sister and I just such a magical childhood. And it's one of those things as a kid growing up in it, I didn't appreciate it, right? I had to leave it behind to really be able to come back and appreciate it. And so yeah, my mom and dad, you know, they did a lot for my sister and I, you know,
00:02:31
Speaker
My dad spent a lot of money on good horses and good cattle but again like he said I always knew it was an investment that would pay off in the future you know it would create great adults which my sister and I, I think are pretty good adults.
00:02:45
Speaker
Yeah, my mom, you know, we're, we're best friends. We have a lot of fun and, you know, shout out to my mom. She was a professional truck driver literally for 30 years
Rodeo to TV: A Career Transition
00:02:54
Speaker
with my sister and I. And two years ago, my mom at, you know, 55 years old got her first horse. And now she is tearing up the road.
00:03:03
Speaker
I'm going to cuttings with her little horse, Tio. And you know, I'm just really proud of her for taking that step because it was scary. She's like, I don't want to go by myself. What if I'm terrible? I'm too old. I can't afford a horse. Like what if nobody helps me? And shout out.
00:03:17
Speaker
Also to the cutting horse association, because they just scoop up people like my mom and take care of them. And so she's, she's having a blast. And that's what I really love about the rodeo industry is they just really want the Western industry to stay alive as a whole. So they're very inclusive. They let everyone in and you're right. Your mom should have her own podcast episode as well, because she's, I mean, she does on your podcast on the cowgirl problems podcast. Um, she's so inspiring, but, um, let's talk about your rodeo day. She was along for that. She got to kind of take the backseat. Now, obviously you said she's getting to do her own thing, but.
00:03:47
Speaker
Let's talk about your rodeo days in particular with the high school rodeo, college rodeo, all of it. Yeah, no, I loved high school rodeo. I ran barrels and tied goats primarily. I tried to pole bend. I wasn't very good. And so those were kind of my three events in high school. I started breakaway roping in college, which is really fun. I got to go to the WPRA finals and finished miraculously one year in the top 10 with, you know, I like got to be in a picture with people like Jackie Hobbs Crawford. And I was like, this is the coolest thing that ever happened to me.
00:04:14
Speaker
Um, but yeah, I grew up, you know, rodeoing and another thing that was sort of important.
Women in the Western Industry: Challenges and Triumphs
00:04:19
Speaker
And back then, I think I was sort of like, I'm a cowgirl. Like I'm a barrel racer. I'm a goat tire. I am not a rodeo queen. Okay. Y'all, but I did. I ran. Um, I was the Kansas high school rodeo queen actually two years in a row. I didn't know that I was first, first runner up and second runner up back to back. So I never got to be the national high school rodeo queen, but I look back at that experience. And man, you want to talk about preparing me.
00:04:44
Speaker
for my television career, preparing me to go out into the world and live in places like Dallas and New York City and these big cities. I credit, you know, the High School Rodeo Association a lot, and I credit that Queenie, you know, teaching me how to speak in front of an audience, how to have very well-worded conversations, how to answer tough questions about rodeo and animal welfare. So shout out to all the rodeo queens out there, because I was one of you.
00:05:09
Speaker
That is actually so inspiring. I had no idea and I feel bad. I was actually the National High School Rodeo Queen in 2014-15, the Oklahoma High School Rodeo Queen. So I am like in awe. I just fall more in love with you literally every day. That's so cool. No, thank you. But you're exactly right. You had such a good point. I'm going to derail our conversation just a little bit because it's so important to know.
00:05:27
Speaker
you truly were prepared for life. Not only the scholarships that helped set you up through these organizations, but also just like you said, doing news and TV alone, that helped you with knowing how to do your hair, how to do your makeup, how to have a certain look. And then even just everyday people having interview skills, how to conduct yourself. So what do you think is the hardest part as a woman in the industry that has so much control in a primarily male dominant world of like
00:05:53
Speaker
You lead interviews all the time. So really quick, then we'll get back on the conversation. What do you think is the hardest part about all of that?
00:05:59
Speaker
You know, I think the hardest part about being a woman in the Western industry is the pressure that I put on myself. Sometimes I walk into rooms, you know, when I started back in 2020, I had the privilege of doing some television work with the PBR. And I was a nervous wreck because I was like, oh my gosh, these guys are going to see this, this girl walk into Madison Square Garden for an Unleash the Beast tour and be like, who is this? This girl's never ridden a bull. She doesn't probably know anything about bull riding.
00:06:26
Speaker
And that was all on me because I'm telling you what those men at that level, they scooped me up. They were professional. They answered every question. And now, you know, I'm on the other side of it. I'm a bull owner a few years later and.
00:06:41
Speaker
You know, I think, especially at the elite level, I've never really sort of been made to feel like I didn't fit in or was accepted. I think in those moments when I do feel that way, it's me, I'm putting that sort of imposter syndrome in my own mind. Now is, are there people in the industry who aren't as welcoming? Absolutely. You know, that's with anything, but, um, I sort of just have learned now, I just walk in like I own the place and, and, and they treat me with respect and I treat them with respect.
Adventures in Bull Ownership
00:07:10
Speaker
Without a doubt, and that shows time and time again. I know I watch you a lot on Ride TV. I know you do a lot for AQHA World Show. All the different avenues that you have, you just have a way about you on camera that you have just understood you're taking up space. You are owning the area that you're in, and that is why people keep looking towards you, I personally feel.
00:07:28
Speaker
I want to back up a little bit. You talked about owning a PBR bull. I'm a big fan of top dollar. I think it's so cool that he's such a big and vicious bull, you know, whenever it comes to getting on and riding, bucking for eight seconds and all that, but he's also so fun. You can go. I see all the videos all the time of people scratching him, petting him. Tell us about that. That's got to be such a fun avenue for you.
00:07:46
Speaker
Top dollar is quite the character and we love him so dearly. Um, I say we, I'm one part of the ownership team, Katie and Laramie of Hogan W ranch. My mom and dad are part of the owner ship team. And then our friend, Peggy van Cleef. So I always like to point out there's four women on the ownership team of top dollar, which I think is really cool. But yeah, top dollar is this special. He is a special creature. I mean, he truly is probably once in a lifetime.
00:08:12
Speaker
Um, I came onto the ownership team when he was a yearling. I didn't know anything. I had come off of the PBR, you know, they had watched me on television, Katie and Laramie and Katie sent me a DM. I was at the high school finals. I think working for ride paths and I get this DM from Katie who I didn't know. And she was like, Hey, we own and raise bucking bulls. Do you want to own one? I was like, yeah, no, like what? No, I don't.
00:08:32
Speaker
So I became the owner of, uh, of part owner of top dollar. And it's been this really incredible journey and I have to give a shout out to Katie and Laramie. The reason that I said yes was not because I was like, yeah, I'm going to own a PBR bucking bowl someday. You know, he was, he was one. We had no idea. I mean, Laramie did, I didn't, we had no idea what he was going to become, but they said, you know, we just really want to show that people from all walks of life.
00:08:53
Speaker
can be a stock contractor that women have a place on the bucking shoots. And I was like, all right, done sold. I want to be a part of this. And I said, you know, we're going to document this. And Katie and Laramie said, yeah, let's document it. Let's document the journey. He went on to become the ABI yearling world champion in 2020.
00:09:09
Speaker
Last year he made his PBR debut in Fort Worth in January of this year. He ran up the tunnel at Madison Square Garden and it has been the coolest, proudest bull mother experience of my life.
Identity Crisis in New York: Birth of Fancy Lady Cowgirl
00:09:22
Speaker
And yeah, you know, top dollar. Um, he's great. He was the high marked bull in Albany, New York with a 46. We were so proud, but then the minute he's done, he's like back in the back pins, like, all right, I guess I'll take a nap. You know, he's looking for Katie cause Katie gives him scratches. He likes snacks. I mean, he's just.
00:09:38
Speaker
truly a kind animal.
00:09:41
Speaker
You know, I'm so glad that you mentioned Madison Square Garden a few times because for you, you had kind of a weird experience in New York and you kind of started questioning your identity. And then that also sparked something beautiful for you to create fancy lady cowgirl, but talk about your time in New York at that full circle moment and how it feels now knowing that you, you could walk to New York and own it if you wanted to. Yeah. So I spent a decade in the television and entertainment industry doing mainstream TV. So hard news, lifestyle and entertainment, red carpets, you name it.
00:10:08
Speaker
I did not dress like
00:10:27
Speaker
cute but like save it for a country concert on the weekends and i was young and i really wanted to be successful in television so i was like we're hungry yeah i have to choose i can be the cowgirl from kansas or i can be this great television host and i decided to be a television host and that literally spanned a decade of my young professional life but i finally got to the point where i was like man something is missing
00:10:49
Speaker
you can take the cowgirl like out of the cowgirl lifestyle, but you can't take it out of the person. And trust me, I tried. And, and so I finally sort of start embracing that more and more, you know, full disclosure. I went to New York. I always wanted to live in work in New York. I wanted to be on TV in New York. So I thought, well, nobody's hiring me to go work in New York. So I'm just going to go to New York. And then if I'm there, maybe they can't ignore me. And I had an agent there at the time and I didn't do it. I didn't get any jobs there.
00:11:19
Speaker
There was no work. I had pursued the PBR for almost six months because I really respected that the PBR understood the importance of tapping into mainstream audiences. The PBR is really, really great at, okay, we're going to put this on a mainstream network.
00:11:39
Speaker
We're going to allow people from all walks of life to turn on their TV and learn and watch about the sportable riding. And I wanted to be in on that. So I stocked them essentially. And, uh, January of 2020, I got to do some work with them on ride pass, which was incredible. My first gig was three nights.
00:11:58
Speaker
live inside Madison Square Garden and you know we were doing not only was I live on Ride Pass we were taking in-house hits so I was interacting with like Matt and Clint and I mean it was a lot and I just I look back and I'm like the fact that I survived that you know first of all because there's so much happening you know I have producers in my ears and they've got pyro and they're loading bowls and there's cowboys and it was just the most incredible experience and so
00:12:24
Speaker
It was really special because I walked into Madison Square Garden with a microphone in my hand and I had a cowboy hat on my head, and that was just like such a full circle moment for someone like me, who had hidden that part of me because I was told that's what I had to do to fit in.
00:12:40
Speaker
And Fancy Lady Cowgirl was really born out of my frustration that I didn't quite fit into the world of television and entertainment because I was a cowgirl. But then, you know, on the cowgirl side of things, when they would see that I was living in places like New York and that I was like dressing up and going to New York Fashion Week and doing things like that, some people in agriculture were like, I'm not sure she's a real cowgirl because like she doesn't ride a horse and she doesn't live on a ranch.
00:13:07
Speaker
And so fancy lady cowgirl is really just my way of celebrating and creating this community that says, look. Being a cowgirl is a state of mind. It's not how you dress. It's not where you live. It's not what you do. It's not your religion. It's not your skin color, right? Like being a cowgirl is a
Fancy Lady Cowgirl: Breaking Stereotypes
00:13:23
Speaker
state of mind. It's about living a legendary life. And I think that's, you know, I think cowgirls are legends. And so.
00:13:29
Speaker
My purpose with fancy lady cowgirl is to just bust the gates wide open and say, look, everyone is welcome in this lifestyle. If you have the cowgirl mindset or the cowgirl code, as I call it, courage, originality, wording is great. All of these things that make a cowgirl, then you get to be one. You get to embrace it in your own way.
00:13:50
Speaker
And I love that you put on events with, um, we got a shout out Sarah bonding camp too. When I get my good friends as well, that you get to put on events with people like her who also have such a state of mind as well. That's inclusive and encouraging to anyone in any walk of life. So we've got to talk about that a little bit too. Yeah, absolutely. Oh my gosh. My, I've had two fancy lady cowgirl events. The first one, they would have never been a thing had it not been for Sarah, you know, another.
00:14:13
Speaker
empowering woman. And Sarah came to me with the idea and she's like, Hey, you know, I said, Oh my gosh, this sounds like a great idea, but I have no idea how to put on a van or what to do. And she's like, I'll help you. And so we partnered on that first event and it was amazing. And I had another one last year, you know, a hundred women from three countries, 17 states,
00:14:30
Speaker
From all walks of life, you know, some of them were six, seven generation ranchers. Um, some of them, you know, are professional rodeo athletes. And then some of them really didn't have any connection to the Western way of life, other than that they loved it and appreciated it and wanted to be at the table.
00:14:45
Speaker
with other like minded women. And so yeah, it's been really cool. Fancy lady cowgirl events. There will be more coming. They are a lot of work. I will admit, um, everyone's like, when's the next one? And I'm like, I haven't even, I don't even know what I'm doing next week. I'm still recovering from the other one.
00:15:02
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. That's awesome. I know one of our, our marketing manager here at Justin got to go and she said it was just an incredible experience. And I want to talk about that a little bit when we get to the talking about fashion, cause she was blown away with the way that you could, the many different ways you could wear a wild rag. But before you move on to that, where do you see the future of future of fancy lady cowgirl going? What's, what are your future plans? Yeah. You know, my biggest goal with, with fancy lady cowgirl is to really get it out.
00:15:28
Speaker
So that it seeps into some into more mainstream audiences. I love agriculture. I love the Western community, but it's always for me been about something bigger like I want to touch people far removed from the industry and show them how special the cowgirl and cowboy way of life is welcome them in show them that we're
00:15:50
Speaker
kind, wonderful people who are, you know, feeding the world. Like that's really been my goal with, with fancy lady cowgirls. So obviously I do a lot of keynote speaking. I want to get on, you know, Ted talk stages. I want to get on these mainstream stages so that I can interact with people from, you know, more mainstream walks of life. Um, I had the opportunity to do an event in Dallas a few months ago, and I got on the celebrity panel. I'm not really sure how
00:16:16
Speaker
uh but it was like me a big brother star a dallas housewife you know these women from like all different walks of life they ate up the cowboy hat and the clothes and they're like oh my gosh we're gonna get a cowboy hat and and it was just so fun and something that never ceases to amaze me is how
00:16:36
Speaker
amazed and thrilled and excited people are to just be around it. Like a girl in a cowboy hat. People are like, can we just take a picture with you? And like, I didn't know who I was. They were like, let's take a picture with you. I'm like, yeah, sure. Um, and so I guess that's really my ultimate goal is to just sort of embrace and celebrate the cowgirl way of life with mainstream audiences all over the world.
Fashion and the Global Embrace of Western Lifestyle
00:16:55
Speaker
And you're well on your way to do that obviously you've paved the way in a huge way, but also I can't wait to see how the future ends up for you, but kind of moving on to the fashion side of it, the the staples of a Western outfit, which is the hat the cowboy boots for you wild rags love them. let's talk a little bit about your fashion and how you decide to style outfits, I know.
00:17:14
Speaker
You can dress an outfit up and down like you can literally be on the buck and shoots and then also in the field and then also go to an event to speak the same day and you just have the best way of doing that. So talk to us a little bit about that. Thank you. Well, I'm looking very Western today. I was feeling Western vibes, but you know, my staples always for an outfit are cowboy hat.
00:17:36
Speaker
and the cowboy boots, you know? And I typically always have a wild rag on. It seemed a little much with the fringe today, so I'm not wearing wild rag. But, and then a blazer. Anytime I'm on TV, anytime I'm keynoting, 98% of the time I'm in a blazer. It's just like, it's what I feel the most powerful in. I can walk into a room, you know, it's professional, but it's businessy and classy at the same time. And so those are kind of like my go-to pieces. But, you know, Western fashion is whatever you want to make it, you know?
00:18:05
Speaker
I always see these conversations when the NFR starts and I'm not perfect. I've been the girl that was like, oh my gosh, what are people wearing for the rodeo? But now I have such an appreciation for girls who maybe show up to a rodeo or something in an untraditional outfit because I'm like, oh, that's cowgirl. That's courage. That's individual. She is outwardly expressing what it really means to be a cowgirl. And so I'm cheering those girls on.
00:18:33
Speaker
But yeah, you know it's whatever you want to make it I was in, I was in Europe. Earlier this year and wearing a cowboy hat under the Eiffel Tower, you know from the neck down I looked like a lot of the Europeans in my long black coat my whatever and then I had on my cowboy hat and.
00:18:48
Speaker
It's just, you know, it's embracing it in whatever way makes sense to you. And you don't even have to wear a cowboy hat. Maybe you're not into them. Maybe you don't like the way they look. That's fine. Don't wear one. You know, you can still embrace sort of the Western lifestyle and the Western traditions. And I'll tell you what, like Western is cool. Cowgirl is cool. They're wearing it to New York Fashion Week or they're wearing it on the streets in Europe. Like it is thriving.
A Parisian Encounter with Tyler Hubbard
00:19:12
Speaker
Oh yes and I'm so glad you brought up your Europe trip too because the ladies here in the marketing department at Justin we were so in awe of everything that you got to do there and the boldness that you took but also you got to see you ran into and you didn't even know I think at the time it was Tyler Hubbard with Florida Georgia Line right.
00:19:27
Speaker
No way. So here's what happened. We have this amazing evening. It's New Year's Eve. We go to dinner. So my friend, Jenna Paulette, who I know you all know, her and her sisters happen to be in Paris at the same time. So we're like, Oh my gosh, this is perfect. So we get together. We have dinner. We're like, let's go drink champagne under the Eiffel Tower. Like how very French. So we go, we have this amazing time. We get ready to go home. We did not realize that the trains were shutting down. Well, so my friend who I was with Alex and I were like,
00:19:57
Speaker
I don't even know. We're five miles from our apartment. We had to walk. I was in cowboy boots, so we're walking, hours and hours and hours we're walking. And I see down the street a cowboy hat, okay? That's pretty unique in your, and I know it's not Jenna, because I know what hat. She's kind of like, there are three whole cowboys in Paris right now. Like, what are the chances?
00:20:19
Speaker
And I told my friend Alex, I said video of this, it's a cowboy in Paris. And I went up and I tapped him and I said, I love your, I like your outfit or something. He's like, Hey, yeah, I like it. And I'm like over it. Like all I wanted to do was say hi. I'm like, hi, bye. I walk off and Alex is like still videoing. And she's like, where are you from? And he's like, Florida. And I'm like, okay, I'll be polite. I'm like, so what do you do? And he's like, I'm a country musician. I'm like,
00:20:45
Speaker
Of course, like everybody, you know, I was clueless and I posted it on Instagram just because I was like, look, a cowboy in Paris and you know, we're seven hours ahead. So I wake up the next morning. What has happened? I have DMS that are like, you know who that is, right? I'm like,
00:21:03
Speaker
No, I don't. Is this somebody that I should know, you know, I know I love Florida Georgia line but like, I just, you know, on the streets of Paris like how unexpected I had no idea who to make that connection. Yeah. I apologize to be.
00:21:19
Speaker
Well, you know what? That's like a once-in-a-lifetime story, I feel like, because what are the odds of all that happening? Even Jenna being there at the same time, that is incredible in itself.
Closing Thoughts and Social Media Influence
00:21:27
Speaker
And there's just so many things that I could pick your brain about, but unfortunately, we're out of time for today. But your social media is so inspiring and so entertaining. I know I, especially during around COVID, I really fell in love with the jogger watch.
00:21:39
Speaker
just because it was so funny, the things that you would do. And there was a whole saga with, um, but leaving notes on the guy's truck guy, I still, I still don't know. Yeah. The Chevy gate. Yes. Um, so anyways, let, where can people find you? How can they keep up with you? Cause you know, they're going to want to, and you know, they're going to have questions after this too. Yeah. So everything is sort of housed on my website, Courtney, D hop.com. You can learn more there. And it's just court D hop on Instagram, Tik TOK, Courtney D hop on Facebook.
00:22:04
Speaker
Very nice. And you want to make sure and say the court today, the spelling of your name. Oh yeah. That's my mother's fault. It's the French spelling E N A Y. No, we're not French.
00:22:17
Speaker
Well, very nice Courtney. It's been so good getting to speak with you. I learned a lot about you and discover things that I didn't even know. And here I am been following you for years. So thank you for everything you do in the industry. You continue to pave the way. And I really, really appreciate that. You keep the cowgirl in it. You keep fancy lady cowgirl alive and well, and we are so, so thankful for you and everything that you do in the industry.
00:22:38
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Well, thank you for having me and thank you to Justin for just empowering all things Western. We couldn't do it without people like you. Well, thank you. You're awesome. I hope you have a great rest of your day, rest of your week, and we will continue to follow along on social media.
00:22:55
Speaker
Thanks for joining us on Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host, Taylor McAdams, and we can't wait to share the next story of the West. Until then, feel free to like, subscribe, and leave us a review. Follow us on social media at Justin Boots to keep up with our next episode, and we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up.