Arena Tracks by Penny Schlagel: Callie Rios-Hall
Callie Rios-Hall is a cowgirl, an entrepreneur and a really good person. The Arizona cowgirl has a pedigree that reads like a who’s who of rodeo and western royalty. But it’s not WHO she is, but WHAT she does that makes her interesting and a person I wanted to know.
Callie is the daughter of Joe and Leslie Rios of El Paso, TX. Joe and Leslie ran the Rio Grand Classic livestock auction and had fingers in all areas of the quarter horse industry from buying and selling good using horses to owning All American Race Qualifier, Eagles And Dragons (Zulu Dragon, Effortless Eagle x One Famous Eagle). Callie, close with her father as horse girls often are, benefited from that upbringing as she was in contact with good horses and folks that knew what to do with them.
Upon high school graduation, Callie headed to college at New Mexico State University while maintaining those close ties to her folks. In college, she studied accounting, but bit with the rodeo bug, started training barrel horses. One of Callie’s most memorable horses is immediately recognizable as he has had great success in the Thomas and Mack. Blazin Baby J, the snappy brown gelding by Dash Ta Fame and out of a daughter of Chicks A Blazin, was purchased by Joe Rios as a 3 year old and passed on to Callie. Callie took Baby J and made him into a barrel turning, clock stopping machine. Their success brought on the phone calls and Callie finally gave in, selling Blazin Baby J to Angela Ganter. Eventually the gelding would carry NFR qualifier and daughter Jackie Ganter in the stirrups, but not before taking a turn with Acey Pinkston. Needless to say, Callie is good with a horse and the accounting degree came in handy as she was calculating the potential effects that came with the sale of that talented horse.
Callie’s latest gig is representing artists and jewelers in the traditional southwestern mediums of silver, turquoise and coral through her business, C. Rivers. While she sells newly created art, she also follows estate auctions, pawn shops and Facebook Marketplace to pick up the truly unique and special vintage pieces. Those pieces have excellent materials, craftsmanship and they carry with them a story. It was on Facebook that Callie stumbled upon a beautiful buckle created for the 1972 New Mexico State Fair Barrel Racing Champion. The buckle is stunning in its simplicity and the quality of its materials and craftsmanship. The turquoise is authentic and the buckle hand hewn. This was a piece of history and art that Callie felt compelled to purchase, in spite of the hefty price tag. Buckles like this aren’t something that are seen in this day and age and she felt the need to help find the cowgirl who earned the right to hang it from her belt.
Sitting around the Lazy E tending to her new baby, Lucchese, while her husband, Seth Hall, competed in the Cinch Timed Event Championships, Callie took to Facebook, posting a photo of the buckle. Less than 2 days later, the owner had been found with legendary barrel racer and bit maker, Gail Petska commenting, “I’m pretty sure it’s mine.”
Gail Petska is a story in and of herself. A talented cowgirl and GRA (precursor to the WPRA) World Champion Barrel Racer twice over, Gail had won the New Mexico State Fair two years running in 1972 and 1973. She still had possession of the buckle from 1973; one that was very similar to the one Callie had salvaged from the seller in California. It just so happened that it was in El Paso, Callie’s home town, that Gail had the 1972 New Mexico Buckle, along with her 1972 World Championship Buckle stolen. Sadly, the World Championship buckle has not been found.
Gail was talented with horses and had several that made folks sit up and take notice. However, it was little Dobie that took Gail to the pay window the most and won her the 1972 buckle. Dobie also carried Gail to the 2 World Champion Barrel Racer titles and still holds the record for the most rounds won at an NFR. In 1972 Gail and Dobie won SEVEN of the ten rounds enroute to winning the World Championship. Gritty seems an appropriate adjective to describe Dobie. Fortunate to share life with Gail is 3 time NFR Team Roper Paul Petska. Together they have two NFR-qualifying children, Tye (TJ) Petska-Reid who earned her admission to the NFR in 1994 and Cory Petska who qualified for the big show in Team Roping 15 times, winning the average in 2005. You might also note that Cory is married to Sherry Cervi, herself a 19 time NFR qualifier and 4 time World Champion Barrel Racer.
Since slowing down on the rodeo road, Gail and husband Paul have started an incredibly successful bit making business, taking years of their experience and hammering it out in steel. Paul stated in an article in the Team Roping Journal that he and Gail get a kick out of seeing their bits at the team ropings. At the US Team Roping Finals, they sat at the out gate and counted the ropers using their bits and were almost 10 for 10.
The Petskas and Rios are friends from way back in the day and after Cory told his mom about the buckle, Gail gave Callie a call, full of amazement and wonder that the buckle had been found after almost 50 years. Of course Gail offered to pay Callie for the buckle, but Callie wouldn’t hear of it, just wanting to do the right thing and get that beauty back to its rightful owner. Already fans of the Petska bits, the two cowgirls agreed that the Petskas would build the Halls a couple bits to cover the cost of the buckle and the deal was done.
Callie packed up her little family and left the Lazy E with her husband’s 4th place finish at the Timed Event Championships keeping spirits high. Bright and early Monday morning she carefully bundled up the special buckle and put it in the mail headed to Oklahoma where it would find its home snapped back onto the belt of Gail Petska. In a world of division and upheaval, this sweet little story of good folks doing the right thing just resonated with me. I hope it hits home for you too.
