SOUTHERN MARYLAND – On March 9, Brandon Cullins, a native of Clements, Maryland, won a historic $1.1 million in barrel racing at The American Rodeo in Arlington, Texas. Cullins, now a 35-year-old horse trainer in Dublin, Texas, grew up in St. Mary’s County where his journey with horses began.
“My family farmed tobacco until I was 14,” Cullins said. “After that, they began growing wheat, corn and beans. I spread lime out on the fields for them.”
Around the same time Cullins’ family switched crops, he began riding horses.
“I had two aunts who had horses, and I’d go riding with them. We went with 4-H to Oak Ridge and did some barrel racing there.”
Barrel racing is an equestrian contest where riders run their horses in a cloverleaf pattern around a trio of barrels. There’s a five-second penalty for knocking over a barrel, and departing from the clover pattern can result in disqualification. The horse and rider with the fastest time to leave the start line, make the pattern and return are the winners.
Barrel racing was originally developed as a women’s sport, but men have competed in barrel races for decades. Cullins is the first man to win The American Rodeo barrel racing title.
Cullins chuckled when asked how he got his start in horse training. “I guess I didn’t want to get a real job,” he said. “I started training around 17 or 18 and I started breeding about four or five years ago.”
Despite some early successes and passion for racing, Cullins nearly gave up on the sport in 2014.
“I was really struggling. Training can be the hardest and the simplest thing, but racing’s very competitive at the top end. I was training a 3-year-old horse, and I was struggling with him pretty hard.”
That horse was VQ Sucker Punch. At the time, Cullins was training Sucker Punch in Colorado with Kelly Conrado, another barrel racer.
“Kelly ran the barrels perfectly. About a month later, things started coming together for me.”
In February 2017, Cullins and Sucker Punch made it to The American Rodeo Finals for the first time.
Spring 2024 was a busy time for Cullins. In addition to winning over $1 million, he married his wife Emily.
“I met Emily at a futurity in Oklahoma City years ago,” Cullins said. “A few months later we met again in Texas and got together.”
Emily is also a champion barrel racer and horse trainer. The Cullinses own and operate 1062 Barrel Horses together, breeding and training winning horses in Dublin, Texas.
The horse Brandon Cullins rode to victory on March 9 was MJ Segers Fast Lane, also known as Seger. Cullins had sensed potential in this mare.
“Seger had shown she was capable,” Cullins said. “She clocked good, but she touched the barrels, which kept her from placing. I started training her, and she broke an arena record pretty quickly after that.”
Seger and Cullins blazed through The American Rodeo finals in only 15.173 seconds, clinching first place and $1.1 million in winnings.
“Our lives are the same as they were,” Cullins said. “The American is a side deal. What’s normal for us is the futurities. We go to the same ones every year.”
A futurity is an exclusive competition for young horses with established pedigrees. These events showcase the best horses in their fields and allow breeders to identify the most desirable horses for breeding. Barrel racing futurities are the Cullinses’ bread and butter.
Back at 1062 Barrel Horses, life goes on much the same as it did before Brandon won a million dollars.
“In the summer, when it’s hot, we’ll start training at 4:30 in the morning and get done riding at noon. We’ve got a few people working for us, and in the afternoon, we get the rest done, like feeding. From about February to July is breeding season, so every day somebody is up at the vet. Throughout the year, we’ll be away for a week or ten days for a futurity or rodeo.”
Some of the prize money from The American Rodeo has been reinvested in the Cullinses’ business.
“We’ve built on our place,” Cullins said, “and we’ve got a place for our stud.”
That stud, Good Things Coming, has already won two barrel racing futurities, placed second at two more and won $150,000.
“He’s actually a half-brother to Sucker Punch—they came from the same mare. And he and Seger had the same stud,” Cullins said. “I could tell early on, he has a way about him. He’s confident, he knows what he’s doing, he’s easy and does what you tell him.”
When asked if he wanted to publicly thank anyone in particular, he replied, “My parents. They had a farm to ride on. I took risks because I knew I could fail.”
The next big race for Cullins is the Pink Buckle Futurity, starting Oct. 6, which has a $4.1 million prize.
As Brandon Cullins continues to achieve remarkable success in barrel racing, his journey from Southern Maryland to national acclaim serves as a testament to his dedication and talent.
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