Longtime FullBucket Ambassador and professional barrel racer, Andrea Busby, has had quite the spectacular year. She and her horse Jets Top Gun (“Benny”) beat records at the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR), and it seems that they are just getting started!
For those of you who may not know Andrea’s story, Andrea and her husband Jeff own and manage Busby Quarter Horses (BQH), a premiere equine breeding and training facility located in north Texas.
Almost 20 years ago, they started BQH simply out of desire to breed and raise their own stock for barrel racing and roping. They truly exemplify what it means to “put in the work every day” to care for their horses, which is why we are so honored to be a small part of their nutrition program. Today, Busby Quarter Horses is known as a leader in the barrel racing industry. In 2020, BQH ranked as the number two breeder and number two owner. Since 2018, BQH has also stayed steady in the top three positions for leading breeders, and holds the number one leading owner position, in the Pink Buckle program. And to top it all off, Benny, their homebred gelding, has surpassed $1 million in lifetime earnings after record-breaking performances at the 2024 NFR.
Andrea says, “Our program is a labor of love. It has been a long road and it's taken a long time, but it has been well worth it. This year we got to go to NFR, which was very special since I got to compete on a horse we bred and raised. That's the coolest part about horses - on the outside, people see that you won the NFR, but if you're really a horse person, you know that didn't happen overnight. If you love something, you just keep working at it and getting better at it, and this is why our recent success has been very special.”
We sat down with Andrea to learn more about her first experience at NFR, her daily routines, how she makes decisions for her horses, and more! These are her words.
Q: As you think about your program over the last year, what came together to make this year so successful?
A: Obviously, Benny. He is a once in a lifetime kind of horse. He's special, and he came through in big ways for me in July and August, but the mares in my barn carried the load up to that point. Our success this year really took the whole herd. Also, Jeff got to be out on the road with me all year. At a 4th of July rodeo, I wanted to go home. I was tired, things were not working, and I felt like maybe I should pull the plug. Jeff said, “no, we’re going to stay here and stick to it.”
And so we did. I think this was a big portion of my success - having somebody right there in the rig that has 100% vested interest in your best interest who can keep you going. The rodeo trail is anything but glamorous. It's long, it's hard, it's late nights, early mornings. Lots of no sleep, not very good food, hot weather. Nobody gets to the NFR unscathed.
The other thing is having a great veterinarian in your corner. Your horse is going to get sore, is going to cough, and it stresses me out as a competitor and a horse owner. I tend to be tender-hearted, and I question what I am willing to ask of my horses. Having a veterinarian on your team who can encourage you to keep going, and remind you that your horse loves this job, is crucial. You have to trust your veterinarian, and I am grateful to be friends with mine.
In general, having a healthy horse is so important, and that is why I feed FullBucket. I honestly don’t know if people realize the importance of gut health, and to me, it is the next frontier of science. I tend to geek out about gut health due to my ICU nursing background, but the bugs [beneficial bacteria] in our digestive tract actually secrete hormones that tell your brain to do things. That freaks me out a little bit! I want to tell my brain to do good things, and for that to happen, you have to have healthy gut bugs.
Our horses all start on FullBucket as babies, and they are on it all year long. If somebody’s stomach or gut seems off, they’re not eating well, then I increase the serving size of their daily Equine Probiotic Pellets OR they get FullBucket Probiotic Paste. My trailer NEVER leaves home without the Equine Probiotic Paste and the Pellets.
It’s important to know that by the time you see an issue on the outside (like your horse not feeling great), you’re already behind the eight ball.
How are you feeling now, about 8 weeks later, about your tremendous success at NFR?
This first NFR experience was very magical for me. I'm not naive enough to think that that's how they always go, but I think Benny had bigger plans and I swear when we unloaded him off the trailer, he looked around and knew where he was, and what his job was. He placed in every single round but one, and set a new arena record for the average on ten runs.
It’s so interesting, you come home from an incredible experience like that, and the year starts over. Everyone starts back at zero, so it's a little bit of a short-lived high, but that horse is amazing and I think he will go down in history as one of the greats.
Once you had qualified for NFR this year, was there anything that you prioritized in Benny's training or care program to prepare?
First, I worked with my veterinarian to develop a fitness plan. It was very regimented every day, whether we were doing a long cardio session, sprints, or a hill workout. Also, my vet examined all three of the horses I took to NFR every Monday, to help monitor their conditioning progress and overall health.
I also have a great farrier, a body worker, and a team that knows every hair on my horses’ bodies. The whole group together made sure my horses were ready to roll.
How did you prepare yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally for the pressure of NFR?
I started getting a high dose Vitamin C IV every week, about a month out, and continued that when we got to Las Vegas. I focused on my core strength, and being fit. I watch my diet, and keep sugar out. And, of course, good rest is huge.
My horses stayed at a great spot where they had stalls at night and grass turnouts during the day. After the rodeo each day, we would eat dinner in our hotel room, watch one episode of Lincoln Lawyer or Landman, and go to sleep.
I did my best to schedule autograph signings so that I always had time to go back to the hotel and get some quiet, relaxing time, even if just for 30 minutes.
The other thing is that my life is really good already. I have a great husband, a great family, and this is really more about the horse for me. I keep that in perspective. Even if it doesn't go how I want it, I will always just keep working at it.
How do you use your discernment to make decisions for your horses’ feed, supplements, and training?
Partnering with a supplement brand I can trust is a big area of focus for me. With my nursing background, it's always been very important to me that I chose supplements that were veterinarian-developed and based on research. I want to know that there is solid science behind the formulas, and that someone wasn’t just scooping up dirt in the parking lot and packaging it up to sell.
It’s also important that I see results. I know what results I want so I know what to look for. I’ve tried other probiotics before and I did not think they worked. When I tried FullBucket, I saw with my own eyes that they do actually work.
I'm tweaking things all the time, you know, horses aren't static - they change with the seasons, with age and, with hauling, so I am tuned in to what they need.
When it comes to training, I aim to find people that want to see me improve, that I understand and ride well with, that know me and my horses, and mostly, that I trust. I have people to consult with and learn from. Everyone needs people.
Finally, I like to say that when you align yourself with a product or brand, you align yourself with the people behind it, and so I'm very fortunate that the people and the products I've aligned myself with are stand-up, quality people. This is something I really appreciate when making decisions for myself and my horses.
Is there anything big on your goal list for 2025?
I'm so excited that we got into The Calgary Stampede PRCA ProRodeo. It is as hard to get to Calgary as it is to get to NFR!
For the most part, my year is not going to change from last year. We’re here again, I’ll give it my best, and the chips will fall where they may.
You have to ride the highs and the lows, and there's plenty of them. Don’t get too wound up about the highs or too bummed out about the lows. Things are going to happen. That's the thing about rodeo, if you can't handle Plan B or Plan C or even Plan D, you probably shouldn't be in this game.
Remember, the challenges are worthwhile. When success comes your way, it means more because it shows that you were able to overcome those challenges.
Good luck to Andrea and Busby Quarter Horses in 2025! We can’t wait to see where the year takes them. To shop Andrea’s FullBucket Favorites, click here.
