A true all-around cowgirl, Jimmie Gibbs, dominated the rodeo circuit in 1975.
By JIMMIE HURLEY, written April 1976
Jimmie and Billy dominated barrel racing in 1975, winning both the national intercollegiate championship and the professional Girls Rodeo Association championship event. Photo by Springer
On Sunday night, December 14, at the professional rodeo championship awards banquet in Oklahoma City, a petite and attractive young girl stepped forward to receive the buckle for world champion barrel racer. It was her fourth national rodeo title in 1975. Earlier in the week at the Girls Rodeo Association awards luncheon, she was named world champion all-around cowgirl and girls’ world champion calf roper. In college competition in 1975, she won the title of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association barrel racing champion.
Jimmie is shown here in breakaway roping at the 1974 college national finals rodeo in Bozeman, Montana. Photo by FainAll of this was accomplished by a 23-year-old cowgirl who stands only 5’2″, weighs 115 pounds, and wears the unlikely name of Jimmie. She didn’t do it all alone and Jimmie Blevins Gibbs readily gives credit for her success to her barrel racing horse called Billy. Billy’s registered name is Robin Flit Bar. He is a nine-year-old bay gelding sired by Flit Bar and out of a mare called Robin Hood Price.
It seems Jimmie’s whole life has been a preparation for the record breaking year that she logged I 1975. No one has ever won all of those titles in one year and she set a new money record for one year in barrel racing: $22,769. That season may never be equaled, not even by her.
Born in Clifton, Tex., Jimmie grew up on a ranch in Valley Mills, Tex., the town that she still claims as home. Her heritage goes back to the old 101 Ranch in Oklahoma, and her grandfather was one of the three Miller brothers who owned the ranch. Zack Miller of Ponca City also had a Wild West show that he took all over the United States and Europe. Her father, Jim Gibbs, was an amateur roper and he started his only child riding and roping as soon as she could handle a horse and a rope.
