Cover Story
From the time he was a boy, Ed Allen dreamed of being a cowboy. Today he lives out that dream while helping others. His Alabama based organization, Ed Allen Roping Productions, hosts regional team roping competitions. The events involve thousands of competitors, family members, and fans of all ages and skill levels. “It’s one of the fastest growing parts of the horse industry, and it creates an opportunity for young people to compete as first-timers, older people to compete, and then everyone in between,” he said.
Allen’s upcoming The Learning Tree Charity Classic in Piedmont, Ala. also creates an opportunity to assist in serving children with developmental disabilities ages 6-21. The Learning Tree Resource Development Coordinator Erica Brown explains, “With the assistance of the ropers and sponsors, The Learning Tree Charity Classic plays a pivotal role in raising funds to provide the children in our residential programs, including the Pelham, Ala. location, with essential daily necessities, including clothing, shoes, linens, hygiene supplies, medications, haircuts, and various other items.”
Cowboy Dreams. Ed Allen hails from Lafayette, Ala., and his parents owned a florist shop. His dreams evolved, however, when he met people who participated in rodeos and worked with cattle. He began competing in amateur rodeos in high school and went to college on a rodeo scholarship. While in college at Southwestern Oklahoma University, he competed in the collegiate national championships. He and his wife, Kandi, met at a rodeo competition in 1990 and they integrated roping into their lives– even as they both pursued degrees in education. Allen retired from Benjamin Russell High School two years ago and now works part-time as a career coach at Central Alabama Community College. His wife (who is originally from Prattville) is a special education teacher in the Alex City school system. The rest of their time is committed to the roping competition community.
Allen’s family founded Ed Allen Roping and began holding competitions (which are exclusive events, unconnected to rodeos) 25 years ago; today they regularly host competitions in Montgomery, Andalusia, Piedmont, Rainsville, and Franklin, Ga. Allen said that one of the most notable characteristics of roping is that it attracts so many different types of competitors. “It’s an amazing culture, and people come from all walks of life. You’ll find lawyers and businesspeople who compete,” Allen said. “And some of our best ropers have come from the Southeast. On a national level, some of the best come from Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. They’re all a real testament to their commitment.” Parents, grandparents, and other fans and supporters are part of the culture. “It’s a special group,” Allen said. “They are generous and giving, and passionate about roping and the culture.” Allen’s own children have been part of the community since they were young. Son T.J., now 25, and twins Wyatt and Colton, 22, have competed for most of their lives, won championships in college, are part of the horse industry, and still participate today. “We all rope,” he said. “They go somewhere every weekend.” Allen himself loves it as much as he always has. “I’ve always had the passion to be a cowboy, and I’ve always been a competitor. That competitive nature is part of being a cowboy,” Allen said. “I’m 62 now and I’ve slowed down some. But I am still competitive and love it.”
Importance of Faith. Since most roping tournaments take place over the weekend- and take competitors away from their home church and weekly worship- Allen places a priority on making faith part of the event. He holds church services at every roping event held on Sundays, and they regularly see between 50 to 100 worshipers take part. Allen invites different speakers to lead the service, or he does it himself. “If we do an event on Sunday, we’re going to start with a church service,” Allen said. “And we start all of our events with a prayer.” He stresses that there’s always a risk of injuries at roping events and he thinks it’s hypocritical to ask for prayer only when something bad happens. He said that their events start with prayer, and then the channel is open with God in case injuries occur. “We start with Him first, and then we also ask for God’s help when we have accidents,” he said. “We always have Him on standby. He’s there with us through it all.” Allen said that he and Kandi were both raised in Christian homes and saved at a young age. They raised their two sons in the same tradition. He still remembers fondly how after he met his wife at that rodeo 35 years ago, they went to dinner and then met for church the next day. They’ve been married since 1993 and have always made church life and faith a priority. “We always stress the importance of giving your heart to the Lord and being able to help others. It’s a blessing to do that and share our faith,” he said. “We believe in Jesus and want to share with others.”
Allen’s faith is also evident in how his organization participates alongside charitable organizations like The Learning Tree. He and his team see roping competitions as a way to reach out and serve others. “Erica Brown with The Learning Tree asked if we could put on an event to benefit the group,” he said. “Last year, our event in Franklin, Ga. was a great success. We really believe in their work with disabled children and people with autism,” he said. This year’s partnership will take place at the Dugger Mountain Arena in Piedmont, Ala. on May 3-4, 2025. The event is free to attend and ropers will by vying to win the grand prize- a brand new truck. Competition entries and sponsorships at last year’s Classic raised about $100,000 for The Learning Tree and entries this year have already surpassed last year. Allen explains that the roping community has always been generous. “The neat thing about the roping culture is that the members always step up and give to a worthy cause. If there’s someone in need or any situation that needs help, we always step up. It’s a warm feeling to be involved in that kind of culture,” Allen said.
Continuing the Dream. Allen recalls a recent conversation with a businessman in his 60s who fell in love with the roping community at an older age. He’d always had his own dreams of being a cowboy and discovered that he loved riding horses. “He found the roping community and just loves the culture,” Allen said. “It gives him so much pleasure and joy.” According to Allen, it’s that kind of passion that drives him to keep doing what he’s doing. “It’s a special thing to be involved in.” Meet Allen and experience his latest roping competition May 3-4, 2025 in Piedmont. For more details visit www.learning-tree.org/charityclassic.
-Cheryl Wray
