Hope Thompson

Hope Thompson, AHS Class of 2004, is a three-time Women’s Professional Rodeo Association team roping World Champion. Thompson attended Northeast Texas Community College in Mt. Pleasant and then received a rodeo scholarship and attended McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She won the College National Finals Rodeo in 2008 in the Breakaway and was named National Champion Breakaway Roper. Thompson, who is also a professional horse trainer, is responsible for training the great breakaway horse Super Chrome Ink, which won the American Quarter Horse Association Reserve World title. Thompson is also the highest earning athlete in the World Champions Rodeo Alliance history, with $229,000 in earnings in the last three years alone. She was also named the Women’s Rodeo World Championship All-Around Cowgirl. While growing up, Thompson attended the Josey Ranch All-Around camp near Marshall and knew that she wanted to someday be a rodeo clinician. After meeting the Josey family, young Thompson began learning from them and worked her way through the ranks of women’s professional roping. Around 2010, she put it all on the line and moved to the Guy Ranch in Abilene, Texas. Since then, Thompson has continued to work hard to become one of the most influential roping competitors and coaches in the world.

Some of her other career highlights include breakaway titles in the Louisiana Rodeo Cowboy Association, the Tri-State Rodeo Association, the Wendy Ryon Invitational, the Wildfire team roping, the Spicer Gripp Memorial, and the Three Star Memorial. Thompson was also a National Finals Breakaway Qualifier.

Thompson says, “I didn’t grow up in a rodeo family at all. My mom rescued these horses and brought them home, and my dad was like, ‘We don’t even have a fence.’ She goes on to say, “They took me to watch a playday and I fell in love with it and wanted to do it. I always wanted to rope. I carried a rope around but my parents didn’t know enough to teach me. I started out with the speed events—ran barrels, poles, all of that at the playdays.” She credits local Jim Murdock with her early basic training.

Thompson still resides in Abilene, and along with her continuing rodeo career, she now trains world class rodeo horses and travels the world teaching hands-on roping clinics and private lessons. Thompson helped found the Rope Like a Girl Foundation, whose mission is to encourage female western athletes to dream big and work hard. Throughout her career she has helped “Rope Like a Girl” to become a movement for women in the rodeo industry, and today the foundation awards scholarships to upcoming rodeo athletes.

Her list of accomplishments include: 2008 College nationals champion breakaway roper for McNeese State University, 2013 WPRA world champion breakaway roper, 2016 spicer gripp champion, 2017 and 2020 WPRA world champion Header, 2017 wildfire champion, 2017 and 2020 patriot champion, 2X Windy Ryon memorial Breakaway roping champion (? And 2020), 2019 windy Ryon memorial champion Header, 2019 National Finals of Breakaway qualifier and round winner, 2019 WCRA world champion Heeler, 2020 and 2022 Bob Feist champion, 2022 WCRA world champion All-around cowgirl, 2022 WCRA finals champion all around cowgirl, Highest money earner in the World champions Rodeo Alliance, Trained multiple time horse of the year “CD OR EIGHT TRACK”, 2018 Trained reserve world champion open tie down roping horse “SUPERCHROME INK”.