Bio
Each year, the family of trick-riding legend Tad Lucas bestows the Tad Lucas Memorial Award upon a living woman whose actions promote the values Tad Lucas represented. The 2022 Tad Lucas Memorial Award honoree is Martha Josey.
Martha Josey’s rodeo career began in 1964 when she purchased a horse, CeBe Reed, from a family friend, using $ 2,500 she had borrowed from her mother. The pair went on to win 52 barrel races in a row, seven horse trailers, four Texas barrel racing championships, won 30 of 34 AQHA shows and qualified for the 1968 and 1969 NFRs. She and her next horse, Sonny Bit O’Both, were also champions, with Sonny being the only horse in history to win both AQHA and WPRA World Championships in the same year. Martha was chosen to represent the United States in the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Martha and her subsequent horses continued to win championships through 2005, while she personally overcame hardships and obstacles, including a potentially paralyzing injury. After her nearly 50-year rodeo career, Martha is considered by many to be one of the most accomplished barrel racers worldwide. Martha also impacted the lives of many by lending her skills to training young barrel racers.
