Eva Blanton went from Dallas city girl to bigtime cowgirl, and she keeps going up from here.
Roper and ranch real estate extraordinaire Eva Blanton knew the city girl lifestyle wasn’t for her. After trading Highland Park for the rolling hills of Walnut Springs, Texas, Blanton has blossomed into the cowgirl she always dreamed she would be.
The horsewoman sat down with C&I during our 2024 fall fashion photoshoot at TR9 Ranch to talk rodeo, the horse industry, and why everyone wants a horse these days.
Felt hat in Sahara, resistol.com; Clip-on sterling and turquoise concho earrings and Royston Naja necklace, hippiecowgirlcouture.com; Satin Western shirt, crueldenim.com; Kingman triple cluster cuff, hippiecowgirlcouture.com; Mountain Living buckle and belt, zierjewelry.com; Shyanne flare jeans, bootbarn.com; Lucchese boots (Eva’s own).
Cowboys & Indians: Thanks for stopping by, Eva! What have you been up to these days?
Eva Blanton: I’ve been at our ranch in Walnut Springs, roping calves a little bit and team roping with my dad. I’m in ranch real estate, so I’ve been focused mainly on that.
C&I: You caught the horse industry bug from your father, correct?
Blanton: I’ve been involved with horses my whole life. When my dad was 25, he was from Highland Park in Dallas, and he said, “I want to be a cowboy.” So, he got introduced to a bunch of people, and then he started showing, and then he bought high brow cat.
C&I: When did you hop into the operation?
Blanton: We live in Dallas, but I grew up driving to a ranch in Walnut Springs every day. I was determined that I was going to rodeo, and I didn’t want to be a city girl, so I drove out there every day. I ran barrels all through high school. But my dad was always like, “You need to show cutting horses,” and I was like, “No, I want to run barrels. I want to rodeo.” I loved the fact that I could just throw my horse in a trailer and just go cutting. [Showing] is a little more orchestrated. It’s a lot more than just running barrels. But then, after high school I decided I would start showing cutting horses.
Purple Haze hat, c1h.com; Kingman turquoise berry cluster necklace, lauraingallsdesigns.com; Orenda RimRock pendant with Navajo pearl necklace, hyosilver.com; Silver Fox Frontier jacket, prestigecustomleather.com; Canyon Cavvy dress, vaqueraadankdesignco.com; Silver concho belt, spunkysteer.com; Natural Python over-the-knee boots, rockwelltharp.com.
C&I: Do you have a highlight from your cutting career so far?
Blanton: I won the Futurity on a blonde horse. He was a palomino from Kelly Crum at Beechfork Ranch. [My dad] knew I wanted a palomino for so long, so he put him in my pasture. One day, my dad bought him, and Kelly was like, “Go look in your pasture.” I was like, “Oh my gosh, are you kidding me?” And then we ended up winning the Futurity. So that was awesome. I would love to get back into cutting competitively, and I will.
C&I: What are you up to when you’re not on the back of a horse?
Blanton: I love to read. I play guitar a little bit. I’m mostly at the ranch. I’m usually driving. Yeah, I’m all over the place.
C&I: How do you feel about the general public gravitating toward the Western lifestyle more recently?
Blanton: I think it’s so cool. I always say I have the best of both worlds, living in Highland Park and then growing up driving to Walnut Springs. I just think it’s so much fun seeing people go toward this lifestyle. I mean, gosh, the horse business is unbelievable. Everybody wants a horse these days. Everybody wants to be a cowboy.
Felt hat in Sahara, resistol.com; Clip-on sterling and turquoise concho earrings and Royston Naja necklace, hippiecowgirlcouture.com; Satin Western shirt, crueldenim.com; Mighty Hawk felted wool poncho, stellathomas.com; Kingman triple cluster cuff, hippiecowgirlcouture.com; Mountain Living buckle and belt, zierjewelry.com; Shyanne flare jeans, bootbarn.com; Lucchese boots (Eva’s own).
Follow Eva Blanton on Instagram @evablanton and check her out in our 2024 fall fashion look book.
Interview conducted by Chad Isham
PHOTOGRAPHY: Sara Forrest
