MarleneCareer

Marlene's Career Highlights

Marlene grew up in eastern Colorado wanting to be a cowgirl. Her parents, Carl and Elma Schiffer, were busy building their ranching, farming and petroleum businesses, but they always had time to encourage and support her in her quest to become the best. This lifestyle contributed greatly to Marlene's horse and cattle knowledge as well as her business intelligence. She set goals early in her life and set out to accomplish each with a vengeance.

"I have always challenged myself by setting goals that require the greatest achievement. Being very competitive has driven me to achieve these goals."

At age 13 she competed at her first Little Britches Rodeo and won the All Around Cowgirl award. This fueled her desire to set higher goals and to attain them.

While still attending High School, Marlene was a leader in more ways than on horseback. As an accomplished saxophonist she traveled around the world playing as member and soloist of selected honor bands, however, she did not realize at some point she would have to make a tough decision regarding what path she would take. "At that point, music and horses were of equal importance to me, I did not know that a decision would have to be made."

During her years at Colorado State University, Marlene made the decision to see how far horses would carry her when she pursued a more challenging level of competition. "I have never been the kind of person that is afraid of making decisions and exploring new horizons."

As Marlene matured into a talented horsewoman she also grew to be a devastating combination of beauty and brains. When she would reach one goal, she would immediately look for new horizons to set the next. In rodeo, one of her goals was reached when she became the World Champion in her event of Barrel Racing. She was satisfied with her accomplishments and the milestones she had achieved, however, she found herself unsure of what direction she wanted to go next. She continued to rodeo mainly because of the great horse that she had developed, Dutch Watch. She knew his abilities could not be put on hold.

In her world championship year Marlene had attained more awards than anyone had ever gained to date. She competed in 120 rodeos that year and was at home for a total of only 10 days. During that time she performed for an estimated 13 million live fans and 100 million television viewers. Hard work paid off for Marlene, who says she has achieved much more than material rewards in her rodeo career, but has also gained knowledge and respect for goal setting and achieving.

1988 became a year that Marlene describes as the year she was presented with another challenge that required her to dig deep inside herself to mentally and physically prepare. The Olympic Games were being held in Calgary and rodeo was being included. Each rodeo event along with the United States and Canada rodeo teams were to compete against each other for the coveted gold medals. Once again Marlene rose to the occasion, won her event of barrel racing and the gold medal against Canada and the United States best including World Champions Charmayne James and Martha Josey. The U.S. team also won the team gold.

Marlene left Calgary with two gold medals and yet another opportunity turned to accomplishment. "Winning the gold medals was the most thrilling event in my life. The World Championship was great and I would not trade that for anything, but there is something special about the Olympics."

Marlene has always brought fashion to the rodeo world. She won the best dressed award at the National Finals Rodeo two times. Marlene has modeled in print ads and posters for Wrangler Jeans, Frontier Airlines, Bailey Hats, Circle Y of Yoakum, Rodeo Video and Dodge Trucks. She has also made personal appearances on television and radio talk shows, including Good Morning America, You Bet Your Life with Bill Cosby and has made numerous television commercials for western clothing and ski wear stores.

As an entrepreneur, Marlene has expanded into producing and starring in video tapes on horsemanship and barrel racing, teaching at her own clinics throughout the United States and Canada, training and developing horses for sale, endorsing selected horse related products and developing and marketing her own mail order business, World Champion Designs.

Marlene now stays involved with rodeo by competing, and winning, at selected events throughout the United States and Canada. Continuing to travel and compete allows Marlene to stay current in the minds of rodeo fans and to promote her endorsements and business ventures.

Throughout her career, Marlene has shown the innate ability to play a part in many different worlds. Many athletes may be one-dimensional, but she is not.

Life at the top has been good to Marlene, who as the forerunner of women's professional barrel racing, has combined femininity and horsemanship to equal a champion rodeo athlete.

There's much more to this champion than the titles she has accomplished!

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Youth, High School & College Career Highlights:

Showing registered Shetland ponies at the age of six.

State 4H Champion Horseman and Showman at the age of nine (Held title for four years)

First rodeo competition at the Little Britches Rodeo in Medicine Hat, Kansas (Won the All-Around Cowgirl Award)

Qualified for National Little Britches Finals four consecutive years

Colorado High School Rodeo Queen and All-around Rodeo Champion

Elected National High School Rodeo Secretary

Colorado Amateur Barrel Racing Champion

Colorado High School All-Around Rodeo Champion

Regional National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Breakaway Calf Roping Champion and Colorado Amateur Barrel Racing Champion

WPRA National Finals All Girl qualifier in four events

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Professional Career Highlights:

1980-Present

Drafted & competed for the Denver Stars Rodeo Team (1980)

Most Valuable Player for World Champion Denver Stars Rodeo Team (1980)

World Champion Barrel Racer (1983)

Number one draft choice and first woman drafted for PRCA Pro Tour Rodeo (1985)

Member of "The Wrangler/Willie Nelson Outfit" PRCA Pro Rodeo Team

2X Olympic Gold Medal winner at Calgary Winter Olympics (1988)

4X Reserve World Champion Barrel Racer (1986-89)

2X National Finals Rodeo Champion Barrel Racer (1983, 1988)

3X Reserve National Finals Rodeo Champion Barrel Racer (1984, 1987, 1990)

2X Arena record, fastest time at National Finals Rodeo (1983, 1991)

10X National Finals Rodeo qualifier (1983-91, 2000)

5X Calgary Stampede Champion Barrel Racer

5X Mountain States Circuit Champion Barrel Racer (1988, 1989,

2X Reserve Champion at Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo (1988, 1989,

Elected to Board of Directors of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Assn. (1990)

Inducted into Cowgirl Hall of Fame (1995)

Instructed at over 500 clinics & seminars (1980-2008)

Will instruct at over 20 clinics and seminars in 2008

"Over my entire professional career, not counting my youth, high school and college days, I can count over 200 different horses I have personally ridden to winnings in professional rodeo competition."

"In 1990, together with my business partner and husband, Doug McRae, World Champion Designs was developed and marketed. The core of this retail mail order business continues to be my endorsed, specifically designed and selected products that are strictly developed to protect, enhance and promote horse soundness, comfort and performance."

"My tenth National Finals Rodeo qualification in 2000 capped my career and further promoted our standing stallion that I competed on. I now stay involved with horse competition at selected professional events throughout the United States and Canada."

"Since 2000 I have continued to travel and compete at a limited number of rodeo's and jackpots as this allows me to stay current in my riding, training and competing on all of my horses and those of customers. It also allows me to promote my endorsements and various business ventures.

"With my latest project completed of writing my book, Barrel Racing: 101, with my sole purpose of educating and enhancing the reader’s overall knowledge of horses with an emphasis on the complete care essentials for the performance horse, I am now able to give more attention to horse training, teaching clinics and developing new and better products."

So far, so good!

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Endorsements:

Cactus Saddlery

Ortho Equine

Lone Tree Ranch, LLC

Rodeo Video

World Champion Designs, LLC

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Lone Tree Ranch, LLC

1740 County Road 185 v Ramah, Colorado 80832 v 719-337-2050

1120 Spur 100 v Kerrville, Texas 78028 v 719-338-6005