By Rachael Lindley
Photo courtesy of Tammy and Curtis Nail
Tammy and Curtis Nail’s love story is rooted in persistence, partnership, and a shared way of life that has always revolved around family and the rodeo world. The two met in high school, where Curtis — already immersed in rodeo as a bullfighter — was far from what Tammy imagined as “her type.” Still, after a little encouragement from a close friend and a lot of determination from Curtis, she agreed to a date. “I asked a lot and got turned down a lot, but I never quit,” Curtis has said — words that would come to define not just their courtship, but their life together.
They began dating in 1973 and married in 1978.
“Someone told us if we could last a year, we could make it forever,” Tammy says. “We went out to dinner for our one-year anniversary and thought, ‘This was so easy!’”
From the beginning, Tammy and Curtis grew up and stayed around the Fort Worth Stockyards, a place that shaped both their careers and their connection. They have always worked together in some capacity, guided by a shared belief in communication and teamwork. Curtis has worked in the auto industry for the past 25 years while taking on countless jobs, never shying away from hard work. Meanwhile Tammy stayed busy teaching aerobics, substitute teaching and timing rodeos.
Rodeo has remained a constant thread throughout their marriage. Curtis judged bull riding every weekend for nearly 20 years, beginning in the early 1980s, while Tammy handled the timing. Tammy came from a large rodeo family. Her two older brothers were steer wrestlers and she first learned timing alongside her sister-in-law after many trips to the stockyards. Curtis, meanwhile, rode bulls himself, including at the first rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum in 1976. Together, they became a familiar and trusted presence in the arena.
Family has always been at the heart of their story. Tammy and Curtis raised two children and today, they are proud grandparents to five grandchildren, and their family remains tightly connected. Tammy grew up in a large family, while Curtis came from a smaller one, but together they created a home centered on togetherness. “I fell into a family that does everything together,” Curtis says.
Outside the arena, the couple share a love for the outdoors and do a lot of boating, bass fishing, skiing, and spending time on the water. When their kids were young, they often went dancing at the stockyards, a tradition they still enjoy today.
“We don’t get tired of going to the stockyards — it keeps us young,” Tammy says.
Their marriage has endured not through grand gestures, but through consistency and mutual respect. They don’t dwell on disagreements. “We don’t really fuss and fight,” Tammy explains. “We just talk about it and move on.” Curtis, known for his tireless work ethic, also started Curtis Nail Leather Works, crafting belts, hat clips, wallets, and other leather goods, a continuation of his lifelong habit of always having something productive in his hands.
More than four decades after they said “I do,” Tammy and Curtis remain partners in every sense of the word. Their story is one of showing up, working hard, staying connected, and choosing each other every day.