MANDY CASTILLO
Castillo Generations : Mandy, Abel, and Gabe
SPOTLIGHT: Mandy Castillo | Legacy in the Loop
40 Plus Team Roping is excited to welcome a new producer in South Texas. Raised by his grandparents, Mandy was shaped by long days of cattle work, the lessons of vaqueros, and the values of respect and responsibility that still guide him. That same work ethic has carried forward into his own family.
Mandy and family
One of his strongest memories came when he was 13 or 14. “One of my best memories is when I was finally able to ride with the vaqueros to go rope stray cattle. Before that I wasn’t allowed to go, I was told to stay back because I might get hurt. But that day no one told me to stay behind. It made me feel like I belonged, like I had earned my place.” Experiences like that gave him toughness and work ethic. “It was old school vaquero life. You respected your elders, you respected the land, and you worked until the job was done.”
Mandy and his son, Gabe
Mandy roped steadily until 2007, when work and his kids’ travel sports made it difficult to stay in the arena. A knee injury added to the challenge, but when his son Gabe picked up roping after leaving college baseball, Mandy found a new way to stay involved. Together, the two of them launched LCC Productions in Kingsville after a new covered arena was built in town. What began as a way to provide opportunities closer to home has quickly grown, drawing strong turnouts and building momentum, with events that are already making an impact in the South Texas roping community.
Gabe and Mandy’s daughter, Celeste
What matters most to Mandy is putting on ropings that ropers can trust. He has seen what it feels like to travel, rope well, and leave discouraged, and he wanted to build something different. “I always wanted people to feel good about coming to our ropings. Win or lose, they know it will be run fair and they will be taken care of.”
That same outlook is what drew him to producing with 40 Plus. “When the opportunity came up, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. 40 Plus is about building community, and that’s what I’ve tried to do with my own productions too. It’s about bringing people together.”
Mandy and grandchildren, Madi, Myles, and Evie Jo
For Mandy, producing is about more than events. It is about honoring his roots, building community, and keeping alive the values his grandfather instilled. “I do wish I was roping though. I’m going to work toward that, to one day turn some for my son.”
In Loving Memory of Abel Castillo
The values of hard work, respect, and the vaquero way of life lived strong through Abel Castillo. He raised Mandy with those lessons, shaping him into the man he is today. That same work ethic has been passed down once more, as Mandy has instilled it in his son Gabe, continuing the Castillo family legacy through roping, ranching, and community.
