Mankato Magazine

her slightly worn but spirited and savvy tying horse, and Ruby, an elegant 11-year-old mare given to her by a professional bull rider diagnosed with terminal cancer — like children.

She rides almost every day (even in the winter, keeping their horses at a stable in Hanska) and doesn’t envision giving up her passion anytime soon.

Though she’s got just one more month with her title, she’ll continue to compete in rodeo for her senior year.

After that, she’s intent on attending South Dakota State, Iowa Central or Black Hills State — all colleges McKenzie Smith, who is finishing her junior year at Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial High School, has ridden horses with rodeo programs. since she was 3 years old.

“It’s something you can do your whole life,” she said. “Being queen, I want Rodeo for life to learn she’s involved in rodeo at all. to show people there are opportunities out “A lot of her friends don’t understand These days, McKenzie is with her horses M there.” how much commitment and time goes into almost as soon as the final bell rings at her rodeo,” said McKenzie’s mother, Charla. high school. She dotes on them — Barrett, Yet, McKenzie’s path to rodeo was paved early on.

She was just 3 years old when her father McKenzie Smith takes Ruby, an elegant Ole was injured an ATV accident. With 11-year-old quarterhorse, for a barrel run Ole confined to the house with a broken in the arena her father built on their leg, Charla took years of being told “We’re Garden City farm. never getting a horse” into her own hands.

In cahoots with Ole’s father, they secretly cleared a pasture and built a fence. One day, they borrowed a friend’s horse trailer and, under the guise of “going shopping,” spirited away the young McKenzie to go choose her first horse.

She started riding almost immediately and was a natural, patient and fearless around the giant beasts that she’s come to behold as family. She joined a local 4H horse program in fourth grade and started riding in shows. She began competitive rodeo in eighth grade and began attending events all over the state on weekends — including the annual St. Peter rodeo that is held the first weekend of June and serves as the junior high finals and high school regional finals.

She’s even earned spots in national rodeo events in New Mexico, Wyoming and elsewhere.

“I’ve always had this passion,” McKenzie said. “I just connect with horses.”

MANKATO MAGAZINE • June 2012 • 37