Nellie Miller Nellie Miller

Rodeo Li e: ou took a break rom competing ull time to startand raise a amil , ow was t e transitionleaving rodeo and ow was it ge ng back to competing ull time

NellieMiller: Transitioning from rodeo to family life came at a good time for me. At the time I felt like my horse was slowing down a bit and I didn’t have anything to replace him so I was happy to take a bit of a break from rodeo and I really enjoyed every minute of becoming a new wife and mom. You really find out what life is all about after having kids so I wouldn’t trade that for the world. After our second daughter was born I started to get the itch to try it again mainly because Sister was coming on pretty strong and I felt like she had what it took to make a rodeo horse. Learning how to rodeo with kids was a bit of a challenge and soon realized I needed to recruit a lot more help than what I had in the past. My family and friends really stepped up and made it work for me and I am so grateful for that.

RL: W at is t eli e o a pro essional Barrel Racerlike

NM: Life of a professional Barrel Racer is not as glamorous as one might think but what job is? There are a lot of miles behind the wheel and strategic planning that goes into every run, but the reward of a winning run is the best feeling in the world. Barrel Racing is the only thing I have ever wanted to do and so for me to actually be able to do it full time and have the success I’ve had, has been a dream come true.

RL: How man rodeos are ou traveling tot is ear NM: So far this year I have been to twenty-five rodeos, which is less than any of my previous years. Fortunately, I had some pretty big wins early on in the year, which allowed me to be home a little more than usual. This has been nice since our oldest daughter started school it can get a little hectic trying to keep up with everybody’s schedule.

RL: W at is t etraining sc edulewit Sister like How do ou keep er res over t e course o t at man rodeos NM: While on the road it can be a challenge to find a place to work your horse. A lot of the time you just have to adjust from run to run. Sister is smart and it only takes small corrections to get her back on track after a bad run. I try to exercise her every day however depending on how much she is getting used I will give her breaks as needed or change my riding to fit whatever she feels like. It is a fine line between keeping her fresh and keeping her focused so I really try to pay attention to her attitude from day to day.

RL: Are our daug ters (Pa ton Hadle ) s owing an interest in Barrel Racing W atare t eir avorite parts o t e rodeos

NM: Both of my daughters are horse crazy. We have a couple of old horses they are able to ride around on. They love to ride and they always say they are going to be Barrel Racers when they grow up. But their favorite part of the rodeos is still the carnival!

RL: W odid ou look up to w en ou first got intoBarrel Racing

NM: Charmayne James was my idol when I was a kid. Until recently when I started meeting all these little girls at the rodeos, I had forgotten how much I loved her and idolized her as a kid. It is such a big deal for the kids to meet their hero and I am so glad that I was reminded of that and that I am able to give them what Charmayne gave me as a kid, which is someone to look up to and aspire to be like.

RL: I ou could advice rom an one, w o would it be and w at would ou ask t em

NM: Looking back, I wish I would have asked my grandparents a lot more while they were alive. I feel like that generation was so strong. I have a lot of motherhood and parenting questions that I would like for them to answer but I guess they had to figure things out for themselves they didn’t even have Google!

RL: W at advice would ougive our twelve- ear-old sel w en ou first startedBarrel Racing about t e sport NM: If I had to give advice to my twelve-year-old self I would probably say take risks and don’t be afraid. I was pretty cautious as a child and still tend to be in some aspects so it was hard for me to go out on a limb and do things I wasn’t comfortable with, but that is how we grow as people and experiences, good or bad, are what make us who we are.

RL: W at is our avorite rodeo to compete in and w NM: It is so hard to choose a favorite rodeo because there are so many and I have a lot of good memories. Salinas is definitely at the top of the list, it is such a vacation to get to go there and hang out for several days with all of your friends in the cool ocean weather and eat the good seafood. Another one I always enjoy is St. Paul because I have always had such good luck there. I have placed every time I have entered so it’s always nice to go to rodeos that you have a lot of confidence at.

RL: W at were our firstt oug tsw en ou were announced as t e 2017 World C ampion Barrel Racer And w en Sister was voted AQHA/WPRA Barrel Racing Horseo t e ear W ic title were ou moreexcited about NM: It was such a blur when I won the world that I didn’t know what to think about it. I couldn’t even process what that meant or how it had happened. When Sister was announced the horse of the year it was such an awesome feeling because we love our horses so much and to have all of my competitors think that she was deserving of such an award was so rewarding. To have all of the years of hard work be rewarded was an amazing feeling.

RL: W atare our goals t is ear or bot ou and Sister NM: This year our goals are to make great runs and stay healthy. Though we all have big end goals we want to accomplish, I hate to put too much emphasis on them, it works better for us to keep things simple and just think about making that next run no matter where it might be.

Imagine working for eight seconds only to proudly prance back to your corral where fresh water and an abundance of food awaits you. This is the reality for rodeo rough stock, bulls and horses alike. The welfare of livestock, especially in the rodeo industry, catches a lot of scrutiny from the public, many seek to eliminate the rodeo industry all together in favor of giving all animals rights. “The PRCA, and others involved in the sport of rodeo, are the true advocates for animal welfare,” said Jed Pugsley, PRCA Livestock Program Administrator. “Animal welfare being the belief system that we have the right to interact with animals in industry, sport, recreation and entertainment, but along with that right comes the responsibility to provide proper care and handling. Animal welfare is not only the backbone of the PRCA’s approach to successful events, but the cornerstone to a prosperous future.”

Many cowboys proclaim they would enjoy living the life of a rodeo animal, short work days and long vacations await these animals. They are the livelihood of the stock contractors that care for and breed them for rodeo.“We make sure our animals are in tip-top shape all year round,” said Rhett Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Sons Rodeo Company out of central Oklahoma. “If the animals coming off my truck are in bad shape, not only do I get a bad name in the industry, I also start to lose business. People wait for the arrival of these animals and I want them in the best shape possible, so they can perform to their full potential.”