Review staff:
A young rodeo star from Rimbey is making quite a name for herself following two very impressive wins recently.
Ten year-old Kennedy Smith won the first annual Pee-Wee Barrel Bonanza as part of the Heartland Futurity and Derby held in Stettler over the weekend of Sept.13 by beating out 54 entries from across western Canada in the 10 years and under competition.
The youngster, who is in Grade 6 at the Rimbey Elementary School, entered the event with two different horses and after making the event’s top 10 list, she proceeded to finish in first place while riding Maggie, a 23 year-old barrel horse. For her efforts, she won a saddle and blanket and picked up another blanket as reserve champion on her other horse Ricki.
Later in the month, Kennedy competed in the Wildrose Rodeo Association Finals held in Barrhead from Sept. 18 to 21. After attending many rodeos throughout the summer, she emerged as the Season Leader going into the finals and kept it up by winning four of five rounds and the championship saddle. In addition, she also won prizes for the best average time and fastest time in the sanctioned rodeo loop held in the Barrhead-Manning-Grande Prairie-Beaverlodge areas.
The winning didn’t stop there either as she was also the Season Leader in the Lakeland Rodeo Association.
“I was three years old when I started riding by myself. My older sisters were participating in rodeos so that’s why I started,” she said. “I won two saddles at my last two events. It was a lot of fun and I thought I could do whatever I put my mind to.”
Winning seems to be running in the family as both her older sisters – Taylor and Sam are also prolific riders with Taylor already having won four saddles and Sam making the finals in three finals this year placing second and third in two of them.
“My older sisters both rodeo and we all travel together in the summer. My big sister Taylor is in high school rodeo now and my middle sister Sam and I are both in Wrangler Junior High School Rodeo,” she said adding that she has one more event this year, that being the Barrhead Wrangler Rodeo after which she said she’ll be putting her horses out for the winter.
As with all true champions, young Kennedy was quick to defer any praise away herself.
“My horse is what helps me to win,” she said. “Her name is Maggie and I love her!”