story by Ruth Nicolaus
Chaley Hext competes in the barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping and ribbon roping in the Oklahoma Junior High School Rodeo Association.
The fourteen year old cowgirl, who lives in Canadian, Texas, spends all her spare time with horses. After she’s done with her schoolwork, she is on the family ranch, with her aunt, ShanTil Hext, cowboying. And sometimes she’s at the home of Tamara Reinhardt, who is teaching her to train horses.
For the barrels, Chaley rides an eight year old bay gelding named Code. Tamara helped her train him, and when she wins on him, Chaley is proud to know she put the training on him.
For the poles, she rides her aunt’s horse Rio, a twelve year old brown gelding, and for the breakaway and goat tying, she rides Letters, a bay mare who is a “little spitfire. She’ll try to kick or bite you when you walk behind her, and when you saddle her, she’ll pin her ears back. She doesn’t like to be messed with,” Chaley said.
Chaley is in the eighth grade and is homeschooled. She enjoys reading, especially books about horses and cowgirls like Jackie Ganter, Sherry Cervi and Jolene Montgomery. She also loves to read horse show catalogs and stallion books.
She admires Reinhardt and Montgomery, because of their skill with horses, and when she grows up, she’d like to be a professional barrel racer and compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Chaley’s aunt ShanTil takes her to a lot of her rodeos and barrel races, and loves spending time with her. “She’s positive and she’s a worker,” ShanTil said. “It’s refreshing to be around somebody who wants to do something. We both have the same interests. We love horses. That’s what makes it enjoyable for me. We’ve rode together many miles.”
Chaley made the short round at state finals in all her events in sixth and seventh grades, and is the reigning state champion pole bender. At the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo in 2016, she finished in the top four in the pole bending, ribbon roping and all-around. Her pole horse Rio won the National Junior High School Rodeo AQHA Horse of the Year title.
She has a younger sister, Dessa, who is eleven. She is the daughter of Sanja Hext.
