story by Ruth Nicolaus
Kadee Belle Hall answers to a couple of different names.
Her dad likes to call her Kadee Belle, and her friends know her as Kadee or Belle. But when it comes to spelling her middle name, she reminds people that it’s spelled like the Princess Belle, not Taco Bell.
Kadee lives in Velma, Okla., in the south central part of the state, and competes in the Oklahoma High School Rodeo Association. She is a barrel racer, breakaway roper, cutter, and does the reining cow horse.
Her barrel horse is a nine year old sorrel named Batman, who is a new purchase for the family. Her breakaway horse is a 21 year old big chestnut with a blaze face, Skip, who acts like he’s three. “He’s broncy and spooks at anything,” she says.
Her cutting mare is not the nicest horse on the planet. Lucy, a ten year old dark chestnut, is a “hateful little witch, all the time,” she said, “but when you put a cow in front of her, she knows what to do.” Lucy isn’t mean, but she sure isn’t friendly. She often pins her ears back.
Kadee’s reined cow horse is a ten year old sorrel mare named Julie, who was first purchased as her barrel horse. Julie was dead broke and could turn on a dime, but she wasn’t fast enough. So she got to do ranch work, and when Kadee’s older sister took her to a working cow horse competition and Julie did great, Kadee decided she wanted her back.
The eighteen year old cowgirl is one of 29 seniors in the soon-to-be graduating class at Velma High School. She loves her small school. “It’s awesome. We all know each other really good. We’re more like a big family than a small class.” Even though she enjoys school, the best part of the day is coming home to ride. She looks forward to that, and mentally plans what her practice routine will be.
She is involved in Beta Club, the Oklahoma Honor Society, the National Honor Society, and FCA.
Kadee’s mother has taught her to cook, and her specialty is cheeseburger pie, which includes browned ground beef and Bisquick mix. She often cooks in the summer, which gives her mom a break.
She is the reigning cutting and reined cow horse champion in the Oklahoma High School Rodeo Association and is the National High School Finals cutting champion.
She has competed at the National High School Finals Rodeo all three years in the cutting, twice in the reined cow horse, and once in the barrels. In addition to winning the national cutting title this year, she was the reserve champ her sophomore year.
After high school, she’d like to study to be an ultrasound technician. When her mom was pregnant with her little sister, Kadee got to be in the hospital room when the ultrasound was done, and she has never forgotten it. She also plans on competing in collegiate rodeo.
She has an older sister, Whitney, who is 21, and a younger sister, Dakota Jo, who is twelve. She is the daughter of Shannon and Ronda Hall.
