story by Lily Weinacht
Sophia Knox is no stranger to trying new things. The 15-year-old from Edmond, Oklahoma, is the first of her family to ride horses and compete in rodeo. This is also her first season competing in the KKP after hearing about it from a friend, and she secured a spot at the Junior NFR in December after winning the senior race at the KK Run for Vegas in Topeka, Kansas. “We went to the race in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and I ran there,” says Sophia. “I placed tenth in the seniors, so we decided to try another trip up to Topeka and try again. It was super exciting! We’ve been working really hard and my horse is finally getting going. It was a self accomplishment to get him going—I wanted to qualify, but all I really wanted to do was lay down a good run.”
Her barrel racing career has been in the works since Sophia started riding when she was 8. “I always loved horses growing up, and one year my parents gave me riding lessons for Christmas and just couldn’t get me away from it.” She rode English and showed in jumping, rail, and pattern classes, but when a new trainer came to the barn three years ago, Sophia found her true calling in the horse world. “Katrina Van Diest is the one who introduced rodeo to me and really made it a fun experience that I wanted to keep doing. She moved away, but I still talk to her occasionally and visit her. I occasionally miss English, but barrel racing I love more. I think English definitely put a good foundation of basics on me and made me have a really good seat—I rode a lot of naughty ponies. It really helped me become the rider I am.”
Along with barrel racing in KKP, Sophia competes in barrel racing and pole bending in the NLBRA and HOYRA. Last year, she and her horse Maggie won the year-end barrel racing title in the HOYRA and took home a saddle, while Sophia is eager to make her debut at the NLBFR in Guthrie, Oklahoma, this summer. She qualified in both her events. “I think barrels are my favorite because it can be a different pattern size every time, whereas poles are mainly the same. I think having the companionship with my horses motivates me. I always have them, and getting to see them every day after school makes me happy.”
Sophia qualified for the Junior NFR on Bank On Me Buddy, whom she calls Buddy. She’s owned the 13-year-old gelding for a year but rode him several years ago when Maggie was out with an injury. “I’ve been training Buddy since I got him and he’s doing really well. Maggie is 9, and that’s who I learned on. I ran her at the qualifier too. I really like to trail ride just to let them have an open mind, and sometimes we’ll do a little bit of English just to change things up.”
Sophia is finishing her sophomore year at Deer Creek High School, and enjoys lab work and solving equations in chemistry. She spends her seventh and final hour of school at the barn riding horses. Sophia played soccer until last year when she decided to focus more on horses, but her 17-year-old sister, Josie, still plays soccer. They often go to each other’s soccer games and rodeos to cheer one another on, and the sisters and their parents, Becky and Jason Knox, also enjoy going to the lake in the summer to tube and spend time with friends.
“This is my first year to go to the Little Britches finals and one of my goals is to do good there,” Sophia finishes. “I definitely want to get my horses consistent and just work on finishing them out.”
