story by Siri Stevens
John and Michelle Stewart brought their three daughters, Ellie (9), Maggie (12), and Millie (14), to the NLBFR at The Lazy E in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The family lives 70 miles outside Chicago, Illinois, and this was their first trip to the state of Oklahoma. John barrel raced and pole bended a bit at some small rodeos, but Michelle has no interest in competing. “They smell good and they are cute and they make my kids happy,” she said of the horses that she brushes.
Ellie competes in barrels, poles, flags, and goat tying. Running barrels and poles are Ellie’s favorite events. “It’s fun to let my horse float through the pattern,” said the fourth grader. Ellie received an unusual birthday present this past year. “I got 129 laying hens,” she said. “I was thinking more like 20,” she said of the quantity. She collects 8 or 9 dozen eggs a day that she sells for $2 a dozen. Like her older sisters, who have started an embroidery and silk screen company, Ellie is an entrepreneur. “I have goats too,” she said. “And four of them are pregnant. I want to have a goat livestock contract and the name will be Goaty Woaty Rodeo Goats.” Two of the goats are used for practice. “I also have cats – six cats and kittens, and two horses.” When Ellie grows up she either wants to be a model for Fallon Taylor or an agronomist. “We just started Little Britches this year. I like it – the events are all really fun and the people are really nice.”
Her sister, Maggie, 12, competes in barrels, poles, breakaway, ribbon roping, goat tying and team roping as a header.Barrel racing is her favorite event because of her horse. “It’s the easiest for me and I have a well-trained horse.” She is going into the seventh grade and is home schooled. “I like it because it gives me more time with my horses and I can excel at my own pace.” Maggie is very mechanical and enjoys welding and running a bull dozer. Maggie has a side business of running the pop machine at her dad’s office. “I am there all the time because I’m home schooled, so I just fill it and keep the money I make.” Her family runs a farm and contracts bio solids for municipalities. She and her older sister have an embroidery machine, and they have started making hats for customers. “I’ve made some for my grandma’s restaurant and stuff for others,” said Maggie. They learned how to run it from Milly, who was producing the hats and shirts for the company. Maggie wants to be a vet. “I love animals and helping them. I have one horse and one miniature pony and a dog and six cats.” She spends her spare time reading Harry Potter books and doing other crafts like beading.
Millie is the oldest. “I can boss them around and I do,” said the 14 year old who competes in barrels poles, breakaway, ribbon roping, team roping, and trail. “The hardest is team roping because I feel like I haven’t done it as much so I’m not experienced at it.” Millie helps Maggie with the embroidery. “We did 90 shirts for the Illinois rodeo team – it took 90 hours to make them.” The girls did everything from ordering to the silk screening. Millie has been rodeoing for four years. She did fun shows and county fairs, competing in the 4-H in barrels, poles, and a little showing. She likes rodeo for the friends she has made. She goes to a private Christian high school that her parents started in Yorkville, Illinois. The school has the goal to give all students an opportunity and develop hands on leadership skills and provide a safe place for them to thrive. Educate, energize and empower so they can do something. The school opened three years ago, and has graduated three students. “I like that since it’s so small all the teachers have time to help me get to where I should be and I can do stuff on my own but I have the teachers.”
