story by Riata Cummings
Brylee Allan has been riding horses for as long as she can remember, and she has “loved it since day one.” Seventeen-year-old Brylee now competes in the Utah High School Rodeo Association as a senior. She competes in the barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying, the last being her favorite. “I love how competitive the goat tying is in Utah. It’s an event where it is more than just how fast your horse is; you have to prove your skill on your own two feet.”
Brylee is the daughter of Josh and Mandee Allan of Nephi, Utah. Brylee is the middle child with two older siblings, Preston and Chaylee, and two younger siblings, Oaklee and Hayzlee. Brylee attends Juab High School and plays pitcher on the school’s varsity softball team. In January, Brylee hopes to start cosmetology school through Mountainland Technical College. “I have always loved doing hair and making people feel good.”
Brylee has qualified for state finals every year of competing, as well as the Silver State International Rodeo several times. Brylee has served as the student secretary in the junior high and high school rodeo associations. This year she is a member of the Cinch All-Star Team. Brylee is seasoning some horses in the pole bending and working towards a place at nationals in the goat tying.
Student leadership in the organization has helped Brylee “have a say in what goes on and understand what needs to happen.” She has enjoyed being able to “do something about the situation and help with the behind-the-scenes” action. She loves that rodeoing in Utah is “so competitive but so much a family.”
Brylee’s favorite rodeos are the Dixie Six: three weekends of qualifying rodeos at the end of the fall season just outside of sunny St. George, Utah. “I love the weather down there and I love the environment. It’s so much fun and then, of course, we have Cowboy Prom down there.”
Two years ago, Brylee was having intense, debilitating headaches nearly every day. After an MRI, she discovered she was suffering from Chiari malformation and needed brain surgery. During her recovery, her sister and father helped her keep her horses ridden. The day she was cleared, Brylee came home from the doctor’s and started “hammering down to get back in shape.” The experience taught her that you can “get through the tough times, even when it seems like you won’t.”
Brylee lives by the saying, “You are your own competition.” The mantra reminds her to “beat yourself and your own best times every time you go in the arena. You have to stay positive and keep your mental game strong.”
Brylee’s parents are her heroes, and she has “always looked up to them.” She wants to emulate them by “working hard for everything and being successful.” Brylee has learned from her parents to define success as “being happy and doing what you love.” Brylee would like to thank her parents, family and friends for their encouragement. “Thank you for all your help and support; you keep me going.”
