story by Lily Weinacht
“I really enjoy rodeo and competing with my friends and everybody that I know— and even people I don’t know who are better than me, because I can see things that help me get better,” says Harley Ann Baas. The 12-year-old cowgirl from Hudson, Colorado, is in the middle of her second season in the CJHSRA, while she capped off her rookie season with a qualification to the 2018 NJHFR in breakaway roping. “I knew I could get there, and I was definitely trying to get there in every one of my events. I was really happy when I did make it—I knew when I won the short go that I’d be making it to Nationals.” Along with competing in two rounds of breakaway at the NJHFR, Harley Ann enjoyed going to Splash Central with her friends and playing in the volleyball tournament, where their team had one win and one loss. “I’m really going to try to work hard to get to Nationals again and do better.”
Along with breakaway roping, Harley Ann competes in team roping with Leo Veatch, ribbon roping, goat tying, and most recently, the rifle shoot. “My favorite is probably the goat tying. I like stepping off really fast and tying the goat—I like everything about it.” A second-generation NLBRA competitor, Harley Ann also competes in trail course, barrel racing, and pole bending in addition to her other events at Little Britches rodeos, and enters CJRA rodeos as well. Her goal is to make it to both the NJHFR and NLBFR next summer.
“I’ve always loved riding ever since I was little. My dad (Chad Baas) helps me when I practice, and he corrects me and reminds me of the things I need to do,” says Harley Ann. “He did some Little Britches when he was in high school. He’s taught me everything I know about rodeo, and my mom and step-sister (Melissa Baas and Megan Graham) really give me a lot of support. Megan is 12, and she used to rodeo a little bit, and now she’s starting to ride again.”
Tater, Harley Ann’s breakaway horse who carried her to Nationals, is also her mount in the trail course and the goat tying on occasion. She ties goats off her 21-year-old gelding, Moses, who retired from barrel racing and pole bending until Harley Ann’s main barrel horse went back to training last summer. “My barrel horse, Mighty, was at training because she spit the bit and ran me into a barrel and split my knee open, so I’m using Mo and he’s doing really good for me. My head horse is named Chief, and I’m breakaway roping on him too and I’ll do trail course on him.” Harley Ann’s family also has dogs, goats, and cows, and she’s in charge of feeding Moses and cleaning the calf pens.
When she’s not with her animals, Harley Ann is at Cardinal Community Academy. A seventh grader, she enjoys social studies, particularly history. “My family and I like to go mountain biking and four wheeling,” she adds. “Over Thanksgiving we go to Moab to mountain bike and four wheel, and it’s still really warm.” Her favorite travels involve going to rodeos, however. “I like riding my horses when we get there, and just hanging out. Cortez is really fun because we went up to Mesa Verde. I’d really like to make it to Nationals in the breakaway, goat tying, rifle shoot, and hopefully the team roping. Those are the ones I really want to take a shot at.”
