story by Riata Cummings
Hailing from Cedar Fort, Utah, a small-town near rapidly growing Lehi, Kodee Barratt is an 18-year-old cowgirl and rodeo athlete. She is the second child of Mark and Melissa Barratt, and her siblings are Wyatt, Ashlee, and Lexy. They spend almost every weekend together at a high school or college rodeo, as well as a lot of quality time in the practice pen. Kodee is a senior attending Westlake High School where her favorite classes include agri-science business and pro-start cooking. She is also a member of Westlake’s chapter of the National FFA Organization. After high school, Kodee plans to attend Utah Valley University and earn her degree in business while competing in the Rocky Mountain Professional Rodeo Association.
Because her mom competed in rodeo throughout high school and college and her dad has always been close to the sport, Kodee, “picked it up naturally.” Initially, she competed in the Utah Junior Rodeo Association and with the West Desert Youth Rodeo in the barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying. Moving up through the ranks of the National Little Britches Rodeo Association and Utah High School Rodeo Association, Kodee still competes in barrels and poles and has started team roping as a header for Amanda Dubois. She uses a 14-year-old gelding named Ralph for the poles and barrels, and although pole bending seems to be his favorite, the barrel racing is Kodee’s event of choice. Her head horse is a 12-year-old mare, Joe, and Kodee has also started training a 4-year-old mare named Bug.
Kodee has competed at the NLBRA Finals six different times, and the last time she made it to the short-go and finished 10th in the nation. She has also qualified for the state finals every year of competing in the junior high and high school rodeos. This year her goal is to earn more points and make it back to the short-go at the Utah High School Finals Rodeo. Years of rodeo has taught Kodee that we are, “basically one big rodeo family,” and that there always people willing to help. Last summer Kodee and her horse took a spill on the home stretch of a barrel pattern, fracturing her ankle. The outpouring of love and support that Kodee received helped her heal quickly and made her love for the sport that much stronger. She would like to leave a legacy of that same kindness and helpfulness wherever she goes.
Kodee lives by the saying, “The difference between winning and loosing is, most often, not quitting.” She knows that bad things happen and that the only way to get through them is to keep pushing toward your goals. Rodeo has helped Kodee develop her ambitious nature, teaching her to set goals and go after them tirelessly. Also contributing to that purposeful personality, Kodee’s parents are her heroes and she is grateful for their constant encouragement and support.
