story by Lindsay Humphrey
Seventeen-year-old Maddilyn Sherwood set out during the fall season with her 15-year-old brother, Louk, in the passenger seat. The pair is, and likely always will be, inseparable. “I owe everything to my little brother because without him I wouldn’t be where I am now,” said the NMHSRA barrel racer from Farmington, NM. “He makes sure everything is fed in the morning and he’s always checking me. He’s my biggest fan and biggest supporter and I’ll always be that for him.” Louk was in a bad accident this winter that’s kept him out of the saddle and the high school team roping pen. “I haven’t been competing without him because I need my support and that little boy comes before anything.”
Even though it’s Maddilyn’s final high school season, she’s more of an end-game competitor. As such, she has her sights set on competing in Vegas’ Tuffest Junior World Championships. “I missed Vegas last year by a hair, so it’s my goal to get there this year. All I want to do is go out there and have fun. If you can do that, then that’s all you can ask for. It’s not about the money or buckles that you take home; it’s about the memories.” Maddilyn came by her maturity honestly – growing up on a ranch with parents (Rusty and Candace Herrera) who taught her strong values early and often.
Since Maddilyn grew up on the back of a horse, she was familiar with rodeo royalty competing in Vegas each December. “I’ve always wanted to barrel race ever since I saw the girls run down the alley at the Thomas and Mack. I was 11 when I got started doing some junior rodeos off a little sorrel horse. My trainer at the time, Jaime Townsend, taught me everything I needed to know at the beginning.” Just a year after getting started, Pappy Jo came into Maddilyn’s life. As a 3-year-old, Pappy was a blue roan and as stout as they come. “My dad ranched on him for a year and then I started him on the lead steer and barrels.” The now 8-year-old was unintentionally bred to run the clover leaf pattern.
“The first time I loped him through the pattern he realized he could run home, and he took off. Once we found out he had some gas it was game on. Stormi Pittman has helped me get him where he is now and we’re trying to finish him out.” The epitome of a crazy barrel horse, many onlookers worry as Maddilyn comes down the alley on her fire-breathing dragon. “He prances and dances, and sometimes people seem to think he’s going to flip over in the alley but he’s not. He knows his job and he does it well.” A little bit of a diva on the rodeo trail, Pappy has to be in the middle slant when he gets hauled and usually requires his back-on-track boots.
“I take him cowboying all the time and he’s a completely different horse. He acts like all he’s ever going to do is ranch but then he gets in an arena and he’s back to running barrels.” Maddilyn said Pappy’s too smart for his own good and always knows what job he’s about to do simply by the saddle on his back. When Maddilyn graduates from Rocinante High School this May, she’ll be hauling Pappy, along with her string of colts, to every rodeo she can find. “I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do after high school, and I realized my goal is to make it to the NFR. I’m going to train colts for the next year and then hit the road after that.” As soon as Louk turns 18, he’ll get his pro card and join his sister on the rodeo trail. “You see a few family duos going to the NFR, but I think it would be cool to be there with my little brother and experience the whole thing with him.”
