Story by Lindsay Humphrey
The first horses Madilynn Burt ever rode lived with her grandparents, Shorty and Cindy Tubbs. “My grandma wanted horses all her life and she finally got some when I was younger. That’s how I got introduced to them and it eventually shifted to rodeo,” said the 14-year-old from Salina, Kansas. “I started out just riding, not really thinking about doing anything competitive with it.” Madilynn first started riding consistently about five years ago and it’s been in the last two that she’s discovered a passion for both barrel racing and rodeo. Fallon Taylor, Amberley Snyder and Haley Kinsel all contributed to Madilynn’s initial interest in the clover leaf pattern.
“I just remember feeling really passionate about barrel racing and realizing that I wanted it to be more than just a hobby, I wanted it to be part of my future.” Even though Madilynn was already consistently working with her mare Rocky, she started increasing the intensity of their time together. She focused on learning everything she could about running barrels and teaching that to Rocky. “She was not a barrel horse at all when we got her. She was really cinchy and she didn’t like to move when you got on her.” It’s been in the last three years that Rocky has come around to the idea of liking her job in the rodeo arena.
Madilynn’s mare, Rocky – courtesy of the family
“We got her about five years ago when she was 6. When I started her on barrels, she seemed to like them but then we started having some problems with bolting back to the gate after the first barrel.” As it turns out, Rocky has some issues in her hocks. After some injections, the bolting subsided. Madilynn doesn’t come from a rodeo family or even one with a lot of experience with horses. Everything about competing in the KJHSRA is new to the entire family. “Neither of my parents (Kyle Burt and Holly Holdeman) are horse people. I’ve just taken it upon myself to get it figured out. I’ve watched a lot of YouTube to learn about horses and barrel racing.”
Gleaning everything she can from the internet takes a lot of Madilynn’s time. And then translating that to Rocky takes just as much, if not more, time. It’s obvious Madilynn is dedicated to the sport of rodeo, otherwise she wouldn’t be putting in so much effort. “You definitely have to spend a lot of time bonding with your horse and teaching them how to do things correctly.” Madilynn started competing in the NBHA last summer and then this fall started her first and only season with the KJHSRA. She admits the stiff competition of the association can be intimidating. “After seeing all the competition, my confidence is definitely lacking. But I also know that I can’t give up just because things get tough.”
Her grandparents and her dad are heavily invested in this endeavor, but so is Madilynn. She might feel like the “oddball” at rodeos now, but it’s only a matter of time before she proves how much grit she has with Rocky under saddle. “We don’t have a big rig or anything, we have an English-style trailer, but it works for us. What’s more important is what’s inside the trailer and that we can get our job done well.” Madilynn is working with her next mount, 7-year-old Journey. “Both Journey and Rocky are really sensitive and will definitely let me know when I’m doing something wrong or just confusing them. They are really making me a better rider.” The deeper Madilynn dives into the sport, the more she’s realizing that she wants to make it her career someday. Like many of her peers, she aspires to become a professional barrel racer. Luckily, Madilynn is putting in the work now to make that dream come true.
