Meet the Member Madison Bean

Madison Bean rode her first horse when she was two, astride in the saddle with her grandfather, who today, helps coach her in her rodeo events. The 12 year old from Clint, Texas, already has seven years of AJRA rodeos under her belt, following her first rodeo with the association in Van Horn, Texas.
“I’ve always really enjoyed rodeoing, seeing old friends and making new ones – and the competition,” says Madison. She would be at a rodeo every weekend if she could, competing in her events of barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, goat tying, and ribbon roping. “Barrels and breakaway are my favorite, because my family is very competitive in those events. My aunt and uncle train barrel horses for a living, and my grandfather has taught a lot of us to rope, including me,” Madison explains. She also competes in the TJHRA and WTRA. Her family plays a very important role in her rodeoing, which she is very grateful for. Her aunt, Jana Bean, qualified for the WNFR for the first time in 2014, and she helps Madison with training her barrel horses. Madison’s dad, Jimbo Bean, a former high school rodeo competitor, hauls her to every rodeo and competes with Madison in the AJRA parent ribbon roping every year.
The Bean family lives just outside of El Paso, Texas, but their horses live on the ranch belonging to Madison’s grandparents. “They have an arena and a barn, and we commute back and forth to practice there,” says Lindsey Bean, Madison’s mom. “Madison’s grandpa is out there a lot with her – he’s very hands-on about helping her.” Madison’s horses are Rebel, her barrel and pole horse, Peanut, a new barrel horse that Jana raised and trained, Champ, Madison’s mount in the goat tying, breakaway and ribbon roping, and Hondo, a new pole horse that Madison is training. She and her friend have also started a business of buying young ponies, and raising and training them to be safe for kids. They sold their first pony several months ago. The Bean’s animal count is rounded out by numerous goats, and several dogs.
Both Madison and her nine-year-old brother, Hunter, show goats in 4-H. Their shows start in September, and they recently got their goats from their uncle, who breeds and raises them. “We get them gentle, and then we teach them how to walk with us,” Madison explains. She and Hunter also enjoy playing basketball, and during the school year, Madison, who is homeschooled, plays on a homeschool basketball league as the point guard. She even played in several tournaments this summer, but she always gives the bulk of her attention to rodeo, although she does enjoy fishing with her dad and brother, and riding in the sand hills with her horses. Additionally, Madison helps her grandparents on their ranch. They host hunters that come out for the mule deer, antelope, and desert big horn sheep, and Madison helps her grandma with cooking and cleaning. She and Hunter have several opportunities of their own to go hunting and work cattle with their grandpa.
The highlight of her summer, however, is the AJRA finals in Sweetwater, Texas. “It’s the big one, and we get to stay there for a week, so there’s more time to spend with friends,” Madison says excitedly. “As I get older, I’ll still keep going to AJRAs. I’ve loved them all my life! We’ve had some good, tough competition in my age division this year, and I’ve got a really good shot at winning the all-around saddle.” She adds, “I got to watch my aunt compete at the NFR last year, and I hope to make it out there to compete one of these days.”