story by Lindsay Humphrey
Developing her horsemanship since the age of 2, McKynlie Bowers got into barrel racing by way of rodeo queen pageants. “My mom (Falisha) was a rodeo queen and she told me about pageants. I did one and I fell in love with that,” said the 13-year-old from Woodward, Oklahoma. “My mom helped me prepare for the 2020 Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Princess pageant. I got to repeat my year because we didn’t get to travel much in 2020. I really liked being an ambassador for the sport of rodeo.” The same year McKynlie competed for MRO Princess – 2019 – the seventh grader started barrel racing, first with the NWOJRA and now the OKJHSRA.
“I really love all three of my events – barrels, poles, and goat tying. The horses I compete on for each event make them fun for me.” McKynlie started her barrel career on a gelding, but she prefers mares. “I love mares because they always want to give their heart. My barrel mare is remarkable; she has a neat personality. She’s always at the stall door with her head out ready to work.” It’s taken some time and experimenting for McKynlie and her mare to get the clover leaf pattern figured out. Charlotte Overton with JC Bits has made all the difference for the duo. “My mare wasn’t coming around the barrel like she should; she swung her butt out. We had tried a lot of things to help control her hip, but nothing worked.” A bit swap made all the difference in both barrels and goat tying.
“My goat gelding would drop his shoulder and I lost a lot of control when he did that because he’s so big. That bit really helped him out too.” Cowboy is 20, but he doesn’t look or act his age. One of McKynlie’s goals for the season is to consistently clock in the 8s in the goat tying. “My goat coach – Brittney Rash – does a great job helping me meet my goals.” The new bit has helped move McKynlie up the ranks in all of her events. She’s also gotten some expert advice on her horsemanship from Molli Montgomery who trained Gris, her current barrel mount. “Molli does a great job training all her horses and she helped me learn how to ride Gris. She’s also helped me learn to ride all of my horses better. I used to tip my horses’ nose in when I loped in a circle, and she taught me how to keep them straight so I have more control over their hip.”
With Falisha in her corner, both literally at the rodeo and figuratively everywhere else, McKinely isn’t short of support from the rest of her family, including her dad, Jeremy, and 11-year-old brother, Colton. “My whole family is supportive of everything I do in rodeo. When I’m selling raffle tickets for a queen pageant or calendars as a fundraiser for junior high, they’re always in line to buy from me. But I give God the glory for everything because he’s helped me so much in life. He’s given me the perseverance I’ve needed to overcome some hard things in my life.”
Less than a year into her barrel racing career, McKynlie was given an opportunity to lean into her faith when an involuntary dismount left her with a concussion and brain trauma. “My horse is really protective and when we were coming home at an indoor arena, she stopped short because she thought the gate was there.” McKynlie was launched into the overhead. Despite such a brutal accident, McKynlie wasn’t afraid to get back on her horse but coming home from a barrel pattern was a struggle. “It took awhile before I was comfortable pushing my horse when we were coming home. God really helped me get through that.” McKynlie loves the sport of rodeo and plans to run for Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen when she’s 16. Until then, she’s enjoying her time in the OKJHSRA. “I love how everyone around me is encouraging and always has a helping hand or rubber band when you need it. And every other parent is down there and willing to help however they can.”
