story by Lily Weinacht
A highlight of Riley McKinnis’s summers the last two years was competing in the NLBFR in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and she’s returning to the Lazy E for the third consecutive year this July. The 15-year-old from Lone Jack, Missouri, has competed in all of the girls events except team roping, but this season she’s focusing on barrel racing, breakaway roping, and pole bending. She also ribbon ropes on occasion, the event she won her first NLBRA world title in last year in the junior division with her partner Ty Scott of Vinita, Oklahoma. “Last year at the beginning of the season was my first time ever ribbon roping. Both of our partners didn’t show up at the rodeo, so that’s how we got paired up, and we ended up doing really good that weekend,” explains Riley. “We kept going to the same rodeos and stuck together. He’s an amazing roper and I was really thankful to be there. I never expected to do as good as we did!”
Along with the performances, Riley loves having a week to spend with her rodeo friends during the NLBFR. “My rodeo friends and I always make sure we reserve our stalls and camping spots together, and we love getting to compete in the same performances and cheer each other on.” At the local level, Riley won the year-end in breakaway roping in the Arklahoma Little Britches in 2018, while she’s won all-around weekend awards in the Southeast Kansas Little Britches and an NRS Little Britches rodeo. She also takes her competitive skills to the NBHA, BBR World Finals, Bonus Race World Finals, and the Missouri Kansas Youth Rodeo Association.
Prior to joining the NLBRA, Riley—the first in her family to rodeo—started out riding in 4-H and showing horses. She began barrel racing at fun shows and started rodeoing when she was 10, joining the NLBRA soon after. “I think what drives me the most is how much I love to compete and how much I love to work with the horses. There’s no feeling like after you’ve put so much work in to a horse or hours roping, and having it pay off in the end.”
Riley also attributes her success to the many people who have helped her, including Brittany Nevius. “She’s my trainer but also like my big sister. She helped me with getting my barrel horse going and being a better person. Danielle Lichte taught me how to rope and helps me at the rodeos with doing my best there, and Maggie Everson taught me to ride my first horse and really gave me the drive to do everything that I love. I also want to give a big thank you to my parents, Randy and Robin, for supporting me in everything that they do and giving me all their time,” says Riley.
In tow are Riley’s horses. Spiderman is her barrel horse, while she runs poles on Hitman. She also has her trusty rope horse, Eddy, and a new rope horse, Bayou. “Hitman is like Brittany Nevius’s baby, and she trusted me with him and I’ve started working with him on poles since this last winter. He’s done really good so far, so I’m hoping to make it back to the short go this Finals,” says Riley, who is also an avid soccer player. She played on the Lone Jack High School varsity team this spring and won districts in May. “I really want to make it to the short go this year with the horses I’ve been working on. Long term, I really want to do something bigger with my horses and maybe make it to the NFR along the way. Hopefully they’ll have breakaway roping there by the time I’m able to go.”
