story by Riata Cummings
On a little farm in Clawson, Utah, lives a rodeo cowgirl by the name of Ryleigh Allred. She is the daughter of Kadie and Hank Allred, and the older sister of Abree and Taylee. Their 6-acre farm also home to cows, chickens, sheep, goats and horses. Ryleigh, an eighth grader, does her schooling at home and enjoys the freedom it gives her to spend time with her family and ride her horses every day. She also enjoys playing basketball and volleyball and running when she isn’t busy with rodeo.
Ryleigh started riding horses to help with the cows when she was two-years-old and began partaking in the family legacy of rodeo when she was five-years-old as a barrel racer. She now competes in the barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, and breakaway roping. She especially loves barrels and poles because she “loves the feel of running on a horse.” One day, Ryleigh would like to be a professional barrel racer and horse trainer.
Ryleigh’s barrel and pole horse is Dryver, a calm gelding she has rodeoed on since October 2019. Her goat tying and breakaway horse is Alvin, a more hyper gelding she only recently started competing with. Ryleigh and Dryver recently won the pole bending at a qualifying rodeo with a time of 20.2 seconds. Last year at state finals she was second in both rounds and second in the average in the pole bending. This year she is hoping to beat her personal records, rope more consistently and start team roping.
She loves that rodeo gives her the opportunity to spend time with her friends and enjoy the rodeo environment. She also enjoys the time with her family. One of Ryleigh’s heroes is her mother, Kadie. “She is always so hard working, and she always finds time to be with us and show us how much she loves us; she keeps us going.”
Ryleigh’s life and rodeo career is shaped by the mantra, “Do your best.” To her that means “to give it all you’ve got every time you go in the arena. That’s all you can do, your best, and then at least you know that you tried.” She would advise rodeo rookies to, “do the best you can and always try to beat your own best time. Try to be a better rider and always stay humble.”
Ryleigh would like to thank her parents for providing her with the best horses and the opportunity to rodeo. She would also like to thank God for the blessings in her life. She is grateful for the chances she has been given, and strives to make the best of every run and rodeo.
