story by Riata Cummings
Taylor Porter is the Utah High School Rodeo Association girls cutting champion, hailing from Morgan, Utah. She loves the beautiful countryside and good people of the community, where she lives with her parents, Matt and Kellie Porter, and older sister Madi.
Taylor just graduated from Morgan High School where her favorite class was weight training because of the “good teacher and other girls in the class.” Taylor is currently working for Lawson Hadlock, a cutting horse trainer, and she plans to begin online classes through Southern Utah University this fall while traveling as a professional cutter.
Taylor has been riding horses with her family since she was just a toddler, and she started cutting when she was 11-years-old. Since then, she has also added pole bending to her list of skills, training a turn back horse to run the pattern. The horses she competes on include Fidget, the horse she took over after her sister finished high school; Money, a five-year-old that helped her win the championship title; and Red Duck, the turn back turn pole horse.
This year at state finals, Taylor had a score of 150 to win the first round of cutting. She also won the second round, tied for second in the short round, won the average and was crowned the girls cutting champion. In the pole bending, she came into state finals sitting fifth. She was fourth in the second round, third in the short round, and sixth in the average to move her to a third-place overall finish and qualify for nationals. Taylor has also recently won the Utah Cutting Horse Association title of senior youth champion and several other amateur cuttings.
Taylor lives by the saying, “Hell or high water.” The mantra reminds her to “go for it, no matter the outcome. Just do it, have fun, and make the best of it, no matter what it is.” She would advise rodeo rookies to “never give up. Doubt kills more dreams that fear ever could, but if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish it.”
One of Taylor’s greatest strengths is her honest and hardworking nature. “I dislike being idle, and I find satisfaction in hard work. I also like helping push others to be their best because they push me in return. You start to see and feel a lot of support when you start supporting others.” She also says she is “bluntly honest” and she tries to create friendships based on that honesty.
Taylor’s father is her hero. “He is the biggest help and support through everything and anything.” One day, Taylor would like to emulate her father’s kind nature. “He has never said anything bad to anyone. He is so kind and so handy. He is just the best role model.”
Taylor would like to thank her parents for helping her chase and achieve her rodeo and cutting dreams. She would like to thank Lawson Hadlock and the other coaches and supporters for helping her down the rodeo road.
