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Meet the Member Madison Camozzi
story by Lily Weinacht Madison Camozzi qualified for her first Junior World Finals this year at the KKRFV qualifier in Red Bluff, California. Astride her 6-year-old gelding, Goodwins Reflect, Madison’s goal was simply to make a smooth run, and the pair went beyond that to stop the clock at 20.580 and won it. “I was pretty calm, and I hoped my horse was going to work good. He’s pretty young so I wanted to make…
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Meet the Member Oceane Veilleux
Oceane Veilleux traveled 10 hours from Saint Alfred, Canada, to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, in May, qualifying for her first Junior World Finals and also winning the senior barrels. The 14-year-old heard about the qualifier while competing at the BFA World Show in Oklahoma City last year, and she and her dad, Julien Veilleux, knew they had to give it a try. Oceane and her mare Dr. Rise N Shine “Sid” ran a 16.022 to win it,…
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Meet the Member Carson Rutherford
story by Lily Weinacht “I definitely think it is my horse that motivates me, and it’s just fun getting to do it,” says Carson Rutherford of rodeo. “Of course it’s fun when you’re winning, but you also learn from when you lose, so there’s always good stuff coming out of it.” The 15-year-old from Montgomery, Texas, is familiar with both the highs and lows of rodeo competition, and a highlight of her 2019 season was…
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Meet the Member Caydence Roberts
story by Lily Weinacht Caydence Roberts is returning to Las Vegas and the Junior World Finals for the fourth consecutive year in the barrel racing, and she’s shaking up her routine with a qualification in the pole bending for the first time. The 11-year-old from Rincon, New Mexico, rode her horse Rapid at the KK Run for Vegas qualifier in Loveland, Colorado, in May to win the junior poles. Primarily a barrel horse, it had…
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Meet the Member Paityn Berklund
story by Lily Weinacht Paityn Berklund of Anahuac, Texas, is making her first trip to Las Vegas and the Junior World Finals this December. The 13-year-old barrel racer made her first run at qualifying during the KK Run for Vegas race held at Josey Ranch in Marshall, Texas, in May, and stopped the clock at 16.1 to win the senior barrels. “I was pretty excited about my run. It was one of our best runs,…
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Meet the Member Brooke Klinger
story by Lily Weinacht Brooke Klinger is a frequent competitor at the Keystone Barrel Racing Classic series in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. But this May was different from all the others when Brooke won the KK Run for Vegas qualifier in the seniors pole bending and took second in the barrel racing. It was the first KKP race the Andover, New Jersey, native had competed in, and having recently turned 18, this was Brooke’s last season of…
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Meet the Member Kami Klepac
story by Lily Weinacht Kami Klepac of Van Vleck, Texas, qualified for her first Junior World Finals when she was just 7 years old. Today, the 9-year-old is making her third trip to Las Vegas, not only in barrels for the third consecutive year, but also pole bending for the first time. She won the junior division barrel racing at the KK Run for Vegas qualifier in Bryan, Texas, in April, stopping the clock at…
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Meet the Member Kennedy Bruce
story by Lily Weinacht Kennedy Bruce and her horse T Bird made their first-ever competitive run together at the KK Run for Vegas qualifier in Lincoln, California, this March, stopping the clock at 17.650 to win the senior division. The 15-year-old from Lockeford, California, also ran her mare Speed of Light and placed second in the senior division, just two-tenths of a second off her winning time with a 17.812. “We had just got T…
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Meet the Member Dani Fladeland
story by Lily Weinacht “In pole bending, getting with the horse and having a nice clean run is a really good feeling,” says Dani Fladeland. The 14-year-old from Minot, North Dakota, did just that this March when she won the first KK Run for Vegas pole bending qualifier while vacationing with her family in Buckeye, Arizona. She ran a 20.544 astride Sam, a 9-year-old gelding she test rode in South Dakota last fall. “He wasn’t…
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Meet the Member Maddi Billingsly
story by Lily Weinacht Maddi Billingsly, an 8-year-old barrel racer from Glenpool, Oklahoma, won the first KK Run for Vegas race of the 2019 season in February. She and her horse Cowgirl stopped the clock at 15.475—one of Maddi’s fastest runs in her career thus far—putting her in first place in the junior division at the Lance Graves International Barrel Race. Her time also put her 2nd in the youth division and 15th in the…
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Meet the Member Emma Smith
story by Lily Weinacht Emma Smith is a three-time Junior NFR Reserve World Barrel Racing Champion. The 17-year-old has represented her hometown of Pleasanton, Texas, at the Junior NFR every year since 2016, and loves the variety of experiences she’s come across while competing in KKP. “It’s super different having to run your horse on the second level and drive your horse up there, so that’s a totally new experience,” says Emma. “Kelly does a…
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Meet the Member Kelsey Cadwell
story by Lily Weinacht Kelsey Cadwell went into her second year at the Junior World Finals determined to make clean, smooth runs, and came away the 2018 Junior NFR Senior Girl World Barrel Racing Champion. “I was kind of nervous, but I was more excited,” says the 18-year-old from Oakdale, California, who won her first horse trailer alongside her first world title. “I was a lot more confident on my horse this year.” Kelsey and…
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