Mid States Rodeo Association - East (MSRA-E) Archives

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Mid States Rodeo Association - East (MSRA-E)

Phone: (810) 252-4732
Email: midstatesrodeosecretary@gmail.com

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Members

Meet the Member Samantha Courville

story by Michele Toberer Samantha Courville of Kankakee, Illinois is very appreciative of her supportive family as well as the encouraging barrel racers of the Mid-States Rodeo Association. She was excited to step into the world of rodeo competition after barrel racing at jackpots for four years; and qualifying for the 2019 MSRA season finals her rookie year was icing on the cake for the 18-year-old cowgirl. “The MSRA made my first year of rodeo…

Meet the Member Dakota Warnken

story by Michele Toberer With bull riding on his mind, Dakota Warnken of Wakarusa, Indiana couldn’t wait until he turned 18 so he could fulfill his adrenaline filled dreams. Rodeo was not a part of his upbringing, but somewhere inside, Dakota knew he was destined to be climbing in the bucking chute and chasing gold buckles 8 seconds at a time. Greg Warnken, Dakota’s dad, works as an RV hauler, and his mom, Lorie stays…

Meet the Member Neal Borntrager

story by Michele Toberer “My whole life all I wanted to be was a cowboy, riding the ranges, and working cattle on a big ranch,” explained Neal Borntrager of Middlebury, Indiana. However, being a cowboy seemed like only a dream to Neal as he grew up in Riceville, Iowa as a part of the Amish community. He was surrounded by farms and animals, but thought being a cowboy was something that wouldn’t materialize for his…

Meet the Member Rob Black

story by Michele Toberer Rob Black grew up on a family ranch in Bruneau, Idaho as one of the 9 children of Joe and Margaret Black. He and his seven brothers and one sister, spent their time riding, roping, and using all the skills needed to get the ranch work completed. In 1970, his senior year of high school, he started competing in rodeo, and rodeo has been a part of his life, off and…

Meet the Member Sam & Cassidy Beasley

For Mid-States Rodeo Association members, Sam and Cassidy Beasley, rodeo and horses are a major part of life. Sam’s family transplanted to Michigan from Illinois 11 years ago, and Cassidy came to Michigan with her family close to 15 years ago. The couple married two years ago and have a one-year-old daughter named Abilene Rose. The couple has taken the experience they gained from their own families and upbringing with horses and combined it to…

Meet the Member Emily Botsford

story by Michele Toberer Botsford Performance Horses represents a lifetime of horse passion for Emily Botsford of Sparta, Michigan. Horses have been a constant in Emily’s life, which started out in Bailey, Michigan where she competed for many years in Appaloosa breed shows in multiple disciplines. However, she moved to Sparta 12 years ago, and in addition to showing, Emily started barrel racing approximately 7 years ago, and rodeo has become a major part of…

Meet the Member Cheyenne Honigman

story by Michele Toberer The Morrison women of Cheyenne Honigman’s family have passed on the barrel racing gene to the 21-year-old Mid-States Rodeo Association cowgirl. Growing up in Seville, Ohio, Cheyenne was surrounded by horses and her mom and aunts racing them around the cloverleaf barrel pattern. “I have been riding on a horse with family members since I was in a baby carrier, and long before I could walk or talk. It has been…

Meet the Member Colt Hayes

story by Michele Toberer Colt Hayes is competing in the Mid-States Rodeo Association for the first time this year and has hopes of qualifying for the season finals his rookie year. He is no stranger to rodeo competition, and as a second-generation calf roper, he’s been surrounded by it most of his life. The MSRA seemed like a perfect fit for him this season, as he now lives in Brownsburg, Indiana and has a multitude…

Meet the Member John “Lefty” Kee

story by Michele Toberer Originally from Johnston City, Illinois, John “Lefty” Kee started under the radar with his rodeo career as a 13-year-old cowboy that was already breaking horses for clients with his 17-year-old cousin, Randy Etherton. He and Randy learned that staying on the horses they were training hurt far less than the alternative and decided to hit the rodeo trail to ride bareback horses for buckles and cash. His parents, Bill and Yolanda…

Meet the Member Ky Kreder

story by Michele Toberer Last year was Ky Kreder’s rookie year with the Mid-States Rodeo Association, and the fourth-generation cowboy from Ochelata, Oklahoma made quite an entrance. At just 18 years old, he looks forward to a lifetime of rodeo competition, and is grateful for every step he’s made along the way so far. Ky ended the 2018 MSRA season as the champion header and champion rookie of the year. “I really enjoyed last season…

Meet the Member Matt Walsworth

story by Michele Toberer Matt Walsworth of Valparaiso, Indiana has a lifetime of riding horses behind him, but it wasn’t until he was in high school that riding bucking horses became a passion. His mom, Teresa Walsworth, barrel raced, and Matt also competed in barrel racing before they started training their own horses. “We were learning about how to start and train our own horses, so I got on some bucky colts and thought it…

Meet the Member Liz Michael

story by Michele Toberer When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and for Mid-State Rodeo Association member, Liz Michael, she couldn’t be happier about how she spends her days. “I’m able to live my dream, training barrel horses and making my living doing what I love.” She didn’t come from a rodeo background, but as a horse crazy young girl, she pestered her parents enough to put her…