Written by: Siri Stevens

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Horses run through Shy-Anne Jarrett’s life. She gets up every morning thinking about them, and goes to bed with them on her mind. The Oklahoma cowgirl was born and raised in Comanche, and grew up with parents who rodeoed and a mom who trained futurity horses. As a youngster, Shy-Anne had an exceptionally good barrel horse, Rambling Rally, who carried her to the Texas Cowboys Rodeo Association Finals four times, when she was a young teenager. “It was pretty neat  at that age to have a horse like that,” she recalls. “I wish I had a barn-full of them right now.”

In addition to the TCRA, she also competed in the Midwest Cowboys Rodeo Association. In high school, she did all the girls events and qualified for the National High School Finals three times: twice in the barrels (riding Rambling Rally) and once in the breakaway roping. She was also an International Pro Rodeo Association member.

After high school, she got a full scholarship to rodeo at Vernon (Texas) College, and made the College National Finals twice, both times in the barrel racing. In 2003, she helped the Vernon College Women’s team win the CNFR, the same year that the men from Vernon also won it.

During college, Shy-Anne began riding and training outside horses, “something I swore I’d never do,” she laughs. She had always started her own horses, and eventually, she was riding for the public. “I’ve always rode green horses, and got to riding for the public a little more and a little more, and it turned into full-time.” She enjoys it and is successful at it. “It’s been good to me,” she says. “I’ve sold some really nice horses.” She focuses on horses for young people. “When I was junior and high school rodeoing, I had two really good horses, so I know how important it is for that age group” to find success. “I try to train horses that those kids can grow up on.”

Shy-Anne trains her horses for all events. “I rope on everything I have, run barrels, start them on poles. If I think it’s going to be more of a roping horse, I’ll take a goat out and get off a few times. I think it makes a better horse if he can do it all.”

Shy-Anne is married to the 2005 All-Around World Champion Ryan Jarrett. They met through a mutual friend, who insisted that Shy-Anne needed to meet “this guy.” “I kept thinking, ‘Oh, boy, all I need is a boyfriend.’” But finally Ryan got her number. “He called me out of the blue one day. I didn’t have a clue who he was. We struck up a conversation, and actually talked for about a month before we ever met.” That was in the fall of 2005, and they were married in 2010.

The couple runs cattle on wheat pasture and pre-conditions calves. When Ryan is on the road, Shy-Anne is home to help with cattle and chores, although she hits the road hard herself. “Somebody’s got to stay home and keep things going.” She has been a TCRA member for about eight years.