Sienna Kaufman’s love for her horses, and for speed, makes rodeo the perfect sport for her. The 13-year-old was taught to ride by her mom, and she has grown up riding with her entire family. Sienna has been rodeoing for eight years, two of which have been in the KJRA. “I love horses and I just love rodeoing,” she explained. Sienna competes in barrel racing, pole bending, and breakaway roping. Not surprisingly, her favorite event is barrel racing. “I like the speed,” she said. Sienna has been coached in her roping by Braden and Kara Stueve – Sienna’s cousin and his wife. Sienna’s mom and dad, Debra and Tim Kaufman, are her role models. “I think rodeo is fun! I’m competitive, and I’m trying to get better every year. I’m working hard at it.”
The Kaufmans live in Durham, Kan. on a 160 acre farm. They raise cattle, as well as farming an additional 2,500 acres. Sienna loves to help her dad with working and branding cattle, as well as harvesting their crops. She has a younger brother, Cole, who is 11. Cole enjoys riding horses, but he prefers riding dirt bikes to rodeo. He does, however, show his horse in 4-H. Sienna and Cole have an older sister, Dakota, who will be graduating from college this year.
In addition to cattle, the Kaufman family has six horses, a dog, and several cats. Two of those horses belong to Sienna. George is her 18-year-old gelding, who she has been riding for just over a year. He is an all-around rodeo horse, and Sienna competes in all of her events on him. Her other horse is Rosie, an Arabian/Missouri Fox Trotter cross. Sienna carries flags on Rosie at several women’s ranch rodeos in their area, as well as a local rodeo in Abilene, Kan. Depending on the rodeo, Sienna will carry the American flag, or she will carry the sponsor’s flag.
In addition to rodeo, Sienna is quite busy with her school sports. She is an eighth grader at Hillsboro Middle School. P.E. is her favorite class, and playing dodgeball is a highlight of her school day. Sienna plays volleyball, basketball and does track and field. Track season will be starting soon, Sienna enjoys pole vaulting in her field events. Furthermore, Sienna shows her horses Rosie and George in 4-H, as well as competing in 4-H pole bending, barrel racing, and trail course.
Sienna loves to spend her every spare minute with her horses, whether it’s practicing every day in the summer for rodeo, or taking a leisurely trail ride through the Flint Hills, a wildlife area known for its geology and tallgrass prairie. She is a member of the Durham Baptist Youth Group, as well as the Strassburg Baptist Church. With all of the places she has travelled, Sienna has two favorite areas. One is the arena in Cheyenne, Wyo. that is home to Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the other is Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Sienna had the opportunity to visit the famous racetrack, as well as meet several jockeys.
With each passing year, Sienna is more certain that she wants to barrel race in the PRCA. She also hopes to college rodeo while studying at Kansas State University to be a large animal veterinarian. In the more immediate future, Sienna’s goal is to win a belt buckle in the KJRA and to continue to improve her barrel racing. She is greatly supported by her family and relatives, and Sienna concluded, “I want to thank my mom and my dad for helping me with the horses, and everything!”
