Drives from their place near Alpine , to the Terlingua area further south , confronted Cheyenne with encounters of wild burros seeking grass along the highway . Sometimes animals were hit and left to perish as roadkill . This broke Cheyenne ’ s heart and moved her to write letters to public officials . She wanted people to be aware of livestock populations in the Big Bend , whether domestic or wild . Her activism resulted in warning signs being erected near the foothills north of Christmas Mountain .
Another formative experience was with her mother ’ s 2011 rescue campaign for 25 abused horses . They were in such bad shape that some didn ’ t make it , despite best efforts to save them . The survivors eventually got strong and healthy , with good veterinarian care and a lot of help . Cheyenne and the horses bonded .
Soon after that rescue , she took an interest in rodeo . She was about 13 when she started to learn the ropes of barrel racing . She trained herself on a horse out of the rescue bunch , and reached out to other women in rodeo , who quickly became mentors , friends , and cheerleaders .
“ For me it ’ s a journey of humility . I work with what I have whether it ’ s papered or not ,” Cheyenne says , referring to whether a horse has pedigree papers or not . As it turns out , one of her best barrel racers , a dun mare named Sky , is an un-papered horse .
Sky is one of three horses Cheyenne plans to regularly compete with on a full schedule of rodeo events this year .
It ’ s taken a little time for Cheyenne to fully commit to a rodeo career and work up to three horses . After entering the rodeo during her early teens , a big win enabled her to buy her first pedigreed horse , Stormin The Stage , from a bloodline she had fallen in love with . Stormy , for short , is the grandson of Storm Cat and Secretariat , two highly famed lineages . Cheyenne later acquired Stormy ’ s half-sister , Sister . She developed an affinity for entire horse families , learning their
Cheyenne congratulates Moonie after a good run in the practice arena at Firelight South Ranch .
Cheyenne demonstrates the use of PEMF equipment on Moonie ' s head , to relieve tension in his face and jaws .
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Cenizo Spring 2021