story by Lily Weinacht
“Don’t compare yourself to others or their work, just do your own thing.” Ally Brennaman’s motto sits on her desk and in her horse trailer as she travels to KJHSRA, NLBRA, and Young Guns Association rodeos. The 13-year-old from Deerfield, Kansas, started down her own rodeo trail when she was 5, encouraged by her parents and grandpa Mick Morgan, who was a bronc rider and helped start the rodeo club at Garden City Community College.
Ally competes in pole bending, goat tying, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and ribbon roping as the runner with Jaytyn Hash. She also competes in trail course in the NLBRA, but pole bending is her favorite of all. “I run my horse Gimme. He’s my baby and he’s always by my side. He was actually a team roping horse, and I trained him do to poles all by myself. I’ve been riding him for about a year and a half. I love starting horses out, and it makes me want to go ride my performance horses and see how much better I can get with them. There’s always another step you can go with a horse. I train horses for my close friends, and I usually ride horses for my grandpa.”
Ally is also encouraged by her rodeo family, including Claude, Kamie, and Kallie Cathcart, who have helped her in goat tying, and her best friend, Kiley Slavin, whom she met at her very first Little Britches rodeo. “The Slavins have helped us when we needed a horse, and Rowdy Slavin, my friend’s dad, helps me in the box when my horse is antsy. They’ve helped us get through the rodeo world.” This includes Ally competing in the NLBRA finals every year since she was six, while she made the short go in trail course and pole bending the last few years and is currently second in the junior girls all around. She’s also sitting third in the KJHSRA goat tying, and sixth in the pole bending.
She rides her horses daily, either in her family’s fields or their neighbor’s arena, then practices her events the week before a rodeo. “I’m running a new horse, Dolly, in the barrels right now, and my goat horse is Sweetie. Gimme does poles and breakaway, and my trail horse is Doc. I usually ride with our neighbor Teal Rice. She’s a pro barrel racer and she’s helped me a lot with barrels and rodeo in general. Angie Hoss has helped me get my start in rodeo too, selling me my very first barrel and pole horse, Axl, who I have recently retired.” Ally also has a dog named Ellie, four cats, and a goat to practice tying on. She takes care of the animals, and enjoys building fence, hauling hay, harvesting, and checking cows on her grandpa’s ranch.
An eighth-grader, this is Ally’s first year doing school online through Manhattan Virtual Academy. “I love pre-Algebra. We’re focusing on graphs and plots and linear relationships. When I get to be a junior, if I stay focused, I will be able to do a vet program. I can have the first two years of vet tech already done before I graduate — I want to be a vet someday.” Ally also enjoys playing basketball with her parents, Tom and Mindi Brennaman, and her older brother, Tyler. “I work on the ranch, especially since we’re having calves soon, and I play with my best friend, and cheer for the KU Jayhawks,” she adds.
“I want to go to Nationals for junior high in South Dakota this year, and I’m working on getting my younger horses built up so my older horses can have a break. I want to stay consistent and try as hard as I can until I’m where I want to be. I always give my glory to God because he helps me through good runs and bad times. I’m very thankful for all of my blessings and everything I get to do.”
