story by Siri Stevens
16-year-old Bre Dunn, from Greenwood, Arkansas, won the KK Productions event at Texarkana. She punched her ticket for the Junior NFR barrel race in December. “It’s my biggest accomplishment on that horse,” she said. “We raised and trained him and we ran against some tough girls.” Lil’ Red is 8 and is part of the breeding program developed by RD Ranch. Bre started him out slow and worked him up. “He picked it up pretty good and I started entering him.” My sisters have helped me out – we just start them.
Bre is the youngest of four girls; Julie Gray, Ashley Sharum, and Heather Trotter. As only one left at home, she admits it’s boring sometimes without her sisters, but she likes having the whole place to herself. She rides two horses, Little Red and Lucky, competing in pole bending and barrel racing. She is a member of the Oklahoma Little Britches and recently competed at the NLBFR at the Lazy E, where the duo ended up sixth in the world and the average. She has spent the summer rodeoing. Along with NLBRA, she competes in an open association, CRRA, and between the two she goes every weekend.
Her parents, Rhonda and Richard, own a car lot in Greenwood. She spends most of her time at home on the ranch. They also have a cattle business. Bre is going into 10th grade and is home schooled. “We will start back up in two weeks,” she said. “I like being home schooled – I can spend more time with my horses and on the road.”
She hopes to pro rodeo one day and going to Vegas to run in the Junior NFR will give her a taste of what that will look like. “I love it – it’s a great experience to have while you’re young to see what it feels like at the NFR. We’ve got the autograph signing and the whole deal.”
