story by Ruth Nicolaus
If Kinley Greenough could choose her favorite place in the entire world, it would be in the barn, with her horses Cotton, BJ and Pedro.
The fourteen-year-old cowgirl, a member of the Nebraska Junior High School Rodeo Association, loves the quiet, the time to think, and the company of her animals.
She competes in the goat tying, breakaway roping, ribbon roping, barrel racing and pole bending, with goat tying as her favorite event, because “it’s a tough sport. I like the challenge, and it pumps me up.”
Her goat tying horse is Cotton, a gray who she used to ride for the barrels and poles. Cotton is very serious, and takes good care of her.
For the barrels and poles, she rides a sorrel named BJ, and for the breakaway, her mount is another gray, a gelding named Pedro who knows when he’s done a good job, Kinley says. “He acts pretty proud when I catch in the breakaway. He puts his head up and prances out.”
Kinley is an eighth grade student at Horizon Middle School in Kearney, Neb. She enjoys science class, and is a member of the Builders Club, is on the principal’s honor roll, and plays volleyball and track. This year she was selected to represent the Western Edge WE team, a western store in Humboldt and Ames, Iowa.
In her free time, she likes to play volleyball, tie goats, watch movies (her favorite is Elf), and ride horses.
Kinley’s favorite food her mom makes is homemade macaroni and cheese. Her favorite snacks are white cheddar popcorn and fruit smoothies she makes herself (the ingredients include tropical fruit blend, ice and juice). She loves Dr. Pepper, and her favorite candy is Starburst Jelly Beans.
Two years ago, her family visited the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, and Pikes Peak, and she considers that her favorite family trip.
When she grows up, she’d like to do something in the medical field or become a veterinarian.
She has competed at the state junior high finals her sixth and seventh grade years.
Kinley has a younger sister, Kennedy, who is eight years old.
She is the daughter of Faron and Cari Greenough.
