story by Lily Weinacht
Shalee King is entering her fifth season in the RMPRA, and she’s sitting sixth in the RMPRA barrel racing standings. The 19-year-old from Kaysville, Utah, also embarked on her first season of college rodeo this year and she’s currently leading the barrel racing in the NIRA Rocky Mountain Region, rodeoing for the College of Southern Idaho. “I have really supportive parents, so that helps a lot. I’ve been blessed with really good horses and I’m fortunate enough to keep my motivation up by winning,” says Shalee, who is studying health science at CSI. “It’s kind of like a family event when it comes to rodeo, so we all go together, and it helps a lot to compete on a scholarship and keep rodeoing.”
The youngest of four siblings, all of whom compete in the RMPRA, Shalee grew up in the arena and started her own career in junior rodeos, followed by junior high and high school rodeoing for Utah. She’s also a breakaway roper and enjoys both events equally, but says she’s more consistent in barrels. “It’s more of an adrenaline rush for me than breakaway, and it’s really fun to be able to go out and improve my runs every time. In breakaway, the calf will change what you do, but in barrels you are kind of in control of everything. I really have to concentrate on everything I do throughout the run.”
Shalee qualified for the RMPRA finals in 2016, while she competed in the NHSFR her freshman and sophomore years after winning state in the cutting. “That event really teaches you the basics and how to ride,” says Shalee, who made it to the short go at Nationals both years. Another rodeo she enjoys is the RMPRA rodeo in Farmington, Utah. “That’s like my hometown rodeo. I’ve entered it twice in breakaway and once in barrels, and the time I entered the barrels, I won it.”
She often meets her sister and brothers, Taylor, Ladd, and Morgun, at RMPRA rodeos on weekends, or make the three-and-a-half-hour drive home to haul with them. Her boyfriend, JorDee Nielsen, also travels with her, and Shalee’s White Maltese, Cricket, loves traveling with her as well. “My dad, Brett, is my biggest fan, and my mom, Jann, inspires me a lot because she barrel races and she’s a really good teacher and taught me how to ride. My family helps me a lot, and my sister has been a really big role model in the breakaway.”
Thunder, Shalee’s barrel and breakaway horse, started out as her brother’s calf horse. “My brother did really well on him. He went on a mission and my good barrel horse got hurt, so I trained Thunder and he turned out to be even better than my good barrel horse. He was 10 and really broke, so it only took me about two weeks to train him, and we won our first high school rodeo I entered him in.” Shalee still loves cutting, and she worked for a cutting horse trainer, Lawson Hadlock, last summer, and plans to work there again this summer riding horses. She also enjoys skiing in the winter and boating in the summer, but rodeo is her primary focus.
After finishing her associates degree in health science, Shalee plans to complete CSI’s surgical technician program. Winning the region and competing in the CNFR are also on her radar. “I for sure want to win the RMPRA finals either this year or next year. Then I want to go on to WPRA rodeo and make the NFR, and hopefully win that one day. That is one of my biggest goals.”
