story by Kyle Eustice
Eighteen-year-old Leon, Kansas native Sharrah LaClef grew up in the rodeo world. Her grandparents, Terrill and Lynda LaClef, parents Shelby and Scott LaCelf, and sister Shannon LaClef all participate in the sport, which made it an easy transition for the high school senior .
“I’ve been riding since I could walk,” said Sharrah.” I started competing in barrels at 6. My grandparents are one of the big reasons I’m able to have the horses I do to be able to compete in rodeo. They raised horses and loved giving us talented horses they could watch us win on.”
In addition to being a student at Bluestem High School, the ambitious Sharrah joined the CePRA in 2011, but has popped in and out of membership over the past six years.
“My parents were always members and my sister was too,” explained Sharrah. “It was something we did as a family.”
Sharrah devotes the majority of her time to competing in barrels—her sole event. “I’ve just never got in to any other event because I like to spend all my time working on barrels and trying to get to where I want to be,” said Sharrah.
In 2011, Sharrah made the CePRA finals, one of her greatest accomplishments. Along with one of her beloved horses, Pistol, she delivered some of her best runs.
“We placed in all three rounds and placed in the average,” said Sharrah. “This year, I took my young mare Spook and have been seasoning her at rodeos. She did very well. It was really fun to set a goal and achieve it on a young horse that you’ve worked hard on.”
For now, Sharrah is focused on becoming a better rider to extend her career in rodeo well into the future. In fact, she doesn’t do any other sports—just rodeo.
“I think to be a great contestant, it takes a lot of patience and hard work,” said Sharrah. “You have to be okay with not always winning or getting a pat on the back. Sometimes you work really hard and you’re still not where you want to be, but you can’t give up. It takes a lot to get to the next level.”
In the summer months, she and her family travel constantly. They go to barrel races and rodeos all the time, so they’re gone most nights of the week, especially when trying to break a young horse.
“I ride my horses everyday to keep them in shape,” said Sharrah. “I don’t necessarily work on the pattern all the time—maybe only once a week I’ll take my horses to the arena. But I’m always riding them and doing something with them.”
In addition to Pistol and Spook, Sharrah is also working with a third horse, Dusky, however, Pistol has a soft spot in her heart.
“I don’t think I could pick a favorite horse, but Pistol is pretty close to it,” admitted Sharrah. “I’ve ridden her for 11 years and she’s definitely had the biggest impact on my life. She taught me everything. Her personality is one of my favorite things. She’s awful, she hates everybody and couldn’t care less about you unless you’ve got food, but she always tried so hard and she did her job so good no matter what. She’ll always be one of my favorites. This last summer we retired her to have a baby, so I’m really looking forward to April.”
Sharrah is also excited about her next competition, where she can see the countless hours of practice finally yield good results.
“I love when I can feel how much my horses want to work,” said Sharrah. “Your hard work pays off when you put it all together.”