story by Kyle Eustice
Sheyenne Lincoln, 13, was born in Casa Grande, Arizona, but moved to Wilcox, Arizona with her parents, Kyle and Stacie, and her 10-year-old brother Kaden when she was little. Currently an 8th grade student, she has literally been riding horses since her arrival.
“I got into rodeo because my whole family rodeos,” said Sheyenne. “The first day I came home from the hospital, my dad rode with me on a horse.”
Sheyenne joined the MJRA when she was 5 years old and won her first saddle in the girls 6 and under category. By 2010, she had joined the QCJRA (Queen Creek Rodeo Association), then the HYRA (Hidalgo Jr Rodeo Association) and in 2014, the AJRA (Arizona Jr. Rodeo Association). That same year, she won the 9-12 girls all-round saddle and the year-end girls goat saddle. She eventually joined the NMJRHSA in 2015, where she participates in barrels, poles, goat tying, ribbon roping, team roping, and breakaway.
“My favorite event is poles and team roping,” said Sheyenne. “I have a few big accomplishments in rodeo. Last year, I qualified in Buckeye, Arizona for The American Semi-Finals on my horse Ernie. It felt amazing just knowing what an amazing horse I have and just being so thankful for the opportunity that God has put before me.”
The opportunities keep presenting themselves. In 2016, she made the Nationals in poles and ended up placing fifth in the nation.
“It felt amazing knowing I hadn’t had my pole horse, Ironman, very long AKA,” said Sheyenee, “and I got with him so fast and we had come this far already.”
Her current rodeo goals are to “keep working at it as hard as I can, and to get better and better as I get older.” She doesn’t really have any other hobbies aside from rodeo and keeping her horses in shape, but that’s more than enough. She juggles school, rodeo events, practice, and social commitments,which is enough for any teenager. Despite her young age, she already has a decent grasp on what it takes to succeed.
“I think it takes someone who is dedicated to rodeo as their main passion,” explained Sheyenne. “You have to be able to put 100 percent into it and willing to practice late at night or get up early if you have to. It has to be your main focus.”
During rodeo season, she travel to rodeos almost every weekend. When she does have time to relax, she loves playing with her dogs—a chihuahua named Pedro and an American Bulldog she calls JJ—and taking care of her horses. However, she truly looks forward to competing every chance she gets.
“My favorite part about competing is knowing I have amazing horses and they’re gonna give me 100 percent every time,” said Sheyenne. “My favorite horse is my barrel horse Ernie because no matter what I ask him to do or what he does, he always takes good care of me and does it 100 percent and has taken me so far in my rodeo career.”