story by Riata Cummings
Bryndli Stevens hails from the small town of Ferron, Utah, and attends San Rafael Middle School as an 8th grader. The straight-A student’s favorite classes include English and history. She enjoys playing basketball, reading, running cross country and competing on the track team.
Bryndli lives with her father, Kurt Stevens, and spends lots of time with her grandparents, Jolene and Gary Stevens, and her aunt, Cindi Rukavina. When Bryndli moved to Ferron at 5-years-old and started riding horses with her grandmother, she fell in love with the activity. “I’ve loved it from the moment I watched her ride.”
Bryndli now competes in the barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying. She especially loves “the thrill of running into the arena” for barrel racing. Her horses are Cash and Beau, registered as RGR Hugo Cash and RGR Reeces. She practices every day she can, riding in the hills around her home and occasionally working in the arena.
She has placed at rodeos and barrel racing jackpots, usually running in the first division of four division barrel racings. This is Bryndli’s first year of competing in the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association. She enjoys “being around all the nice people in the wonderful atmosphere” of rodeo. Her goal is to stay consistent with her runs and to get better with her horses. She would advise rodeo rookies to “always work hard for what you want and enjoy the ride.”
Bryndli lives by the John Wayne quote, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” When she was 9-years-old and practicing goat tying, she was kicked in the head by her horse. The kick broke her eye socket, nose and cheek bone, giving her a severe concussion. She was life-flighted to the hospital and carefully recovered. Four months later, a very scared Bryndli climbed back in the saddle. When she tied her first goat after the accident, both her and her grandmother cried tears of joy. Her perseverance through the fear helped her become a fierce competitor.
Bryndli’s heroes include her grandmother and her Aunt Cindi. “I look up to them because they are incredible people and incredible horsewomen. I want to have their work ethic and their horsemanship ability.” She would like to thank her grandmother for training her to be a horsewoman and providing her with great horses. She would like to thank Cindi for being a role model and support system. She would also like to thank her grandfather and father for supporting her and loving her while she chases her rodeo dreams.
