story by Michele Toberer
The Morrison women of Cheyenne Honigman’s family have passed on the barrel racing gene to the 21-year-old Mid-States Rodeo Association cowgirl. Growing up in Seville, Ohio, Cheyenne was surrounded by horses and her mom and aunts racing them around the cloverleaf barrel pattern. “I have been riding on a horse with family members since I was in a baby carrier, and long before I could walk or talk. It has been a constant in my life and the women in my family say it runs in the Morrison blood.” Cheyenne lives with her parents, Matt and Anita Honigman, and her younger brother, Drake, who is 17. Matt works for an excavating company, and Anita works for a dog food company, and has been competing in barrel racing her whole life. Anita and her sisters, Tammy Sutton and Chris Bohman, have been big influences on Cheyenne’s horseback riding and although their own competition has slowed down some, Cheyenne’s Aunt Chris is currently competing in the IPRA. Cheyenne is in her third year of competition with the Mid-States Rodeo Association and is loving the association and the competition. “When you place in a Mid-States rodeo, you have really done something because it’s a tough group of competitors at the MSRA rodeos. It’s always more rewarding to pull a check with those girls than anywhere else.”
Cheyenne started competing in the MSRA three years ago when she felt her special chestnut gelding, JJBrokeNoMo was ready for the rodeo competition. “JJ’s breeding is by PC Lonewood Special, out of Sassy Che Girl, and he was a yearling when we bought him from Hoppel’s Farm in Rogers, Ohio. My mom broke him, and I finished him; then we futuried and derbied him some, before starting him at the rodeos when he was 6 years old. I really love the atmosphere of rodeos more than barrel race jackpots, and he has handled it very well. His turning style is pretty easy, and he’s a free runner so I don’t have to sit there and drive him, I can just ride, and he does his job, he’s pretty automatic. His personality is one of a kind, he’s truly something else. He is the itchiest horse you’ll ever meet and will stand on three legs to get you to scratch him in certain spots; he loves to be scratched everywhere. And, he’s so lovable he’ll put his head in your hand and sit there all day to be with you. He hates the speakers at rodeos, but when he goes in to do his job, he just tunes them out and works. He’s the only horse I’m riding right now, and I am so grateful for him.” Cheyenne plans to enter as many MSRA rodeos as she can this season and is hopeful that she and JJ will make the MSRA finals at the end of the season.
Cloverleaf is not just the pattern that Cheyenne spends most of her time on in the arena, but also the high school she graduated from in 2016. Since graduating from Cloverleaf Local Schools, she has been attending Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio, and she’ll graduate in December 2020 with an agricultural business management degree. She hopes to work in crop, soil, or water management, and possibly crop insurance. Cheyenne’s family raises crops and hay on the family land that they live on, so she is already familiar with her area of study.
Although rodeo, school, and farming keep her schedule pretty full; when she can, she likes to watch professional barrel horses owned by Amberly Moore, Nellie Miller, and Hailey Kinsel. “I like the style of Amberly’s horse, Paige. And who doesn’t love Hailey’s horse, Sister? She’s just amazing! I like Nellie’s horse, Sister, also, because she’s got Driftwood breeding like my horse JJ does.”
“I’m so thankful to my mom and the whole army of people that are behind me. I could go on and on listing people, my family is my whole support system.” Cheyenne also appreciates the support of her sponsor, One Touch Fly Spray.