story by Michele Toberer
The Kansas Professional Rodeo Association was a big step up for 12-year-old, Kendyll Miller of Hennessey, Oklahoma; but it was a step in the direction of her goals for the future. Her nearest goal is to make the 2019 KPRA finals and win the champion rookie title for the association. A horse lover from the beginning, rodeo started in Kendyll’s life at the young age of 4, and she hasn’t stopped since. She competes in barrel racing and breakaway roping and hopes to add team roping to the roster soon. “The KPRA was a big step up for me, and I was a little intimidated at first because I’m the youngest competitor at the rodeos, but everyone has been so nice, and I love competing in the KPRA.”
Kendyll was born and raised in Hennessey, with her dad, Daren Miller, late mother, Lori Miller, who she lost in 2011, and brother Kaddo, who is 10 years old. Daren works as a superintendent in construction with heavy equipment. Kendyll will be a 7th grader this year at Hennessey Middle School, where she loves math and science; and she enjoys playing for the Hennessey Eagle’s on the school’s basketball and cross-country track team. She would like to become an equine veterinarian in the future. The Miller’s also raise commercial Angus cattle, so they spend much of their time taking care of farming and ranching chores. “I love helping work the cattle, we have to help catch and tag the babies, and help load them to go to the vet. I also help drag calves to the fire when we’re branding, so my roping skills come in handy.” Although she has a busy schedule to keep up with, her favorite thing to do when she has some down time, is draw, “I love to draw horses and goats.”
Although the Millers currently have 25 horses roaming their pastures, from babies they’re raising for future mounts to older horses enjoying their retirement; there are two special horses that Kendyll uses for rodeo competition right now. Her barrel racing horse is a 10-year-old chocolate palomino mare named Choc she just purchased last year. “Choc wants to run no matter where you are; it doesn’t matter if we’re at the arena or in the back yard, she wants to go all the time.” She has ridden a 15-year-old sorrel gelding named Paco for the past two years in breakaway roping. “Some people call him Taco, because they think that’s what I’m saying, and it rhymes with Paco.”
Kendyll is the second-generation of Millers in rodeo; her dad use to team rope and ranch rodeo, but stopped to focus on her goals. She has relied on her dad and special people to help her with her skills, as well as figuring some things out on her own. Reid Weber and Taylor Munsel helped her get started with roping, and Taylor comes to their ranch regularly to help her practice, as well as work with some of their horses. She got help in barrel racing from Brandi Miller, and there’ve been several barrel racing mamas that have stepped in to offer help and advice over the years. Kendyll takes her rodeo competition seriously and is currently competing in the Northwest Oklahoma Junior Rodeo Association, NBHA, and BBR, as well as the KPRA; and has competed at qualifiers for the RFD American Rodeo, Junior American, and KK Run for Vegas. Although she hasn’t had luck in those qualifiers yet, they are on her list to dominate soon. In the KPRA she’s been hitting the rodeo circuit hard, and has competed at over 20 rodeos this summer, with many of them being three to four hours away. “Everyone is always so nice at the KPRA rodeos, they know everyone’s name and the rodeos pay good. The other competitors cheer for me and are so friendly with me, it makes me feel like a part of the group. My favorite run this summer was at McPherson, Kansas where I won 3rd; we had a good pattern and Choc seemed like she really enjoyed herself.”
“I’d like to thank Taylor Munsel, Reed Weber, my dad, and his girlfriend, Tanna Pineda, for all they do for me.”