Kellie Collier

Kellie Collier is heading to her first WNFR. The 21 year old dreamed about this for a long time. “I have the horse power and the dedication – I sat down and decided this was what I was going to do.” She is quick to add that none of this would be possible without the support from her parents, Kathleen and Matt. “My mom rodeoed and she taught me about what it took to rodeo. My dad stays home and runs the family business, Top of Texas Mill Wrights, which makes it possible for me to go.” Kellie has one older sister, Kayla, 25, who competed when she was younger, but ended up playing sports and has a Masters in accounting. “She does all of our taxes, so it works out great.”
Kellie tried to make the WNFR last year and ended up 23rd. “My horses got tired,” she said. “I learned how to lose. I was very successful rodeoing growing up, making all the national finals –going out there on the road wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be – it was humbling. My mom was with me most of the year. She would come home for a week at at a time, so did my cousin, Kashli. I had two rigs going sometimes, so it took two drivers to get it done. I lived in airports towards the end of the year.” She had a trailer in Canada that stayed up there and one down here. “It was tiring and crazy, but it paid off.”
After graduating from high school in 2014, Kellie went to college at Hobbs College in New Mexico and transferred to Texas Tech her second year. “Then Lolo happened.” Lolo is a 9 year old mare Streak of Fling mare that took Carlee Pierce to the WNFR in 2014. “When I was in college, I had a good horse, Oscar. I knew my goals of going down the road, and we were looking for a horse. We had the tapes from the NFR and my mom kept watching Lolo and loved her demeanor so she gave Carlee a call and bought her three years ago. Lolo has a heart and tries like none other. She’s a very quirky horse and doesn’t trust many people. She is a very mentally strong horse, very independent. She loves me and tries for me – it’s cool to have that feeling. She is not just a horse to me.” The other horse that has made it possible is Muffin, is a 13-year- old mare out of Jig French Truckle. “I rode Lolo most of the year, but Muffin has won a lot for me this summer too.”
Kellie grew up in the rodeo world. “My mom rodeoed so when I was old enough to walk, I was on a horse going to play days, junior rodeoes, and went from there. I was more of a roper when I was younger. I had some great roping horses and I team roped. Then I got one horse, Oscar, and found my love for barrels. He helped me win in the barrels and poles.”
Kellie had a farewell party in her hometown of Hereford, Texas. “It was great to realize what support we have at home – people drove up to seven hours to come celebrate. We ate and danced and called it a night. I signed a couple autographs.” Many of those people will make the trip to Las Vegas to cheer her on. “I’ve lived in Hereford my whole life – cows and feedyards is all there is here; Hereford is called the beef capital of the world.”
Kellie is preparing for the WNFR by continuing to rodeo. “I’m headed to the Wilderness Circuit Finals, and then the next weekend is the Canadian Finals. Once I get back, I’ll work on my mental game, and make my schedule. I think if my horses don’t know how to run barrels by now, we’re in trouble. So I just keep their legs in shape and ready to run. I long trot a lot in the hay field around our house. I like to breeze them out there, stretch them out and let them run.”
Kellie wants to keep going. She’d like to make the finals a few more years. “I’ve always wanted to do some clinics and breed Lolo and train some more barrel horses. I’ve got to get through this first.” It hasn’t completely sunk in yet that she will be running in the Thomas and Mack. “I’m more nervous about what I don’t know – I like to be in control and to not know where to go, what to say, and what to wear is what I’m nervous about. I keep telling myself this is just another rodeo, but I know that’s not the truth.”