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Saturday, May 31, 2008 Lemitar rider reigns as state championMakayla Jacobs tops N.M. junior high rodeo in barrel racing and in pole bending A horrible horse accident at age 3 left Makayla Jacobs in a body cast, but she didn't let that keep her from returning to the rodeo scene. Makayla, now 12, has won numerous awards at events around New Mexico in the last few years, and now has added two state championships in the New Mexico Wrangler Junior High Rodeo Association to her credit. As a sixth-grader, it was her first year competing in the event and she finished in the top 10 in four events and won the barrel racing and pole bending competitions. The wins have earned her a spot on New Mexico's rodeo team that will be competing at the Fourth Annual Wrangler Junior High Finals Rodeo, an international event conveniently held in Gallup this year from June 30 to July 5.
"The biggest thing I want to see is how my times compare to theirs," Makayla said of the competition at the Finals. "We hope to bring home a national title now," Makayla's mother Tawsha said. The Finals will feature over 1,000 contestants from around the United States, Canada and Australia. WJHFR contestants will also be competing for $75,000 in prizes and $50,000 in college scholarships. The event will be broadcast this fall on RFD-TV. The best part of competing at rodeos right now are her friends, and several of them will be competing at the Finals with her, but most of all the winning. When Makayla wins, she first pays back her parents, Michael and Tawsha for the entry fees, but keeps the rest as income. Makayla doesn't always take home much, but this year the hard work and practice is paying off. "If you practice all your events it takes two hours a day," Makayla said. Makayla rides each horse and then practices goat-tying and breakaway roping on the ground. The horses know the events so they don't practice the events because they get too excited, but are ridden to keep them in shape and healthy. "(Makayla) rode every day," Tawsha said. "She would come home from school and practice until dark." When it finally is time to compete the horses get their chance for excitement. "They played the song 'We are the Champions' and that set the mood for the whole night," Tawsha said, describing the short go in Lovington, the final rodeo where the state champions were decided. "The horses were pumped. It was so intense." Makayla is learning to shoulder most of the responsibility of the events herself. Unlike the gymkhanas of previous years, the junior high riders are expected to be able to handle all aspects of their events by themselves. If there is a problem they must be the ones to notify the judges or they can be disqualified. "I warm the horses up and make sure the cinch and boots are tight," Makayla said. This year, both Doc and EZ competed with Makayla for the first time. Doc was purchased through a family friend, and was ridden in the National High School Rodeo Finals in 2007 and is an experienced rodeo horse. Doc was trained with verbal commands, so Makayla has to shout "In" or "Out" to control how close he runs to the poles. Since riders frequently hit the poles, which can be painful, spectators sometimes mistake her shouts for "Ow" as she brushes past the poles. EZ has been trained for the last few years and finally is competing. "Now he knows he's there to run barrels," Tawsha said. EZ is a bigger horse than most that run barrels. He may be slightly slower at rounding the barrels, but makes up for it in speed in the open. "I want to make it to the (National Finals Rodeo) in barrel racing," Makayla said of her future goals. Makayla has several other interests besides rodeo. She played on the basketball team at Sarracino Middle School this year, and is raising pigs for 4-H this summer with her younger brother, Garrett.
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