( Photo courtesy from Cheyenne Rondeaux )
Cheyenne Rondeaux , 19 , grew up in a world of horses but had no idea she would fall in love with the competitive arena and go on to pursue a career in professional rodeo , although her story seems meant-to-be from the start .
Her dad , an award-winning horse stuntman , first set his daughter horseback when she was six months old . Thanks to him , she had a lot of early exposure and encouragement . By the time she was seven , she had already learned to break horses . But she didn ’ t take an interest in rodeo until after her move to Texas .
Moving to Firelight South , her mother ’ s ranch just outside of Alpine , gave Cheyenne new experiences with the Equus genus .
Drives from their place near Alpine , to the Terlingua area further south , confronted Cheyenne with encounters of wild burros seeking grass along the highway . Sometimes animals were hit and left to perish as roadkill . This broke Cheyenne ’ s heart and moved her to write letters to public officials . She wanted people to be aware of livestock populations in the Big Bend , whether domestic or wild . Her activism resulted in warning signs being erected near the foothills north of Christmas Mountain .
Another formative experience was with her
Nineteen-year-old Barrel R acer Defines Success Through Good Horsemanship
by Shawna graves
14 Big Bend Real Estate Guide • May 2021