Kinlie Brennise Made Cowgirl Dreams Reality With First NFBR Qualification

The Colorado native is gearing up for her first trip to Las Vegas.

Scott Foley/ San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo

From the time that Kinlie Brennise first picked up a rope back in middle school she knew she wanted to compete.

The breakaway roping was an event that girls merely dreamed would one day have a finals in a professional setting and even though they aren't roping at the Thomas and Mack (yet) they do have a big money finals (NFBR) in Las Vegas and Brennise is headed to her first.

Brennise is only in her second year of professional rodeo. Her goal last year was to finish high enough to get into the exclusive building rodeos this past winter in order to set her up for this day.

She sat inside the top 15 for many months and battled her way to the finish line. Now she is unofficially going into the finals as the No.11 cowgirl in the world with nearly $110,000 won.

A Look Inside

Hannah Macy/ The Macy Co Marketing

After speaking with this up-and-coming talent it is clear as day who she credits her success to- her family. While there are many who shape an individual's success (and she knows this), it is her parents (Scott and Sheila) and her brother, Kasen, that she first thought of.

It is easy to look at the success that the 24-year-old had this year and not realize how much time went into getting there. Scott and Sheila made sure their kids had every opportunity under the sun, and now all of those miles driven, calves missed, tears, frustration and countless hours practicing side by side with her family are all worth it.

You learn a lot when traveling on the road for the first time, and one thing that is underappreciated is the amount of work it takes to keep the equine athletes working and not just in the arena.

The miles traveled do a lot more damage than most runs made, and it is incredibly important to take care of them if they are to work, and Brennise knows this.

One of the biggest curves that the professional rodeo trail throws is life on the road and the 24-year-old learned this quickly. She picked up on subtle details that became ever so important in her first qualification, whether that Is loading your trailer with a foot full of shavings or making sure that they had water and hay during the entirety of the trip.

It isn't just on the trailer that is important, but what it's like for her horse when she got there. "I love my hot wire to build my horses big comfortable pens. They need to feel protected at all times and a place to rest not in a stall is crucial," said Brennise.

Brennise has officially made a name for herself in the professional rodeo world and nobody will ever be able to take this away from her. She has a final thought for anyone else who is going through a rough patch of their own:

"Overall, I am just thankful that God allows me to live this life and wake up every day to put my best foot forward. I college rodeoed for five full years and never once made the college finals. So, for anyone out there struggling just know He has a plan and your time will come."

Now, Brennise gets to take a minor break to enjoy being home before she locks back in to get ready for the 10 days she has been preparing for over a decade.

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