SONOITA, Arizona – Gluttonous cowgirl Ruby Robbins, with clenched teeth and cool concentration, grabs the reins of one of her trusty horses, “Ricky Bobby,” and pulls one out of the herd in front of her. I tried to pull the cow away. Crowds of wranglers, comrades and judges.
This was the scene at the Santa Cruz County Fair for the Arizona High School Rodeo Association convention this weekend in Sonoita, Arizona. Ruby Robbins of Brawley was riding, wrangling, and roping to keep her high score at the Arizona High School Rodeo Association (AHSRA). is the overall ranking of
Prior to the Easter weekend competition, Robbins was listed at the top of AHSRA’s “Schoolgirl Cut” category. It’s their job to pull one out of the herd behind them and keep that animal out of the herd,” she explained AHSRA Director Linda Compton in an interview before Easter.
Robbins is a senior in high school at Grace Christian Academy, a Texas-based homeschool program where Robbins is homeschooled online in his home in Brawley, and is a top-ranked AHSRA ‘high school cow’. was ranked in The bridle horse requires riders to demonstrate intricate patterns of bridle work. This is about controlling horses through lead changes, circles, spins, slide stops, etc., and “fence work” or “how (where) you control cows at a certain level of complexity (where) is , the cows have to be in the bottom of the arena and have to be on or out of the fence,” said Compton.
According to the AHSRA standings, after the weekend in Sonoita, Robbins still leads all AHSRA high school girl “cutting” categories and is #1 online in “Reined Cowhorse” behind Ketch Kelton in Mayer, Arizona. It was dropped.
In addition to the top two categories of ‘Cutting’ and ‘Cowhorse’, Robbins ranks 17th in ‘Barrel Racing’, 26th in ‘Breakaway’ and 19th in ‘Team Roping’ according to AHSRA’s event leader list It has been.
She doesn’t think her standings have changed much after the weekend’s events, the high school student said Monday, April 10.
“I set myself a goal in women’s cutting, especially because I won the state last year[in Arizona],” Robbins said. that goal. ”
“The Arizona finals are on the first weekend in June, but I don’t know who the top four will be in each event at the nationals,” said Cowgirl, who hopes to return to the nationals. Told.
Robbins has been competing in rodeos since he was five years old. Her first bid for a national rodeo competition came at her 2019 National Middle School Finals Rodeo when she was in her seventh grade. Since then, Robbins has competed in a total of four national rodeo competitions, including her cutting in the 2022 National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) finals where she finished in the top 20 out of 150 competitors. said her mother, Jack Hannon.
Compton said the 2022 NHSRA competition had 1,716 contestants, including contestants from Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United States. Additionally, another 1,097 middle school students competed in the National Middle School Rodeo Association competition last year, she said.
“It’s an individual sport, but it’s a rodeo family,” said Compton. “Those kids are competing with their peers and siblings, but they’re still rooting for each other, pushing their cows, supporting each other. is better than any other sport.”
“I’ve known Ruby for three years and he’s a really nice guy,” says Compton. “She put a lot into it and really found what her passion was,” she said.
When asked if he thought he could return to the nationals in Gillette, Wyoming in July, Robbins replied, “I think so.”
“Attending the nationals would be a big plus in another event, but I’m good at women’s cutting and cowhorse, so I set my goals there and hoped to finish in the top 10 in other events. she said.
“I still keep my strength in Reined Cowhorse and Cutting…I just need to get out there and stay solid in every event, keep scoring points and treat it like another rodeo. “I’ve been trying to keep it going all year.”
“It’s so cool to see kids achieve their dreams and be successful,” said Compton. “It’s so cool to see them grow up.”
Ruby Robbins will next show off her skills at the Arizona High School Rodeo Association’s final regular season competition May 5-7 in Holbrook, Arizona. Arizona, according to the website.
“You can’t change the outcome. I go out and do my best. That’s all I can do,” Robbins said.
