Country Girl

PRAIRIE GROVE — Sixteen- year- old Haylie West, of Prairie Grove, is a country girl by definition.

When her lifestyle is examined, which surely will be considered in the judging as she competes for the 2015 Lincoln Riding Club queen crown evidence points toward country living with a dash of western horsemanship thrown in for good measure.

Haylie is the daughter of Bill West and Natasha Campbell, of Prairie Grove, and a wide spectrum of activities keep her hands busy on a regular basis. A sophomore at Prairie Grove High School, she is a member of honor society and a self- described dedicated member of FFA. She has been a member of the equine judging team with the Prairie Grove FFA Chapter since her eighth grade year and is also on the Prairie Grove FFA parliamentary procedure team competing in leadership speaking contests through the chapter. Haylie placed third in state as a freshman Creed speaker for FFA, first in the chapter competition as well as local competition and third at district for prepared public speaking for her FFA chapter. Haylie received an award for academic excellence in introduction for agriculture and has decided to purchase and show a hog at the Washington County Fair this year.

Haylie gets a thrill from competing in “mud runs” in Arkansas and Oklahoma, but rodeo is what separates her from the Daisy Duke sterotype. One could be a country girl without being a cowgirl yet country just goes with the cowgirl. Last spring an injury forced Haylie to choose between volleyball and rodeo. She gave up volleyball, a sport she played for three years, to continue her passion of rodeo and says she would make that decision again. Currently, Haylie is in the process of training two geldings on barrels, poles, and roping and freely admits she wouldn’t want to spend her life any other way.

Haylie would like to be Miss Lincoln Riding Club rodeo queen because the LRC Rodeo was the first rodeo she went to and recalls with a twinkle there she fell in love with the sport. Haylie fondly recalls seeing rodeo queens as a child and wanting to be one of them. As she grew older, she started putting a plan into action and received her first title at Westville, Okla., winning the 2014 IPRA Westville rodeo junior queen crown.

“What better way to continue my dream than to become one of the girls who inspired me?” Haylie said.

Two years ago, Haylie acquired her 7- year- old sorrel horse, Peanut. She has been his only rider, preferring to train him by herself. They have been working the barrel pattern in preparation for competition in barrel racing and pole bending. Haylie also is in the process of learning to rope. Haylie is a member of the Arkansas Fillies, a junior horse drill team. Like a majority of cowgirls, rodeo is a huge part of Haylie’s life and if she becomes Miss LRC rodeo queen, she will use the skills she has developed through speaking competitions and her previous title to support and promote the rodeo that sparked her dreams as a child.