Makayla Jacobs of Lemitar rides her horse around a pole during the state junior high finals rodeo in Lovington. Jacobs won the national pole bending title during the Wrangler Junior High School Finals Rodeo in Gallup earlier this month.
Makayla Jacobs, who will be entering the seventh grade at Sarracino Middle School, became a national champion in the rodeo sport of pole bending earlier this month.
Jacobs, 12, beat 167 other girls between sixth and eighth grades at the week-long Wrangler Junior High School Finals Rodeo in Gallup. With the win, she earned her eighth saddle, as well as another buckle to add to an already impressive collection.
“All of my good, good friends were behind me at nationals,” Jacobs said.
She said following the event, her friends presented her with a banner and a cake and announced her accomplishment at her younger brother’s rodeo event in Grants.
Jacobs was sitting in third when she entered the third go. The two girls in front of her hit poles, so they were penalized five seconds. She made it around in 20.5 seconds and her average of 62.217 was unbeatable.
She doesn’t plan to use the saddle while riding – it’s one size too small and it has a pink seat – not exactly her favorite color, although she has worn pink to raise awareness about breast cancer.
Jacobs became the state champion for her age group in both pole bending and barrel racing during a rodeo in Lovington. The top four in each event went to nationals.
Jacobs said she likes poles better than barrels because it is harder – the sport involves riding a horse in an out-and-back weaving pattern through a series of six poles placed 21 feet apart.
“It’s a challenge. I like challenges and I like riding that horse,” Jacobs said of her 14-year-old horse, Doc. “It’s my horse, but my dad bought him. We’ve had him since October.”
The family lives in Lemitar. Tawsha is a mother and middle school teacher and Michael is a hard-working father who does contracting work.
“He works so we can play,” Tawsha Jacobs said of her husband.
“He’s our horse-shoer and everything,” Makayla added. “And my grand-dad, he knows pretty much everything about rodeo.”
Tawsha was a state champion herself, in both barrels and goat tying. She trains all of the family’s horses, except Doc, who was already trained.
Contestants at the national rodeo represented all 50 states, as well as Canada and Australia.
Makayla Jacobs plans to keep up with different rodeo events with the goal of being an all-around cowgirl at state and national level next year. She practices about four hours a day.
“She was very focused this year. There were days this spring when it was windy and cold and rainy and she was out there exercising her horse,” Tawsha said.
Although she hasn’t decided on a college yet and has plenty of time, Makayla plans to be a veterinarian. She has already earned more than $1,000 in scholarship money through rodeo events.
The national event that Makayla Jacobs won will be aired on RFD-TV sometime in October.
Her younger brother, Garrett, 10, also is an up-and-coming rodeo star. He was the All-Around Cowboy at the junior rodeo in Grants, as well as at Old Timers (Makayla won the pole bending event at Old Timers). Garrett Jacobs has five saddles; between the two siblings, they have close to 100 buckles.
