Plains Youth Aims for Collegiate Rodeo

photos & story by Steele Williams

Jessica Read has grown up jumping

Rodeo is her life, and the title of cowgirl defines her.

Read, 18, is currently a senior at Plains High School in Plains, Mont., and is gearing up for college next year. Read is optimistic about the future and plans to attend Montana State University in Bozeman next fall with aspirations to join the school’s rodeo team.

Read moved to Plains from Bozeman in 2004 and has always had an ardent enthusiasm for horses.  Read’s parents, David and Lisa, got her started in rodeo early in her childhood, and she has yet to look back. 

Read participates in high school rodeo events which are organized by the Montana High School Rodeo Association. Contestants compete in numerous events at rodeos organized across Montana and can potentially compete at the National High School Rodeo Association, which is held annually in July and rotates every two years between states.

Read’s coach Ed VonHeeder has served as a mentor for her throughout her rodeo career, and she attributes much of her success to him.

Preparation for rodeo competition is rigorous.  With over 15,000 students competing nationally, the competition is stout.  Read stays on top of her game by riding her horses Harley and Dynamite nearly every day of the week.

Read has dreams of competing on a national stage and hopes to continue to fan her passion for horses and rodeo long into her future.