You can often find senior Autumn Olagues at the horse racing track preparing for her next rodeo competition. Riding since she was very young, Olagues now participates in the High School District 3 Rodeo Team, where she competes once a month.

Olagues’ competition specialties are Barrel Racer, Pole Bender and Breakaway Roper. “In barrel racing you go around a cloverleaf set of barrels as fast as possible without knocking the barrel,” she explains. “Pole bending is waving of six poles then leaving the pattern with the fastest time possible without knocking the poles. Breakaway roping is holding your horse back next to a chute then roping a calf.” Her competitions this year have earned her four buckles (awards).

Olagues has a huge commitment to her horses. “My favorite part about riding is the horses,” she said. “I have been training this past year and the rewards of training horses is my favorite part. My least favorite part of riding is probably horse injuries; injured horses are a more difficult part of riding.” She also cleans her horses’ stalls daily and feeds them three times a day.

Olagues’ involvement with horse racing has only just begun. Her practice lasts for about one hour every day, and she recently moved to a five-acre property to have more room for her horses. On top of that, she has other aspirations. “My family is really supportive of my wanting to train and become a vet tech, and we all ride and work with horses so this is a great development for us,” she said.

She also dispelled a common misconception about riding. “Most people think riding is zero work, but in order to be successful at a rodeo, you have to work on not only your horse but yourself as well,” she said. “It’s not as [if] many people sit on a horse while they do all the work, especially when it comes to [riding].”

When she is not riding, Olagues works and plays volleyball.