Posted by By Lillian Landreth
Millie Marquart hit the rodeo trail on June first and hasn’t been home to Mason, Texas since. It’s the longest the 20-year-old barrel racer has been on the road, and she plans to chase cans and her shot at WPRA barrel racing rookie of the year as long as her horse is up for it. “It seems like she wants it just about as bad as I do,” Millie says of her 7-year-old mare, Penny. “I’m really proud of her.” She did all of Penny’s training herself, and so far, the duo has won $24,304. They trail Oceane Veilleux in first place by less than $2,000.
Less goals, more mental game
Being on the road with friend and fellow barrel racer, Brianna Cox, has made the summer run extra fun for Millie. In between rodeos, they sightsee towns they’re in and stop at destinations like Arches National Park. “We keep saying, ‘Who else could get a job and go travel the country?’” Millie also talks to her parents, Pam and Chris, on the phone often, and uses night driving to catch up with her brother, Marshall, while he works a night shift. “Wherever we go, we try to get someone to video us, so my mom always gets a video or she watches my run on The Cowboy Channel.” Millie also appreciates her support from Tana Jureczki, who gives her advice on her horse and mental game. “Everyone says you have to have a short-term memory, which is something that’s hard to do but helpful in the long run. The next day you could have the best run of your life. And I’m reading my Bible, which is always nice to make sure my heart is in the right place when I’m out here on the road doing this.
“If I set a goal in my mind, it never works out because I drive myself crazy thinking about it. I had it in my mind to win the Rookie Roundup and I didn’t make it past the first round, so I changed it up,” says Millie, who was thrilled when she made it back to the finals in Reno. “This year, I’ll have fun and enjoy the journey, and hopefully this is the first year I’ll get to [pro rodeo] for a very long time. I’ll learn a whole bunch and take it in stride.”
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