Native Youth 

This is a brand new page added to Indian Rodeo News.  Our goal here is to recognize all Indian children and teenagers who ride horses, rodeo, ranch, and kids who participate in taking pictures at events.

Each month starting with December 2002 we will try to feature a Indian Youth who is active in riding horses, rodeo, ranching, and photography.   


Nicole Tsosie
Featured Youth 
December 2002

Jenna Johnson
Indian Rodeo News Featured Youth April 2003

Jenna Joda’e Johnson started her rodeo career at the age of 5. I am a third generation cowgirl my mom, grandma, and aunties are barrel racers, and my grandpa is a calf roper. My home is on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Oregon, I am Warm Springs/Paiute/Wasco/Grand Rhonde. Every summer I look forward to traveling with my grandma, mom, and auntie Una. We follow the WSIRA rodeos, as well as, NPRA rodeo circuit. My hobbies are: rodeo, shopping, playing on the internet, swimming, and modeling. I have one brother named Bryce. Much of my success is my families support.



My first horse was our old buckskin mare who was the babysitting horse. She wouldn’t go fast without a lot of effort, so she taught me how to really kick and be aggressive in order to go fast. Me and my cousin Rhett rodeoed on the Pee-Wee rodeo circuit. For awhile it burned us out, and we quit for a couple of years, but I got the rodeo bug again at the age of 9.



My old buckskin mare “bucky” won me the 1997 all-round saddle at the Cowdeo which is a kids rodeo in October every year. The funny thing about this was my grandparents businesses sponsored the all-round saddle .




Since then I graduated to the next oldest finished barrel horse named Laura Dees. I rode her for the next year until she surprisingly gave us a colt that we were unaware of during the rodeo season.



I then jumped on my mom’s old barrel horse which my grandpa calf ropes on named “hank” Hank won me the 2002 barrels at our cowdeo junior rodeo, even though he is very old he gives you everything he’s got. 






Since then I have taken over my mom’s other barrel horse “Minnie”, we are the ultimate team I have won Grand Rhonde 2002 rodeo on her, placed 2nd at Pi-Ume-Sha. She also was my queen horse in which I represented our Pi-Ume-Sha treaty days rodeo as queen. She is now in foal and ready to pop anytime. 







My greatest love is rodeo and I plan on someday going to the NFR, I have fun racing against my mom, grandma, and aunties. I am now 14 yrs old and am eager and ready for 2003-2004 high rodeoing, My grandma Marita is a INFR qualifer so I listen to everything she says when it comes to barrels. I am ready for 2003 on “warrior” my mom’s current barrel horse, she stepped down to let me progressive in rodeo’s on her best horse, thanks mom!! I am learning to become a fashion model and when I reach the requirements of 18 yrs old I am going to run for Miss Indian Rodeo and anything else I can find.



I thank my auntie Una and Grandma Marita in training and sharing our greatest accomplishments our awesome barrel horses. Here are some photos of me and my horse pals and my rodeo traveling weiner dog “Elvis” who goes to every rodeo.




In my spare time I go to the lake by our home and boat ride with my cousin Rhett and Uncle Clarence. We have a big tube that he pulls us on we stay there all day, then I go back to the training pen and ride my horses with my mom. I hope any kid who wants to rodeo gets the same chance to enjoy what I do. As 2002 Pi-Ume-Sha Rodeo Queen, I invite everybody to our 2003 Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days rodeo on June 28&29th. For more information you can contact my mom at 541 553-5209 or my grandpa Delford at 541 553-3282. They help along with other people put on the rodeo. See you then. 





To view Jenna's pictures, click on the picture below to enlarge them.   

                                      

Jodel at the WSIRA finals, 6th from the right!

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