Andalusia High School freshman Brynne Spurlin has been riding horses ever since she was little, but this weekend will be her first rodeo for the Alabama High School Rodeo Association.

Spurlin’s inspiration for horses came from her grandfather.

“My grandfather always bought us horses,” Spurlin said. “But when I got older I wanted to get into this competitively.”

Spurlin said that when she looks back, she has come a long way from where she was when she first started riding horses.

“To be honest, I was not that good when I was younger,” Spurlin said. “So it is always nice to look at old photos and see how far I have progressed from that time.”

Spurlin will participate in several events this weekend including barrels, barrel racing, goat tying and pole bending.

“I have a pretty wicked horse,” Spurlin said. “So my favorite event is barrels.”

Spurlin has six horses that she cares for and checks on twice daily.

“She does a great job taking care of them,” her mother, Charlotte Spurlin, said. “She is the most pleasant person. I wake her up at 5:30 a.m., everyday and she just says, ‘O.K.’ without arguing and puts her boots on and we go check on the horses.”

Spurlin said that doing rodeos has helped her meet a lot of her friends.

“Most of my friends are people I met doing rodeos,” Spurlin said. “It is a big family out there.”

What Spurlin is most nervous about and also what she is most looking forward to, is bringing her horses to a pen they have never been before.

“I have never brought my horses to the pen they’ll be at this weekend,” Spurlin said. “So I’m ready to see how they will act. I am mostly nervous about it, but I am really looking forward to it.”

Spurlin said that there are usually eight to 12 rodeos during the year, and she hopes to qualify for nationals.

“It is a year round sport,” Spurlin said. “They usually take off two months before school starts, but I am always training my horses and taking care of my body.”

Spurlin said that she usually keeps her horses in good shape by trotting them a lot and she keeps herself in shape by running cross-country.

“The horses are athletes themselves,” Spurlin said. “They work hard just like I do, so it is important to take care of them as well.”

Spurlin’s mother said that the time she shares with her daughter during rodeos is something that she will always cherish.

“I spend a lot of time in the truck with her on the way to rodeos,” Mrs. Spurlin said. “It was very intimidating to pull a 36-foot trailer with horses in it to start with, but I have grown accustomed to it now. I wouldn’t trade my time with her for anything.”

Spurlin plans to do compete in rodeos for as long as she can.

“I definitely want to do this for a long time,” Spurlin said. “I hope to make it to the National Finals Rodeo one day.”

She is a freshman now at Andalusia, but plans to attend the University of Alabama and get her bachelor’s degree in real estate law, and continue to go to rodeos.

Spurlin said that without the help of her entire family and friends, she would not be able to do this.

“We are all a family,” Spurlin said. “I have learned so much from people that do the same thing. We compete against each other, but we also cheer each other on during the competition. There are so many people that are so supportive and help out, Sandy Wiggins and Shannon Wiggins are definitely a big support system that I have, but there are so many others.”

Spurlin will travel to Troy this weekend to participate in her first AHSRA Rodeo.