Brogan Hill, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be making her third appearance at the 120th National Western Stock Show this month in Denver, Colorado, riding her 10-year-old quarter horse, Quik Draw McGraw.
“It’s taken a lot of prayers, the support of my family and living on a dime to get where I am in this sport,” said Hill, 22, a member of the Fresno YSA Ward and Fresno State University’s equestrian team.
The National Western Stock Show is the nation’s premier agricultural, livestock and rodeo event, attracting more than 700,000 visitors annually. Hill will compete in the adult Invitational Freestyle Reining competition on Jan. 11.
“It is a big deal. It’s the largest single-paying competition,” said Hill, who grew up in Saint Anthony, Idaho. “I am honored to be invited back.”
In 2024, Hill was the youngest rider to compete in the reining event. In 2025, she came in second place “after a tiebreaker for first,” said Kendra McConnell, director of horse show operations at the stock show. Hill won the People’s Choice Award.
“There’s not only her talent level, but there’s her energy, and that’s such a big deal in the freestyle competition,” McConnell said, who invited Hill to apply in 2024. Each applicant undergoes a selection process before getting an invitation.
“We do pay all placings, so we only invite 12 riders, which is not very many,” McConnell said.
Hill has made a name for herself by winning championship titles and awards in National Reining Horse Association-sanctioned events since high school. In 2023, she ranked fourth internationally among reiners from her earnings that year.
She is “elite in the sport,” McConnell said. As such, Hill will also compete in the Performance Horse Showdown on opening day, where she is teamed with two other “elite riders in roping and cow reining to compete in ranch events.”
“She has paid a lot of attention to technicality,” McConnell said about Hill and Quik Draw’s ability in the arena. “And obviously, those horses have to be in incredible shape and trained to perform the maneuvers.”
What is freestyle reining?
In freestyle reining, riders don’t follow set patterns or ride on borrowed horses, as Hill does in collegiate events for Fresno State, a Division 1 equestrian program in the Big 12 Conference.
“You have more freedom and a chance to express yourself more,” Hill said, adding that freestyle routines still have the required “spins to the left and right, lead changes and sliding stops.”
“It’s like you’re in a music video while riding your horse. People can get very creative with it,” Hill said.
Freestyle also includes glitzy outfits, spotlights and music, with showmanship on full display, McConnell said. But while the four-minute performances are fun, she adds, “don’t overlook the rider’s skill in keeping a horse calm while in a crowded arena.”
“She is paying attention to that horse and trying to give him the best opportunity to do his maneuvers because that’s where her score is coming from,” said McConnell. “She’s done an incredible job with that, as her scores have shown.”
Honoring family
In Denver, Hill — who is earning a master’s in agricultural education — will perform a routine honoring American farmers, specifically her mother and stepfather, Melinda and Randy Rumsey, who farm 3,000 acres of Idaho russet potatoes.
Last year, Hill’s routine was a childhood memory set to the song “Ferdinand the Bull.” Hill wore a long red-and-black gown, and Randy Rumsey acted as the bullfighter.
“I am who I am today because of my horses, because of my family,” Hill said, reflecting on the financial sacrifices and endless travel expenses her parents have made to support her dream. Hill’s earliest memory is “riding on the back of a horse” with her mother.
Melinda Rumsey said, “My 12-year-old daughter told me she was going to do reining and get a scholarship to a top university program.
“And so I said, ‘OK, let’s do it,’ and she did it.”
Hill serves as a Gospel Doctrine teacher and is in her last year of collegiate eligibility. Looking back, she sees lessons she’s learned from working with horses that parallel gospel teachings, such as staying calm, being patient and helping them become all they can be, while “learning to trust God.”
“They are very majestic animals,” Hill said through tears, reflecting her deep love for the horses. “They trust you. They teach you. They remind you that life is great, but you still need to work on what needs to change.”
— Cheryl Gardner is an assistant professor at Fresno State in media, communications and journalism, and a member of the Gettysburg Ward in the Fresno California North Stake.
Update: Brogan Hill and Quik Draw McGraw placed sixth out of 12 competitors in the 2026 Invitational Freestyle Reining event.
Correction: An earlier version of this article had Quik Draw McGraw, the name of Brogan Hill’s horse, spelled as Quick Draw McGraw.
