Kinley Bruderer of Rock Springs competes in the 4-H flag race during the county fair last week, placing 2nd.
Kinley Bruderer, a 16-year-old from Rock Springs is a 4-H horse enthusiast. She competed in the 4-H and open horse events at the fair this year, entering every event she could, she said. She competed in 32 classes, receiving numerous trophies, placing first seven times. Bruderer also shows in the livestock categories as well, but her true passion lies in horses.
"The relationship made between you and your horse," Bruderer said. "Every horse has a different personality."
Bruderer has been riding horses since she was eight years old and has been competing in 4-H events for the past eight years. She has trained each of her horses herself, from start to finish. During her first years of competition, she struggled to place in events at all, watching others competing and placing with expensive, professionally trained horses. Now though, she places more frequently than not.
"Beating people who pay to get there horse trained, that's what's cool to me. It's an awesome reward," Bruderer said. "Nobody else has done the work but me."
It reminds her that whatever she sets her mind to, she can accomplish. Bruderer enjoys being in 4-H because of that reason. It teaches a person life lessons, she says. She would like to continue competing in 4-H for as long as she can and eventually, Bruderer would like to start her kids into it someday because it teaches responsibility.
"It's like taking care of a gold fish as a kid to teach responsibility. It's like that but ten times more," Bruderer said. "It teaches you how to win and how to lose and how to work toward something."
The horse won't teach itself after all. It's a lot of hard, time consuming work to train a horse. Being involved in 4-H grants a purpose to that training. For Bruderer, its the sense of something to work toward. She enjoys riding and the sense of accomplishment from all of her hard work is gratifying.
"If you don't work with your horse, it won't perform the way you need to and you won't win off it," Bruderer said. "It teaches you a lot of life skills."
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