Bradley, who also began training horses out of necessity,
explained her journey to her first futurity horse, "I had a
horse die, a horse get crippled, and I had reached a point
where I couldn't afford to go buy the amazing rodeo horse
that I wanted. I decided to figure out how to train one."
Although she's never officially interned with a trainer,
Bradley has had exceptional mentors throughout her
career and credits them heavily in her success, "I've ridden
with Kent and Stephanie McCann for years, I've asked
Margaret Jones and Lora Nichols so many questions.
They've all helped me a ton."
A fierce rodeo competitor through high school and
college, Bradley has enjoyed transitioning to competing at
the futurities, "It's so rewarding. I'm a rodeo girl through
and through, but the futurity world is so much more
rewarding than rodeoing. One of the best parts is getting
to ride colts out of my great mares."
Bradley described some of the differences between
competing in rodeos and futurities, "The seasoning of the
futurity world and trusting your training has been huge
for me. Usually the rodeo horses are solid and will handle
everything you throw at them, but the futurity colts, it's not
always the case. Trusting your training and your horses
has been a huge learning curve for me."
A typical day for any trainer looks pretty similar: it revolves
around the horses. For Bradley, that means waking up
early and feeding everything before she starts riding. "My
day is consumed by my colts," she laughed.
After she rides, Bradley will spend the remainder of her
day doing any therapy or treatments a certain horse may
need.
Bradley gave relatable advice for anyone considering a
career with horses, "It's hard because it can be a game of
comparison and you get a little defeated if your horse isn't
what you think they are. As cliche as it sounds, work hard
and don't give up. There's no such thing as an overnight
success in this industry. It's a lot of work if you want to be
at the top."
Burttschell and Bradley have many things in common, as
most great trainers do, including their positive attitudes
and exceptional work ethic. Great horses aren't cheap,
but both cowgirls saw the opportunity to turn their sweat
equity into trips to the winners circle. If you're willing to put
in the hours and seek the advice of great mentors, the next
trip to the winners circle could be your own.
Left: Karson and 2024 futurity colt KB Lucky Corona, reserve champion Yeti Classic Futurity. PC: Western Edge Photography
Right: Boo in her element. PC: Dream Fast Media
