saukherald
The path to the National High School Finals Rodeo in July begins at home in the backyard of Megan Broich and her family.
Nearly every day, Megan heads to the outdoor arena at her home in Kandota Township, saddles one of her three horses and spends time training them.
Megans dedication paid off when she was crowned Minnesota High School Rodeo Association queen June 14 at Dead Broke Arena in Hugo.
During the competition, she earned the opportunity to represent Minnesota at the NHSFR events July 15-26, with the coronation July 29 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
I wasnt actually going to do it, Megan said of entering the queen competition.
A lot of people recommended it to me because Im kind of a social butterfly in high school rodeo.
The contest for the title of queen proved to be much more than simply wearing a crown.
Contestants completed interviews, answered impromptu questions, delivered speeches and demonstrated rodeo horsemanship skills.
It was super nerve-wracking for me, Megan said.
I was super nervous; I was stressed out and tired.
The competition lasted about five hours, with contestants repeatedly changing outfits, fixing hair and makeup and preparing for the next portion of judging.
Despite the pressure, Megan excelled.
I really wanted to win and go to nationals and have fun, she said.
Megans love of the horse world began long before the rodeos she now participates in.
Megans mother, Kristin Broich, grew up showing horses through 4-H and other youth organizations.
Megan was introduced to horses almost immediately.
Looking back at pictures, I think I was 2 years old when I was on a horse with my grandma and my mom, Megan said.
While Megan found success in 4-H won state showmanship and hunt seat English style riding three years in a row, a proud accomplishment of hers friends eventually encouraged her to try rodeo.
She joined MHSRA in the fall of 2024 and quickly discovered she had found her sport.
I fell in love the first year I started doing rodeos, Megan said.
Today, she competes in barrel racing, breakaway, pole bending, team roping and the queen contest while also balancing basketball and school responsibilities.
The commitment is not limited to competition weekends.
Megan rides each of her horses for roughly an hour a day, five days a week.
Practicing consists of barrels to run, ropes to throw, horses to condition and countless details to manage.
Some days include loading horses into trailers and traveling to a friends indoor arena to escape bad weather.
Other days are spent simply caring for the animals she loves.
She and her family haul horses across Minnesota for competitions, often camping at rodeo grounds for entire weekends.
Competitors wake early to feed horses and complete chores before events begin.
After a full day of competition, there are more chores, equipment checks and horse care responsibilities waiting.
Its not just hop on and go, Megan said.
You have to actually work for it.
That work is made even more challenging because Megans family has largely built their program themselves.
The Broichs train most of their own horses and practice at home in an arena built on their property.
Unlike some competitors who come from long rodeo backgrounds or compete on expensive, professionally trained horses, the Broichs have learned much through lessons, observation and even YouTube videos.
We went into it with very little expectations because were new to this whole thing, Kristin said.
When we do have success, its even greater.
Megan credits much of her success to the relationships she has built with her horses.
Each horse has a different personality, she said.
Some are calm and dependable.
Others prefer to run and require a different approach.
They can feel your emotions, Megan said.
If youre nervous, theyre nervous.
The partnership between horse and rider is one of the aspects of rodeo she loves most.
Youre not always going to have a nice run every day, she said.
Its always a hit or miss, and you always have to move on from it.
Megan hopes to continue competing after high school and is considering attending South Dakota State University, where she could pursue respiratory care while competing in college rodeo.
Before then, however, she will take the national stage.
Kristin said watching her daughter ride after her dream has been rewarding.
Thats her thing, Kristin said.
She looks forward to it every day.