Waters shines at 2015 Malta Open Rodeo; will rodeo in College

The second consecutive Malta Open Rodeo held last Friday at the Milk River Pavilion was a success as the stands were jam packed for the event.

The PCN caught up with 2015 Malta graduate Madison Waters after she won the Ladies Breakaway event after roping a calf in an impressive 2.53 seconds, setting the bar high for those who followed.

“It takes lots of practice and focus and making sure you leave the box right,” Waters said. “It’s taken me a long time to get where I’ve been.”

Waters has been heavily into 4-H, over the past several years but started roping in eighth grade.

“I started out with Montana Junior High Rodeo and now I just finished participating in the Montana High School Association,” she said.

Waters plans on continuing her rodeo career throughout college at The University of Montana Western, in Dillon, this fall.

“They’ve got a really cool horse program there,” Waters said.

She plans on studying Horsemanship at Montana Western, which is one of the only schools that offer a four year degree for the major.

“I was really undecided (in high school), I wanted to be a veterinarian, but this year I kind of sat on it and I figured I wanted to do some natural horsemanship,” Waters said.

She will take the business approach to Horsemanship, which focuses on breeding, breaking and training horses.

“That’s what I want to do, then come back to Malta, help run the family ranch, do some horse breeding, breaking and hopefully sell them and make a living out of that,” Waters said. “And fit rodeo in there somewhere.”

The horse that she rode during the Open Rodeo is named “Squirrel,” a 13 year old quarter-horse.

Saco’s Alex Burnham was the winner of the Saddle Bronc event after having a 56 point run in the first of two rounds. The only other rider to post a score was Hinsdale’s Daulton Peterson who scored 53 points in the same round.

“I was just lucky all the other boys rode so poorly,” Burnham said.

Whitewater’s Carli Olsen rode slack in Ladies Barrel Racing which was held after the event.

Being a long time veteran of the sport, Olsen shared what it takes for a good run.

“A lot of speed and a lot of good timing,” Olsen said.

The quarter-horse she was riding, named Cash has been her