Negaard to compete in Vegas

Katy Negaard recently entered the Inaugural All In Breakaway Roping scheduled for December 9 - 11 in Las Vegas. The roping is, in many ways, the first of its kind and the CCHS graduate is excited to compete for $100,000 in guaranteed payout money. She is one of only two Montana residents that have entered.

Negaard has always had a love for horses and rodeo. While rodeoing in high school, she won six all-around saddles and several belt buckles. After high school, Negaard had several scholarship offers for college rodeo. She attended and rodeoed at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. After a year and a half there, she transfered to Dawson Community College where she graduated in May with an associate degree in agricultural science and certificates in artificial insemination and equine management. In total, she spent three years rodeoing at the collegiate level.

"I won some money," she told the Eagle in reference to her college rodeo career.

After graduating, Negaard realized that she didn't want to sit at a desk all day so she started KT's Colt Riding where she rides horses for residents of Eastern Montana. In the future she plans to expand her reach.

"I wanted to do something where I deal with animals," she said.

Negaard has also continued to rodeo since finishing school. This summer she won the breakaway roping in the Slope Summer Circuit.

She first heard about the All In Barrel Race, an event that takes place at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, and eventually found information about a similar event in breakaway roping online. The All In Breakaway Roping was a good fit as Negaard admits she has been getting more into breakaway lately since she doesn't have a barrel horse.

"I've had my breakaway horse since my sophomore year of high school," she said. "My dad gave it to me."

The roping was expensive to enter, but with a limit of 350 participants and $100,000 in payouts, she is hoping that it's worth it. So are several of her family members who are planning on making the trip to Vegas to cheer for her this December.

"My family encouraged me to do it," Negaard said.

The Inaugural All In Breakaway roping is a WCRA Alliance Event and a WPRA Sanctioned Event. Winner(s) will advance to the 2020 American Semi Finals. The roping is in a 3D format and consists of two rounds and then a shoot-out round. As of Wednesday morning, there were 12 spots left out of 350 total entries

Katy Negaard, a 2016 CCHS graduate, is the daughter of Dustin and Shannon Negaard.