Outside a small stable in Charlotte, Mich., a high-pitched neigh rings through the air as animal science sophomore Hanna Menne’s horse, Fancy, warms up for practice.
Menne, a barrel racer, practices four to five times a week in the two to three weeks before an event. This time around, the pair was getting ready for the Spartan Stampede. This would be their first time competing in the event.
Barrel racing involves a rider and their horse circling various barrels in a cloverleaf pattern, trying to get the fastest time around the course.
Hosted by the MSU Rodeo Club, the Stampede, which was held from Feb. 19-21, drew about 10,000 guests.
For Menne, competing in rodeos has been a passion since she was a child. Now, as a 20-year-old woman, she travels the state to compete in rodeos.
“It’s in her blood,” Sally Menne, her mother, said. “She’s confident and she’s doing what she loves.”
Growing up in the rodeo
Her parents have been a big influence on her life, immersing her in rodeo competition early on.
“My dad has always been involved with horses,” Hanna said. “He grew up with horses when he was a kid. He moved to the city and I still somehow fell in love with the animal. I’ve had a trainer since I was four and I started competing when I was nine. It’s only gotten worse since.”
Her parents, Grand Ledge, Mich. residents Keith and Sally Menne, said they are excited to get to watch their daughter compete in front of a home crowd. Specifically for Keith, it brings back old childhood memories.
“I grew up on a farm,” Keith said. “One of the things we did for entertainment was to go to horse shows.”
The couple have supported their daughter’s passion for her entire life. They said they are proud to watch her grow as a person and a competitor.
“Really it’s an emotional thing,” Keith said. “It’s very emotional. It’s been a cool experience seeing (Hanna) go from a little kid to a 20-year-old young woman competing in the rodeo.”
To see their daughter compete and flourish at MSU has been a joy, Keith and Sally said.
“This is a great event at a great university and a great opportunity for our kid at this university to take advantage of,” Keith said. “I’m really proud of the fact that she’s a Spartan, going to MSU, and she’s getting to do what she wants to do.”
Forming a bond
At first, for Hanna and her horse, it was hard to fancy one another.
“Some guy bought her from South Dakota and brought her back to Michigan,” Hanna said. “He couldn’t even get on the horse. That’s how nasty she was. The way I think about it is, I had this horse someone couldn’t even get on, and now I’m going to be competing in front of tens of thousands of people.”
Hanna and Fancy spent hours in a small arena, perfecting their craft and forming a strong bond.
“Getting a horse like Fancy was the end of the line for us where we wanted to get involved,” Keith said. “Give her the raw talent and let them work it out together. We knew Hanna was capable and we thought that it would be a good match.”
Fancy is difficult to ride because she makes sharp cuts around the small practice stadium, Hanna said. If Fancy’s rider isn’t saddled just right, the horse’s fast cuts will shake him or her off.
At the end of their practice sessions, Fancy is usually drenched in sweat after pushing her body to the limit.
Hanna’s objective is to get Fancy accustomed to all these hard workouts so that by the time she’s competing in the actual rodeo, it’s a cakewalk compared to practice.
The MSU Rodeo Club
Hanna grew up near East Lansing and has been a lifelong Spartan fan. As a child, she went to the Spartan Stampede and set a goal for herself to join the rodeo club when she was older.
Now a sophomore, Hanna is in a unique position. She is the only Spartan in the MSU Rodeo Club competing in rodeos around the state. Representing green and white is a big goal for her when preparing for competitions.
But the Spartan Stampede is just a stepping stone for Hanna this season. The rodeo season extends all the way to summer and she expects to compete with Fancy while traveling the Midwest.
“(Fancy) is finally starting to take me places,” Hanna said. “Everywhere I go, I at least win my money back. I’m starting to branch out, maybe go to Ohio, maybe go to Indiana. Start really competing with the ‘big kids.’ I haven’t really been doing that yet.”
The Spartan Stampede
The stage was set for Hanna and Fancy. It was finally time for the Spartan Stampede. Unfortunately for the pair, however, the event didn’t go exactly as planned.
During the grand entry before the event took off, Fancy went a different route than she was supposed to go.
“(Fancy) thought she was going to do a barrel pattern,” Hanna said. “She went and took off to the left. Then she realized there is no barrel. We just ran all the way down and finally got it contained.”
The fiasco left Hanna flustered and trying to regain her mental composure. But for most topnotch competitors, it’s easy to ignore everything else when it’s time to knuckle down.
“As soon as we hit the dirt she took off running. There could’ve been no one in (the stadium) and I would’ve felt the same,” Hanna said. “Everyone disappeared as soon as we started going.”
That day, Hanna recorded a time of 16.050 seconds. After her first official go at the Spartan Stampede, it left her one unforgettable memory.
“It was really great,” Hanna said. “I’m really proud of (Fancy). This is the most she’s been worked (in) a while ... for how much she’s been doing this week, I’m really thrilled.”
