CBC Saskatchewan Creators Network is a place where young digital storytellers from diverse backgrounds can produce original video content to broadcast on CBC and tell stories through their own lens. Get in touch or submit your own story here.
Twins Mackenzie and Taylor L’Heureux have done almost everything together since they were born.
Now, the 19-year-old sisters are using a little sibling rivalry to push themselves to chase their dreams.
“It’s definitely hard having to train ourselves and then our horses on top of that, it’s kind of a great learning experience,” Taylor said.
The couple grew up on a small farm near North Battleford, Sask.
His family had no horses until a neighbor gave them one to share. After a lot of work training the horses and each other, the sisters began to compete in roping and racing.
“I don’t see myself doing anything different. I love spending time on the road with my sister,” Mackenzie said.
Taylor said she was a little embarrassed at the first few rodeos they attended. It was clear that they were not your typical competitors, many of whom had very expensive horses and fancy equipment.
“I guess we didn’t have the cool looking tack, or the good trailer and truck,” he said. “We had the work ethic and our horses, and that was all we needed.”
Moving forward together gave them the strength to overcome challenges.
The rodeo circuit is dominated by men. Mackenzie said that any harsh criticism from the men was used as an opportunity to improve.
“Some of them can be really blunt and honest, and they can be really negative…so you just have to learn to take apart the information that they’re giving you and use it to help you be better,” Mackenzie said.
In addition to riding, the twins decided to pursue careers in healthcare, Mackenzie in dentistry and Taylor in nursing. Attending different schools was a difficult choice, but they both agreed that it gave them a new perspective.
“I learned a lot from being away from her and doing things on my own,” Mackenzie said. “I think she brought us closer, she would say, and she made us realize how much we depend on each other and how much we like to be around each other.”
“It’s weird to say, but I felt like a part of me was leaving or moving on,” Taylor said.
The sisters travel across North America for rodeo season and compete with the University of Saskatchewan rodeo team.
Currently, they compete with seven horses that they trained together on their grandparents’ farm.
Being in college while competing isn’t easy, but the sisters have found ways to study and do their homework while on the road.
“You just have to work it out somehow, whether it’s on the trip, whether it’s in the hotel room,” Taylor said. “One person driving and the other sitting studying or sleeping, so you can switch off to drive.”
Working with horses can be rewarding, but it also comes with its own challenges. Animals can be injured while training for upcoming competitions.
But the sisters say that winning is especially satisfying, because just the two of them did all the work.
“We didn’t start with much. We had a bumper caravan and inexperienced horses who had no idea what they were doing,” Taylor said. “But it all worked out, because we still made it.
“And we were happy to do it. So it was an amazing experience.”
