HUNTLEY — Two of Montana’s top high school rodeo competitors not only live in Huntley, they happen to share the same household.
Aspen Swensen loves fashion — and not just her own.
“These are bell boots and they’re turquoise because this is the color that he looks best in,” she explained while dressing her horse, Boomer.
Aspen has developed such a rapport with Boomer that he'll follow her inside the arena, even without a bridal.
But don’t be fooled by fashion. At 15 years old, Aspen has enough rodeo wins to lose count, including her most prestigious — a Little Britches All-Around world title.
“I competed in four events in the short go and I was up back to back to back, all in the span of, like, an hour,” she recalled to MTN Sports of her run in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Her brother AJ, 17 years old, is just as locked in to winning. He recently earned another title in North Dakota, plus about $4,000.
“There was this calf that I drew that I had in Circle, and I just messed him up in Circle. And I was like, I want revenge on this calf, so I just went after him, won the round and it all worked out,” he said.
The pair, which started rodeo at ages 3 and 5, have been so successful they’ve even picked up multiple sponsor perks, including a nice rodeo trailer.
“I’m sponsored by Montana Silversmiths, American Hat Company, 100X Equine — which is amazing for my horses, keeps my horses going — also Rodeo Rigs and EquipmentShare,” Aspen said.
With Montana’s fall high school rodeo season recently wrapping up, AJ leads his all-around standings while Aspen sits second among girls.
It's safe to say high school rodeo is interesting by comparison to other sports. There are no teams, no team coaches, no team buses.
“Well, high school rodeo isn’t sanctioned by schools. We have to follow the same regulations," mother Sarah Swensen explained. "When we'd have to take off Friday to go to a rodeo, those were counted as actual absences, which is why we ended up choosing to go home school.”
Home schooling certainly helps between fall and spring rodeo seasons when family travel doesn’t stop. It actually seems to accelerate — with life lessons.
“Our trailer breaking, our pickup getting totaled, our flat tires … all kinds of crazy things that have happened to us on the million miles we’ve put on going down the road," Sarah continued. "So, these kids are pretty well prepared for anything that comes their way.”
And there are rodeo perks differing from typical high school sports, like competing for side money.
“So, there is a little jackpot fee at every high school rodeo, and if you won breakaway roping it would be (worth) about $100,” Aspen said.
The siblings are both leaning toward attending college in Texas, though it’s too early to say whether they'll wind up geographically close.
“I hope not,” Aspen said with a laugh.
AJ, who has multiple full-ride college offers, still shares advice with his younger sister when he can.
“When she listens to me it makes life a lot easier, but there’s sometimes when we just kind of butt heads and I let her do her own thing," he said with a knowing smile. "But I like helping people, so when she listens it’s great.“
AJ is already learning from multiple National Finals Rodeo (NFR) competitors, including eight-time world champion Joe Beaver.
“He’s kind of helped me quite a bit last year and I followed him around the country kind of going to his clinics and learning as much as possible,” he said.
As AJ and Aspen are qualified for the Vegas Tuffest Junior World Championship in early December, they're hoping it's a precursor to one day reaching the NFR.
And they're proving that at any age, on any circuit, fire and fashion can complement each other.
