DENVER (KDVR) — Sadie Jackson was not born on a ranch or farm, her father is a Denver firefighter and her mother is a massage therapist. So, how did she wind up on a horse?

“When I was younger, probably about 3 years old, my dad had his family from Louisiana and they had some horses, so I went down there and hopped on a horse and then I just loved it ever since,” said Jackson.

Jackson could not wait to get back in the saddle. She started taking riding lessons at the ripe old age of 4 years old. 

”You kind of figured that when you’re really young, you’d be scared, a little nervous, but I feel like it was natural to me,” said Jackson.

Jackson now has 13 years of experience under her belt. It was just a matter of time for her to rodeo. 

”It was more fun to me because I didn’t really know the competition yet and I wasn’t as competitive as I am now,” said Jackson.

Jackson’s event is barrel racing. She said her event is important for her and for those in the audience.

“It’s really important to me because there’s going to be a lot of people here, first of all, and there’s a lot of little kids so it’s more of an experience for them to come here and watch us. So, I feel blessed to have them come here and see me because it shows them they can do the exact same thing,” said Jackson.

Jackson wants to continue to rodeo in college, study communications and be a sportscaster.

So far, she said, life has been a pretty good ride.