THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: Rook ready for the bright lights of Vegas, Junior Rodeo Finals

Coeur d’Alene native Lauren Rook has always had a love for horses. 

From that, came a love for riding astride her horse, Tucker, whether that be on the trails near Hayden with nobody watching, or on a Friday night when she rides before a Coeur d’Alene High football game. 

Next week, Rook looks to go all-in with that love in the brightest lights of them all. 

ROOK, 16, will compete in the Junior (17 and under) Pole Bending at the World Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The preliminary round is Dec. 11, with finals next Friday. 

“I’ve been riding since I was 8-years old,” Rook said. “I’ve loved horses since I was little, and when I was either 7-or-8, I started taking lessons. A few years later, I got onto a rodeo team here called ‘The Brats’ and did that until I was 11.” 

Then, things changed a little bit. 

“I got my first horse, Tucker, and it kind of took off from there,” said Rook, who received the 17-year old quarter horse as a birthday present. “I stopped with the rodeo team and started doing stuff on my own. I decided to take a bigger step with this and went all-in with it.” 

Pole Bending is a timed event that features a horse and rider, running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. The fastest rider and horse to complete the pattern without knocking any poles down is the winner. 

“Everyone that qualified is running close to 20 seconds,” Rook said. “It’s pretty fun, and my horse is really good and it's a good time. He’s very fast, so it’s a very quick event. It takes a lot of last-minute thinking and the people are a lot of fun to be around.” 

The event will be broadcast on the Cowboy channel on Wednesday at 1 p.m. 

WHILE SHE has competed in some of the other rodeo events, including barrel racing and goat tying, Rook opted to stick to the poles event for the safety of her horse.

“We recently figured out he’s a bleeder,” Rook said. “Going to Vegas and running in events twice a day and four days in a row, it would be a lot harder on him. So we decided to qualify for just one event.” 

When a horse is referred to as a bleeder, it means the horse experiences Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage, which occurs when the blood vessels in the lungs break during strenuous exercise, causing blood to seep into the lungs and sometimes appear in the nostrils. 

“I only have one horse currently,” Hopefully next year we’ll try to qualify in both events.” 

In September, Rook won the 90th annual Lewiston Roundup amateur barrel race in 17.58 seconds. 

“I just really enjoy competing,” Rook said. “I feel like I get a dopamine rush from it. It’s just so fun and really all I’ve known for so long.” 

While she might be a little nervous, having Tucker alongside has helped calm a lot of those feelings. 

“I trust Tucker a lot,” Rook said. “We’ve been practicing a lot, so I think it’s going to be really good. I get nervous before each race, but when we take off, it all calms down and clicks.” 

And while it’s the first time she’ll compete in the bright lights of Las Vegas, Rook intends for it to be a long-lasting relationship. 

“I plan to continue doing this the rest of my life,” Rook said. “When I turn 18, I want to get my pro card and do this as long as I can. I’m just really excited to get the chance to meet some new people. We just plan on going and taking it all in.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on 'X', formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.

    Courtesy photo Lauren Rook and her horse Tucker, a 17-year-old quarter horse, at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds before the North Idaho State Fair in August.