Kenda has been riding for over 32
years and training horses for the last 17 years
in Texas, California, and Washington. She has
spent her life on the back of a horse, and
competed all throughout her childhood in both
Western and English disciplines.
At the age of 18, she began her career as an
apprentice in Texas to some of the top Cutting
horse trainers in the NCHA.
In 1994, she accepted another Cutting horse
apprenticeship in Southern California, where she
continued to learn from the best in the
business.
It was in
California that Kenda discovered Mounted
Shooting at a local
rodeo in San Bernardino. She had moved on from the
Cutting horse world, and was training horses in
general discipline and instructing riders at the time.
Given her competitive background, she immediately
jumped on the opportunity to try the new sport, and
amazingly qualified for the World Championship after
only her 4th shoot in 1998. Kenda won the World Ladies
Limited Champion Title, as well as the Reserve World
Champion Cowgirl title that year.
In 2003, Kenda moved back to Washington
and founded the Washington State Mounted Shooters,
a charter club of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting
Association. In it's first year, and due to her efforts
in the promotion of the sport, the WSMS became the
fastest growing CMSA club in Northwest history.
In its second year, the WSMS paid out over $22,000 in
cash and prizes to its competitors, another first in
Northwest history.
Kenda has coached hundreds of riders in her tenure, and
continues to promote and encourage riders and horses to
meet their potential. She has started,
tuned, and finished many mounted shooting horses, with
her horse, Justin, being the ultimate testimony of her
abilities. She bought Justin in 2004 for a
mere $2000 from a teen aged trail rider. By
November 2005, he had a world title and a world record
on his resume. The road to champion status was not
easy as Justin needed a lot of work. However, Kenda has
incredible patience and dedication, and knows
potential when she sees it. By the end of the 2009
season, Justin had won an Overall World Champion Title, 4 World Point Champion Cowgirl Titles, and holds
6 world records. It doesn't get much better than that!