Staying in the saddle
Mateo Gabiola keeps the focus on competing in rodeo while going to TVCC
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Monday, October 20, 2008 11:19 AM PDT
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| Larry Meyer | Argus Observer
Mateo Gabiola shows the poster promoting the Treasure Valley Community College Rodeo coming up next weekend, Oct. 24 through Oct. 26. The picture is of her competing at the 2007 College Finals Rodeo. |
ONTARIO—The Treasure Valley Community College rodeo team will host teams from at least nine other schools next weekend at its annual rodeo at the Malheur County fairgrounds.
One of the members of the rodeo team is no stranger to the arena. Mateo Gabiola, 20 began to compete in rodeo when she was 5 and 15 years later she still has the fire for competition and goals to achieve.
Gabiola, a business major at TVCC, said he was riding horses before could talk.
“My mother’s side of the family had horses. I was born into it,” Gabiola said. “They had their own rodeo stock.”
Gabiola, the daughter of Danny and Johna Gabiola, Payette, competed in pee-wee and junior rodeos until she was in high school and competed at that level, representing Payette High School by herself.
“The team was me,” she said.
Since graduating from high school, she has competed in college rodeos, at the amateur and professional level so she is very busy. During the weekend, Gabiola was competing in the Idaho Cowboys Association finals rodeo at the Idaho Center at Nampa, this next weekend she will compete here in Ontario, has another rodeo following that and barrel competition in Utah.
There are 10 college rodeos in the Northwest, she said, but just in five locations, because there are two complete rodeos per weekend. That saves a lot of travel and money for fuel, she said. The will be at least 10 four-year and two-year colleges represented, as well as some independent competitors from schools which don’t have officials teams.
For two years in a row Gabiola placed in the first two rounds of the college finals rodeo, only to knock over a barrel in the third go-around to stymie her chances. This year, though, Gabiola said she expects to be back for another try in the barrel racing event at the college finals in Casper, Wyo.
“That’s a huge experience,” Gabiola said of the college finals. “I’ve met people from Canada and all over the East Coast.”
After college, Gabiola said she plans to start traveling more for competition. She enjoys being competitive. Horses, she said, is what has kept her competing, plus the prizes haven’t been bad either.
“You can make a lot of money,” she said. “I’ve won 50 to 60 buckles and two saddles.”
However, she lamented she could have had five saddles, except for some points which were lost because something happened in competition.
Her current horse for barrel competition is a 14 years-old mare.
“I’ve been on her since I was 9. We’ve practically grown up together,” Gabiola said.
Commenting that her horse is pretty consistent, Gabiola said, “She may not always be the fastest, but she will always put me toward the top. I hold the Caldwell area record.”
Gabiola starts competition in February and continues into November, and besides competing, training and going to school full-time, she also works at D & B in Ontario.
Her family is her best support group, she said, and she said she could only remember one time competing and not having a family member there watching. Her major is in business, but Gabiola sees her future in business law or somewhere in the legal profession.
