Riding high and blazing trails: Sask. twin sisters succeeding in rodeo together

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Twins Mackenzie and Taylor L'Heureux have done almost everything together since they were born.

Now, the 19-year-old sisters are using a little sibling rivalry to push themselves to pursue their dreams.

"It's definitely hard having to train ourselves and then our horses on top of that, it's kind of a big learning experience," said Taylor.

The pair grew up on a small farm near North Battleford, Sask.

Their family didn't own any horses until a neighbour gave them one to share. After a lot of hard work training the horses and each other, the sisters started competing in roping and racing.

"I can't see myself doing anything differently. I love spending time on the road with my sister," said Mackenzie.

Taylor said she was a bit embarrassed at the first few rodeos they attended. It was clear they weren't the typical competitors, many of whom had very expensive horses and fancy gear.

"We didn't have the cool looking tack I guess, or the nice trailer and truck," she said. "We had the work ethic, and our horses, and that's all that we needed."

Pushing forward together gave them the strength to overcome challenges.

The rodeo circuit is male dominated. Mackenzie said any harsh criticism from men was used as an opportunity to improve.

"Some of it can be really blunt and honest, and it can be really negative … so you just gotta learn to take apart that information that they're giving you and put it toward helping you be better," Mackenzie said.

In addition to riding, the twins both decided to pursue health-care careers, Mackenzie in dentistry and Taylor in nursing. Attending different schools was a difficult choice, but they both agreed it gave them a new perspective.

"I learned a lot being away from her and doing things on my own," Mackenzie said. "I think it's brought us closer together I would say, and made us realize how much we rely on the other one, and how much we like being around the other person."

"It's weird to say, but I felt like it was like, a part of me was leaving, or like, moving on," Taylor said.

The sisters travel across North America for the rodeo season and compete with the University of Saskatchewan's rodeo team.

These days, they compete with seven horses they trained together at their grandparent's farm.

Being in university while competing is not easy, but the sisters have found ways to study and get their assignments done while on the road.

"You just gotta kind of work it in somehow, if it's on the ride there, if it's in the hotel room," Taylor said. "One person driving, and the other sitting there studying or sleeping, so you can switch off for driving."

Working with horses can be rewarding, but it also has its own challenges. The animals can get injured as they train for upcoming competitions.

But the sisters say winning is especially satisfying, because it was just the two of them who did all the work.

"We didn't start off with a lot. We had a truck camper with a bumper pull, and we had unseasoned horses that had no idea what they were doing," Taylor said. "But it all turned out good, because we still succeeded.

"And we were happy doing it. So it was still an amazing experience."