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American Morning
Twelve-Year-Old Cowgirl Tall in Saddle
Aired March 03, 2003 - 07:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the rough-riding world of rodeo, McKenzie Mullins is a princess among men. She's a cowgirl, only 12 years old, and last week she competed against more than a dozen full grown cowboys in the World Cutting Horse competition in Houston, Texas. She faced a field of at least three times her age, and McKenzie finished second.
She joins us now, along with her stepfather and trainer, Robert Rust, who finished behind McKenzie in fourth place. Also, the one in the middle is the horse, Rosie's Lena (ph), at the site of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Good morning to all of you. Thanks for being with us today. And congratulations, McKenzie.
MCKENZIE MULLINS, 12-YEAR-OLD COWGIRL: Thank you.
HEMMER: Listen, I understand just a couple of years ago you were afraid of horses. What were you afraid of?
MULLINS: Looking back, I don't know actually.
HEMMER: Well, you're not sure?
MULLINS: They are wonderful animals. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I wouldnt see why you'd be scared of them.
HEMMER: Yes, how did you overcome your fear then?
MULLINS: My mom left and went to Greece for one week, and I stayed with Robert and his two sons, Wade (ph) and Mack (ph). And they said I'm going to start riding, and then I'm going to show the next day. And then after that, I just became addicted to it.
HEMMER: Wow! The addiction has been pretty good.
Robert, she beat you this weekend. What gives there?
ROBERT RUST, MCKENZIE'S STEPFATHER: Pardon me?
HEMMER: She beat you this weekend. How do you explain that?
RUST: Oh, actually she had better runs that I did.
HEMMER: Well, the sport is...
RUST: She is very, very talented. HEMMER: The sport is horse cutting. We're looking at a little bit of it right now. Explain to us where did it begin, what's the objective.
RUST: Actually, it probably began back in the 1800s as the working cowboys separate one cow from the herd in order to doctor it. And the cattle's natural instinct is to return to the herd, so they had to have good horses to keep that cow separated from the herd.
HEMMER: Yes.
RUST: And then it just became a sport.
HEMMER: Tell us why you think McKenzie has been so successful, Robert.
RUST: I think the good Lord gave her an extreme amount of talent. She has a lot of feel for a horse, and she also has a lot of feel for a cow. She's just very, very talented, and she's had a lot of opportunity to ride and to excel.
HEMMER: Hey, McKenzie, you're 85 pounds. You're riding horses that are 1,200 pounds. You're competing against grown men. How do you explain your success right now?
MULLINS: Oh, it's very exciting. It's a great opportunity. I've had so much fun.
HEMMER: Well, you've won some money, too -- about $73,000 thus far. You took second place this weekend. How about next time you take first, huh?
MULLINS: Yes, I will.
HEMMER: All right, listen, thanks for your time today, and take care of your good horse as well.
MULLINS: Thank you.
HEMMER: McKenzie Mullins, Robert Rust, and of course, Rosie's Lena (ph), the horse in the middle, thanks to all of you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired March 3, 2003 - 07:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the rough-riding world of rodeo, McKenzie Mullins is a princess among men. She's a cowgirl, only 12 years old, and last week she competed against more than a dozen full grown cowboys in the World Cutting Horse competition in Houston, Texas. She faced a field of at least three times her age, and McKenzie finished second.
She joins us now, along with her stepfather and trainer, Robert Rust, who finished behind McKenzie in fourth place. Also, the one in the middle is the horse, Rosie's Lena (ph), at the site of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Good morning to all of you. Thanks for being with us today. And congratulations, McKenzie.
MCKENZIE MULLINS, 12-YEAR-OLD COWGIRL: Thank you.
HEMMER: Listen, I understand just a couple of years ago you were afraid of horses. What were you afraid of?
MULLINS: Looking back, I don't know actually.
HEMMER: Well, you're not sure?
MULLINS: They are wonderful animals. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I wouldnt see why you'd be scared of them.
HEMMER: Yes, how did you overcome your fear then?
MULLINS: My mom left and went to Greece for one week, and I stayed with Robert and his two sons, Wade (ph) and Mack (ph). And they said I'm going to start riding, and then I'm going to show the next day. And then after that, I just became addicted to it.
HEMMER: Wow! The addiction has been pretty good.
Robert, she beat you this weekend. What gives there?
ROBERT RUST, MCKENZIE'S STEPFATHER: Pardon me?
HEMMER: She beat you this weekend. How do you explain that?
RUST: Oh, actually she had better runs that I did.
HEMMER: Well, the sport is...
RUST: She is very, very talented. HEMMER: The sport is horse cutting. We're looking at a little bit of it right now. Explain to us where did it begin, what's the objective.
RUST: Actually, it probably began back in the 1800s as the working cowboys separate one cow from the herd in order to doctor it. And the cattle's natural instinct is to return to the herd, so they had to have good horses to keep that cow separated from the herd.
HEMMER: Yes.
RUST: And then it just became a sport.
HEMMER: Tell us why you think McKenzie has been so successful, Robert.
RUST: I think the good Lord gave her an extreme amount of talent. She has a lot of feel for a horse, and she also has a lot of feel for a cow. She's just very, very talented, and she's had a lot of opportunity to ride and to excel.
HEMMER: Hey, McKenzie, you're 85 pounds. You're riding horses that are 1,200 pounds. You're competing against grown men. How do you explain your success right now?
MULLINS: Oh, it's very exciting. It's a great opportunity. I've had so much fun.
HEMMER: Well, you've won some money, too -- about $73,000 thus far. You took second place this weekend. How about next time you take first, huh?
MULLINS: Yes, I will.
HEMMER: All right, listen, thanks for your time today, and take care of your good horse as well.
MULLINS: Thank you.
HEMMER: McKenzie Mullins, Robert Rust, and of course, Rosie's Lena (ph), the horse in the middle, thanks to all of you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
