[July 27, 2011] Disabled Bryan girl competing in national rodeo finals Tweet Jul 27, 2011 (The Eagle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A 7-year-old Bryan girl is participating at a national rodeo this week with the motto, "I don't need easy. I just need possible." It's a motto Austyn Peacock has lived, qualifying for her first National Little Britches Finals Rodeo with just more than a year of barrel racing and pole-bending experience. Austyn was born with an underdeveloped left arm, which stops right below the elbow, but she hasn't let that slow her down, said her mother, Chastity Peacock. "There's nothing she can't do," she said. "She's an inspiration to myself, even though she's my child." After the first round of events on Monday, Austyn was 22nd in barrel racing out of more than 50 riders, with a time of 18.157 seconds, just 1.324 seconds slower than the first-place rider. Only six riders from Texas are in the Little Wranglers Barrel Race, including children from Magnolia, Orange, Iola and New Waverly. Austyn said she is enjoying her time at the event in Pueblo, Colo. "It's a lot of fun to win and do your best," she said. The Sam Houston Elementary School third-grader said she practices almost every day. "It takes up lots of time, but I like to do it and I like to ride my horses and have fun," she said. "It's a lot harder than I thought, but my pole horse, I trained him all by myself." Peacock said her next goal will be to qualify for next year's finals. "I don't need easy. I just need possible," she said. Each contestant competes in two rounds for each event. The top 15 contestants in each event become eligible to compete Saturday in the championship round. Chastity Peacock said Austyn had bad luck and got a no-time in the first round of pole bending, a timed event where horse and rider run around poles, with penalties for knocking over a pole. A no-time is issued if the course becomes altered from its original pattern. Peacock said her daughter's main goal was to make it to nationals. So despite how this week's results turn out, she said, she's proud of her daughter. "To end up where she's ended up is pretty fantastic for us," Peacock said. While both of her parents participated in rodeos, Austyn didn't really take an interest, her mom said. Then, last year, she decided to give it a try. "She got on and told her daddy she wanted a faster horse," she said, laughing. "It's amazing just to watch her. She doesn't give up and she keeps going, and that's what's more important than anything." Peacock said every once in a while, her daughter is shy about the fact that her arm isn't fully developed, especially when people stare or talk about it. "People can be mean," she said. "Nine times out of 10, it's not the children as much as the parents. ... She tells everybody if they asked her what happened, 'God made me special.'" It's a disability that hasn't stopped her, as Austyn unsaddles, cares for, feeds and trains her own horses. Peacock said they don't say the word "can't" in their household and encourage their daughter to be independent. "She's out there running with the best of them," she said. To see more of The Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theeagle.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]