Kaidyn Holland is making the most of her backyard rodeos in California, sitting No. 6 in the Resistol Rookie of the Year standings with $9,106 earned heading into the summer.

For the 22-year-old Cal Poly student, the early success isn’t coming from one standout payday—it’s been built run by run across a stretch of West Coast rodeos.

“It’s been really fun—I’ve enjoyed it,” Holland said. “I’ve become pretty confident in getting to showing up to a rodeo and just trying to do the best I can do that day.”

Golden State Success

Holland’s season started with checks at Thermal and Lakeside before a strong showing in Redmond, Oregon, where a 2.3-second run earned her third and over $3,500. She carried that momentum into the Rookie Roundup in Fort Worth, Texas, where a smart run paid off with money in both the round and the average.

“I was like, ‘I’m just going to go catch this thing—I think I can get a check even on one head,’” Holland of her plan in Fort Worth.

Back home, she turned that consistency into a win—stopping the clock in 2.1 seconds at King City to claim the title and set the arena record.

“I was just in blasting mode there—it worked,” she laughed.

But Holland is quick to point out that rodeoing in California hasn’t been easy.

“It’s kind of been a drawing contest with a lot of these California rodeos,” she said. “So just do the best you can on the calf you have that day and know that if you didn’t draw good at this rodeo, you’re going to draw good at one coming up.”

A Different Path

Holland’s path to the rookie race looks a little different than most.

Raised in Taylorsville, California, she didn’t grow up in a rodeo family—and didn’t even pick up a rope competitively until high school.

“I didn’t actually start roping until I was in high school,” Holland said. “None of my family ever rodeoed… I’ve kind of just done it on my own.”

After getting her start through friends and high school rodeos, Holland leaned into the sport at Cal Poly, where she’s now finishing her master’s degree in ag education while competing.

“I worked my ass off the last couple years to actually be able to win with a rope,” she said.

Interestingly, while she’s finding success in the pro ranks, college rodeo hasn’t followed the same script.

“College rodeo has not been my thing,” Holland admitted. “I think I overcomplicate it… I like winning, so I try to be too fast sometimes.”

Confidence—and Horsepower—Building

Part of Holland’s progression this season has come from learning when to push and when to play it smart—something she credits as a key shift in her rookie year.

“I’ve been working on making smarter decisions and not being so hard on myself when it doesn’t go my way,” she said.

That growth has been backed by a pair of geldings—“Lil G” and “Bro”—half-brothers she uses based on setup and situation.

“They’re both super different style horses,” Holland said. “I’ve been working on not being so partial to one and just riding the horse I think I’ll have a better go on.”

With one excelling in short setups and the other thriving on longer starts, Holland is gaining confidence in her ability to adapt—something that will be key as she heads into the summer run.

The Plan From Here

With her rookie card purposely purchased at a certain time—during a lighter school schedule—Holland plans to keep her momentum rolling, targeting rodeos across the western half of the country this summer.

“I want to go as much as I can,” she said.

While her goals are already evolving after a strong start, one thing is clear: the California cowgirl is just getting started.

“I’m just glad I get to do it,” Holland said. “When you step back and look at it, it’s a pretty awesome life.”