Horse Roundup 2026 | A decade of heart: Rally and Driver chase a tenth finals appearance 

Anyone who has ever competed in rodeo knows that even the best horses can only give so many runs. This is a reality that isn’t lost on area cowgirls Jenna Dobrenz and Heather Bosse, as both women seek to qualify for their 10th consecutive association finals on the same horses that got them there the first nine times.  

When she was twelve years old, Jenna Dobrenz began riding with reined cowhorse trainer Cathy Coleman to learn better fundamentals. With help from Cathy and Glenn Barlow, Dobrenz went on to qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo in cutting her junior and senior years. She also competed at the collegiate level, running barrels for Gillette College. While her first competitive discipline has changed, basic horsemanship has not. Dobrenz said, “Glenn and Cathy taught me so much, and I have taken that knowledge into training my barrel racing horses.”  

After college, she bought her mare, Flip N Hayday (Rally), as a four-year-old with 60 days of riding. Six months later, Rally foundered from the regrowth of summer grass after a big hailstorm. Around the same time, Dobrenz broke her ankle, so the two “had a really slow start,” she said. While many horses will never completely recover from a case as severe as Rally’s, Dobrenz was able to get her going again with Soft Ride boots, corrective shoeing, and time. 

It took about three years before she had Rally healed and finished. Dobrenz said, “I ranched on her a lot and did a lot of that stuff before we ever really did the barrel racing stuff.” Dobrenz still keeps Rally busy with ranch work, and Rally doesn’t seem to mind. Dobrenz calls her a “cow-eater.”  

While she holds her own on the ranch, Rally still “loves being spoiled with the finer things in life,” Dobrenz said. Between equine bodywork and massage, her ActivioMed PEMF blanket and Alliance Equine magnetic sheet, an occasional Legend injection, and Equinety amino acid supplement, Rally has plenty of comforts that keep her performing her best. More than any product or treatment, Dobrenz credits Rally’s grit as being the reason for her longevity in the sport. “She’s kind of off the charts on the toughness part,” she said. 

Rally is 17 this year and has made it to the NRCA finals every year since their first year competing in 2017. “It’s been her for every single run, all that time,” Dobrenz said. “She’s just all grit and all heart and loves doing it.”  

After nine years in the NRCA, Rally’s earnings total nearly $30,000, and at the finals alone, she has eight round placings, two round wins, five average placings, and two reserve average championships.  

Dobrenz has her eye on a 10th trip to the Finals this year and has always wanted to bring home the  saddle for the Sudden Death matchup.  “I would love to kind of put a cap on ten years with that,” she said. 

Heather Bosse grew up in a farm and ranch family. She didn’t have a rodeo background, but she “fell in love with horses right from the start,” when she began showing horses with her neighbors. With their help, she learned the fundamentals of horsemanship, and before long, she “wanted to go fast” and got started in rodeo.  

After becoming a mom, Bosse wanted to start running barrels once again, so she was in the market for a horse. A friend of hers knew that Jodie O’Bryan had a couple of horses for sale, so Bosse made the trip to Belvidere, South Dakota, to take a look. In the meantime, one of the horses had been sold, so O’Bryan pulled out another horse for her to try– Imin The Driverseat (Driver). Bosse said, “I kind of fell in love with him.” At the time, her twin girls were just babies, sitting in the arena in their carseats. “I’ve had Driver as long as I’ve had my little girls,” she said.  

Driver was loping the barrels and had experience roping, but he had never been entered. O’Byran told Bosse he’d been put on the backburner because he was such a gentle horse that the grandkids rode around. Bosse brought him home and finished him as a barrel horse– something that took some time.  “I knew that horse had the ability. He’s just such a natural talent,” she said. But at first, his mind “got in the way.” “He’s always so worried and wants to please you that he almost overthinks everything . . . He didn’t come along real fast,” Bosse said.  

By the time he was seven, Driver was coming around. Bosse started entering jackpots and then Bar S rodeos. After some success in the Bar S Association, Bosse thought, “I would like to take this horse and see if we can compete in the South Dakota Rodeo Association (SDRA).”  

Since they started competing in 2017, Bosse and Driver have over $50,000 in lifetime earnings and have made it to the SDRA Finals nine consecutive times, as well as eight times in the NRCA. Driver also helped Bosse fill her WPRA permit. The Britton Buckhorn Rodeo is a favorite for Driver, as he has won it the last four years, winning by six-tenths last year at age 19.  

Bosse says Driver wouldn’t pass a vet check, but he keeps going because he’s “very stoic and he’s just got a really big heart.” She keeps him happy and healthy by “letting him be a horse.” He is kept on pasture as much as possible, enjoys starting the season with Dare 2 Dream Conditioning, and uses BEMER blankets and red-light therapy. Bosse also credits Dr. Smith of Groton Veterinary Clinic for keeping Driver going. Years ago, he suggested trying IRAP, a blood therapy used to treat joint inflammation and osteoarthritis– a treatment she said “turned everything around for him.” 

After winning both the SDRA and NRCA Finals in 2022, Bosse planned to retire Driver, but he wasn’t ready to hang it up yet. “Every year, I just look at him and say, ‘You don’t have to run this year,’ but he just shows me that he wants to,” she said.  

Driver is 20 this year, and Bosse hopes this can be their 10th trip to the SDRA Finals. “I kind of just want it for another feather in his hat more than anything, but he doesn’t owe me a thing,” she said. “Every ride I get on him from this point on is just extra, and I am just so thankful to have gotten to ride such a cool horse that’s got such a big heart.” 

To make this year more special, Dobrenz and Bosse get to share this milestone together, as they became friends when they both began competing in 2017. Dobrenz said, “It’s pretty cool to me. We started competing the same year, and that’s how we met and became pretty good friends. All of that ties together because of a couple horses.” “It’s made a great friendship between us– these two horses have,” Bosse added.  

Bosse said they have seen many horses come and go during their tenure, but each year, Rally and Driver are still there. She said, “It is really hard to keep horses going, and to me, it’s just a testament to these two horses how long they’ve been able to withstand and stay sound enough to keep running.”  

As Dobrenz and Bosse pursue their 10th consecutive association finals qualifications, they know each ride is purely a gift. Through injuries, setbacks, and the inevitable challenges that come with keeping aging horses competitive, Rally and Driver have continued to answer the call each year. Their longevity is a reflection not only of devoted care, but also of the grit and heart that define them. While buckles, saddles, and championships are meaningful accomplishments, the true legacy of Rally and Driver lies in the years of memories, friendships, and opportunities they have given their jockeys. As another season begins, both horses have already secured their place among the most remarkable competitors their associations have seen.