ST. FRANCISVILLE - St. Francisville native Rylee Jo Maryman is a rising star in the world of barrel racing.

Maryman is coming off a barrel racing title at the National High School Finals Rodeo this summer in Wyoming, and is now working towards her professional goal to one day qualify for the National Finals Rodeo.

"I've always been around animals since the day I was born," Maryman said.

The St. Francisville native has been riding horses since she was just two years old, and has won so many events she doesn't know how many saddles she has to showcase her victories.

"I've never really looked at it to be the best, I just looked at it as just to improve every time and see where you can go from there," Maryman said.

Last year, Maryman qualified and then finished fourth at the American Rodeo, one of the biggest rodeos, amateur or professional, in the nation.

"People think she's riding high-dollar horses, and she's not," said Kenny Granger, Rylee Jo's uncle. "She's outrunning horses that run on up to a quarter million dollars, and she's winning most of it on a $2,500 horse."

Rylee Jo is home only a few weekends a year and manages a hectic schedule, traveling all around the country while attending Baton Rouge Community College full-time.

This past weekend, Rylee Jo took home another title, winning the CBR's 2025 Monster Mash Open in Gulfport, Mississippi.