Former Potosi student Mia Breuer (class of 2025) arrived at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls not knowing a single person. The campus felt big and unfamiliar.
On her second day of college, she ran into someone she used to compete with in rodeo back in high school. After a quick catch-up, the girl asked Mia if she wanted to ride an extra horse she had so Mia could get back into rodeo and ride with the UW River Falls team. That moment changed everything. Within days, Mia found herself stepping into the world of college rodeo at River Falls, a sport that works just like any other college athletics program, complete with teams, seasons, and competition.
College rodeo season runs in both the fall and spring, and UW River Falls competes against schools from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. It is demanding, with travel, entry fees, a membership cost, and practice. But to Mia, it was worth it.
Rodeo isn’t just a sport; it is a lifestyle. Mia’s love for horses started long before college. When she was five or six years old, all she ever wanted for Christmas was a pony. When she was eight, her wish finally came true when she got her own horse for Christmas. She began taking riding lessons at River Ridge Stables. At first, she rode English eventing, which includes the events dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping; she stayed in that discipline until she was about thirteen.
By age eleven, she had started riding independently, and that independence led her into the competitive rodeo world. Barrel racing quickly became her focus. As she grew more serious about rodeo, Mia connected with two professional women in the area who helped guide her. One of them, Cindy, began giving her lessons when Mia was thirteen, helping her sharpen her skills and confidence in the arena.
At UW-River Falls, Mia is majoring in Animal Science with an equine emphasis, a perfect fit for someone who has built much of her life around horses. Even though she went to college not knowing anyone, rodeo gave her an instant community. She found her people: teammates and friends who travel together, compete together, and even spend time shopping and sightseeing between rodeo competitions.
What started as a childhood Christmas wish has grown into something much bigger. Through rodeo, Mia didn’t just find a sport to compete in; she found a home, a future, and a place where she truly belonged.