At just 16 years old, Morissa Hallis making a name for herself with the titles she’s gained and is inspiring many teens.
Morissa Hall lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and attends the high school of St Elizabeth Ann Senton. For the past two years she has won the title of Maryland’s Highschool Rodeo Queen. This dream started for her back when she was just a child and asked her dad for a horse and proved it to him by Earning16 straight A’s in a row. However, it took him until she was in middle school to get her one because of money costs.
When she first began to enter competitions, it did not go so well. Her father stated she came last in every single event for her first rodeo. After that, He told his daughter to “Cowgirl up” and from there she did. Within a year, she had gone from last in every event to an all-time champion in events such as the Pole Barrel and Reverse Barrel Racing. She also managed to snag the title of “Rookie of the Year”.
Morissa admits that yes, the rodeo sport is really dangerous, considering you’re riding a 1000+ pound animal that easily has a mind of its own. However, she also describes the sport of rodeo as Therapeutic for her.
“I suffer from anxiety, so that was not my best friend either,” she said. But she also stated that the horses help with her anxiety. “They’re my emotional support animals. Each of them is different and unique in their own way. Which is why I appreciate and love all of them.”
Her dad was inspired to let her try this sport by a famous Black Cowboy by the name of Bill Pickett. Bill Pickett was known as a legendary cowboy, but he was often barred from rodeos as most of them were “White Rodeos.”
Morissa says her main plan is to just be an inspiration to other teenagers as well as other minorities. Her father believes she has the ability to be a world class rodeo champion, but with title comes a horse that’s bred to make that possibility, which he stated doesn’t come cheap as the prices tend to range between 100k to 150k+ dollars depending on the horse.
Morissa’s plan at the moment is just looking for a sponsor that can help her be put out there even more.
