“Her poster was of a little blonde-headed girl riding in a barrel race and the title was ‘Anything is possible, you can win the National Finals Rodeo.’”

Ludwick figures that she was “serious even then. I still have the poster wrapped in plastic at my office.”

Ellis will get another chance to make her poster ring true when the Troy High School junior takes part in the National High School Finals Rodeo for the second time in three years.

She and 7-year-old palomino gelding Mojo will be traveling July 19-25 with the Texas High School National Rodeo Team to Farmington, N.M., to compete in barrel racing.

Ellis said Ludwick’s account of her having 26 all-around cowgirl trophies and 60-something belt buckles sounds about right - but the hard riding seems to appeal to her more than the shiny reminders of success.

Ellis said she has been riding most of her life, getting interested in competing in barrel racing via her mom at about age 6.

“I took her to her first youth rodeo when she was 6,” Ludwick recalled. “As most of the kids finished their barrel patterns they were smiling and laughing. Brittany never cracked a smile and just wanted to know ‘Am I in first place?’ That is the way she is, very competitive and hates to lose whether it is a rodeo event, tennis - she plays at Troy High School - or pitching pennies.”

Ellis laughed about Ludwick’s account, admitting, “I’m very competitive.”

Ellis, a member of the 2009 National Wrangler High School All-Star Rodeo Team, advanced to the short-go Top 10 championship round in both pole bending and barrel racing at the Texas High School Finals Rodeo in Abilene on June 15-21. Her second-place finish in barrels in the short-go gave her a third-place finish in the state and a spot on the national team. She also finished sixth in the state finals in pole-bending.

Ellis’ goal for this go-round is to make the short-go at Nationals - after two rounds of riding, the top 20 come back and run again.

Mitchel Davis, who has worked with Ellis as she was showing winning classes of goats at the Bell County Youth Fair and making the Austin premium auction, said she “doesn’t lose well.”

“She goes into any competition anticipating being the winner,” Davis said, adding that when Ellis has finished second she just sees that as “first loser.”

Ellis wants to be in the action, Davis said, noting that when he asked her why, like a lot of other pretty blonde girls her age, she wasn’t a cheerleader, he said she told him, “Why cheer when you can do it yourself?”

While her rodeo strengths include national qualifying for barrel racing and pole bending, Davis said she fits right in at the roping competition - joining the heckling of guys who miss on an attempt and expecting to get it right back from them.

She also gives back to her mentors. Tina Boren, who has barrel raced since she could sit on a horse and knows Ellis since she started riding at a similar age, says Ellis is “my dedicated flag girl” for a mini-rodeo for children held each February in Belton.

Boren, who has done it herself, said she thinks Ellis has what it takes to make her goal to be a professional rider. A lot of it, Boren said, is commitment, but she noted that Ellis is “pretty talented,” with much of her ability self-trained.

Ellis also has self-trained her horses, Boren said.

While Mojo is not one of her “top three” favorite horses - they don’t always get along - Ellis likes that he runs good and doesn’t usually hit barrels, which causes time penalties when they’re tipped over.

“They’re all different,” she said of horses. “You never know until you see them run.”

While the rider can make a pretty big difference, Ellis said, “the horse has a lot to do with it” in winning barrel races.

Boren noted that Ellis trained Mojo. Boren recalled telling Ellis when she was having some problems with Mojo that the horse was young, and for her not to give up on him.

“They (Ellis and Mojo) sometimes disagree but she usually comes out on top,” Boren said.Ellis admits that during her freshman year she got “really nervous” when performing in front of larger crowds, but says it doesn’t bother her anymore. Controlling an animal that outweighs her by about 10-to-1 that is turning hard and fast doesn’t seem to concern her much.

And if she has the right Mojo, maybe Ellis can bring home another buckle.