Education

Liberty Cunningham dreamed of being a professional trick rider since she was a toddler. At just 12-years-old, that dream became a reality.

Horses were not new to Liberty when she began trick riding. She is a 3rd-generation rodeo cowgirl and comes from a competitive rodeo family known for training quality barrel racing horses. Her older sister Lakin is a World Champion goat tyer and was the CNFR Rookie of the Year.

Liberty has ridden since she was a baby and began competing in youth rodeos at the age of 5. She was a Top 20-barrel racer at the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo in 2020, and has held several rodeo princess titles.

Liberty has experience in many equine disciplines, including rodeo events, English jumping, reined cow horse, and reining. Her newest equine endeavor is bridleless and liberty work. Because of her vast experience, she is a versatile and knowledgeable rider at a young age. A true horse whisperer, she develops amazing, heart-felt bonds with the horses she works with.

Liberty’s dream to become a trick rider became a reality at the age of 8. She has trained with some of the best in the industry. Her long-time coach, Jennifer Gatrel, taught PRCA Dress Act of the Year 2020 Award Winner Bethany (Iles) Kiesner for 10 years. Bethany inspired Liberty to become a trick rider. After seeing her perform multiple times, Liberty started training with the same coach and performed in her first show just a month later.

After adding more matching paint horses to her herd, Liberty expanded to Roman riding at age 10. She trained her Roman riding horses for this discipline herself and has differentiated herself by incorporating jumps, leaps, handstands, and acro flips atop her team of horses.

Liberty developed her signature Roman riding style through her dance background. She’s trained in jazz, lyrical, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, tap, musical theatre, and acro since the age of 3 and has won several awards, including the 2021 Prestige Dance National Champion. At age 9, she was introduced to aerial hammock, silks, and Lyra.

At age 13, Liberty added liberty horsemanship to her skills and now performs a unique signature act featuring all three disciplines – trick riding, Roman riding, liberty horse – and four horses.

Beyond school and horses, she is a Principal Aerialist for Trilogy Cultural Arts Centre’s Cirque d l’air Cascades Company. Liberty lives with her mom and older siblings, Lakin and Lane, in eastern Kansas, where they raise horses and goats.