Jessica Krambeer remembers her path shifting dramatically at age 5 when her family relocated to Palos Verdes. While some South Bay girls are raised to chase waves, some like Jessica were meant to chase barrels. In the corrals where dust flies and adrenaline surges, she quickly became a rising star in the heart-pounding world of professional rodeo competitions.
While an eighth grader at Miraleste Intermediate School, Jessica earned a spot on California’s junior high national rodeo team after finishing second in the state finals and competing in the junior rodeo circuit. While attending Peninsula High School, she competed in the California High School Rodeo Association and quietly carved out a future for herself in barrel racing, a popular and fast-paced segment of the sport.
Requiring skill, timing and guts, barrel racing challenges Jessica to ride her horse at full gallop while navigating tight turns in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels, completing the pattern as quickly as possible without knocking any over. Such precision requires a strong bond between horse and rider.
Competitors put in years of training in the correct techniques and working on drills to attain the level of perfection seen in the arena. Coaches are a mainstay for competitors in this event, especially in the beginning while riders develop proper technique.
Jessica immersed herself in the sport, putting in the hard hours of training that transformed trail rides into high-stakes runs around barrels. What she lacked in tradition, she made up for in determination, blending her SoCal chill with competitive grit.
“She is driven, focused and a smart competitor.”
Now age 22, Jessica recently graduated from California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo. She competed all four years on their rodeo team while studying agricultural business.
“Jessica is an extremely talented competitor,” says Ben Londo, Cal Poly Rodeo head coach and two-time national champion. Ben has coached one of the most successful programs in the history of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, with more than 45 national titles. He thinks Jessica is a person to be reckoned with.
“She is driven, focused and a smart competitor. She always contributed competitively on our team, and I’ve really seen her improve in the last two years. I’ve seen her go above and beyond. She has dedicated almost her entire lifestyle to becoming a better athlete.”
Above: Image of horse facing photographed by Stu Hagen. Other photographed by Ryan Jae.
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Jessica has experienced a few difficulties along the way. Horses are not just athletes; they are partners. And like all partners, the road to success is impacted by partnership issues. “Although she experienced some horse challenges in the last few years, she continues to work toward the end goal by keeping her head down and pushing,” says Ben.
But then came Ivy. Jessica considers Ivy to be an honest, consistent, steady and reliable horse. It was exactly the partnership she desired, and now their full potential is being showcased.
“I failed Ivy and caught a barrel in the first round to be good in the average,” Jessica shared on a social post. “As disappointed as I was in myself, I was thankful to have a horse as honest and consistent as Ivy.”
Jessica humbly deflects any praise back to Ivy, giving her horse full credit for every clean turn and every fast finish. This humility makes Jessica stand out. She knows that her determination fuels the dream, but Ivy carries it around the barrels. Together they embody the rare kind of partnership that defines the sport as they compete as one, trusting each other with every stride.
Unlike many of her competitors who were raised on ranches in Montana or Texas, Jessica’s South Bay roots are unconventional. While her family currently lives in Manhattan Beach, Jessica calls her Temecula ranch home for now—a place where vineyards, rolling hills and horse country converge.
In 2024 Jessica won her first professional event hosted by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. “It’s taken a while,” Jessica admits. “I’ve won second before, and I’ve been close, but it’s cool to win a rodeo really close to home.”
Jessica embodies a new kind of cowgirl—one who proves that you don’t need to be born on a ranch to belong in the rodeo. It’s not just a fad for her; it’s a lifestyle. Plus, she has the heart of a champion.
Adds Ben, “She has already had great success, but she is about to really start being successful in the near future.”
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