Talliyah Timentwa (pronounced TUH-lee-yuh TYM-en-TWAH) is a force of nature with undeniable equestrian talent that belies her size and stature. She is described as fearless, capable, determined, focused, and goal-oriented. The daughter of Trisha and Ernest “Rocky” Timentwa, she learned to ride before she could walk. Her father was a former jockey who competed in Canada. Her mother recalls her first outing on a horse when she was 2 weeks old at the Okanogan racetrack, where they trained their horses for Indian Relay races.

Timentwa as a child on her mother's horse Hotshot (Courtesy of Talliyah Timentwa)

Talliyah is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in eastern Washington state, a land of breathtaking beauty. Horses are culturally significant to the Colville people, reflecting a deep and spiritual bond.

Her first memory was riding a family horse named “Hotshot” in a round pen at her grandmother’s as she was getting ready for a junior rodeo. “All my family has been involved with horses. My mom really tried pushing rodeo for me for a long time. I loved rodeo. My mom barrel raced, rode pole bending, and did all the events,” she said. “I was glad I was raised in that way.”

She was 12 years old when she began competing in Indian Relay, a thrilling event that requires riders to race bareback, jumping off and on moving horses with no protective equipment. Her mother preferred rodeo events, and it took several years to convince her to let her daughter go into Indian Relay. But Timentwa was blessed with extraordinary strength and talent, and in 2019, at 13 years old, she won the first Ladies National Championship at the Indian Relay Champion of Champions in Walla Walla, Wash. She won it again four years later in Wyoming.

Her family instilled a strong work ethic in her. She was taught to get her horses fit not just for relay racing, but by “swimming with them, taking them on trail rides, and getting them broke as much as you can before you take them to the track. My parents made sure if you take care of your horse, they’ll take care of you. I spent a lot of time with my horses, learning pretty much every quirk. It really establishes confidence before you get to the relay.”

Her dad would say, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” and Timentwa took that to heart.

Timentwa winning an Indian Relay competition (Randy Perez photo)

She loved relay racing. “When I’m relay racing, I’ve never felt more capable. It’s a really free feeling. Like you can do anything. Like you are bulletproof when you relay.” But Timentwa has also embraced the challenge of what she refers to as “gate racing” Thoroughbred horses. It’s a sport that she has fallen in love with. But first, she must follow the process to become a licensed journeyman jockey.  

Vince Bruun, media relations for Emerald Downs, explained: “An apprentice jockey is a licensed, probationary horse racing rider working toward full professional status. They receive a weight allowance to offset their inexperience and incentivize trainers to hire them. To level the playing field against veteran riders, apprentice jockeys ‘claim’ a specific amount of weight off the total their horse must carry. A veteran may be assigned to carry 120 pounds, while an apprentice is allowed to carry only 113 pounds. This allowance is tiered and decreases as the apprentice gains race-riding experience. The exact rules vary by racing jurisdiction. Once the apprentice rides a set number of winners or their apprenticeship time expires [usually within one to four years] the weight allowance is removed, and they graduate to a full-fledged professional jockey.”

Timentwa opened her apprentice book at Emerald Downs in June 2025. Her first win came on Aug. 7, 2025, at the Tillamook County Fair in Oregon on the aptly named Steel Nerves in the Don Hooker Jenck Memorial Stakes. Her apprentice status is expected to end in September 2026, based on the date of her fifth win. Bruun reported, “She had six wins from 98 mounts this winter and spring at Turf Paradise. As of Sunday, June 21, 2026, Timentwa has a total of 13 wins, 19 seconds, and 24 thirds from 204 mounts.”

Timentwa gives a thumbs up at Turf Paradise (Turf Paradise/Jerry Espinoza)

Several Emerald Downs trainers have played a role in her development and hold her talents in high regard. Dione Asmussen, a distant cousin of Steve Asmussen, told the Daily Racing Form in an interview, “She’s a horseman first and foremost. She cares deeply about the horses and has a huge connection to them. She’s fearless.” Veteran trainer Candice Cryderman agreed, stating that she is “phenomenally talented.”

In addition, she has been studying several jockeys she admires at Emerald Downs, including multiple graded-stakes winner Javier Matias, who has more than 9,500 starts; Frank T. Alvarado, a multiple graded stakes winner with more than 4,100 wins and more than 27,000 starts; and Silvio Amador, who has more than 5,000 starts and is a graded-stakes-placed jockey. Their depth of experience has been invaluable. Matias told her that he liked that she wasn’t scared. She likes to watch Alvarado ride because, “he just does it really effortlessly.” And she deeply appreciates Amador’s help.

Darrell Haire, western regional manager for the Jockeys’ Guild, explains how difficult it is to be an apprentice: “You learn how to exercise and work horses, leave the starting gate and develop a clock in your head, because that’s so important. You keep honing your abilities and focusing. You watch experienced riders. Most importantly, you watch as a race develops. The more races you ride, the more experience you gain.

“It’s the challenge of being a professional athlete who is disciplined and focused. You have to be able to handle both the physical and mental ups and downs. It’s a roller coaster. Accept the things that you can control and keep learning as you go along. If she stays focused and continues to develop her talents, she will do very well. She has a great future in front of her.”

Timentwa guides Olivian to victory Jan. 19, 2026 (Turf Paradise/Jerry Espinoza)

Trainer Howard Gibson agreed: “I think she has a lot of ability. She started galloping not that long ago and has improved rapidly. She’s gotten the opportunities because she’s been working so hard. She gets along with horses great. She’s starting to do really good and is starting to hit the board. She’ll start catching fire in the next couple of weeks. It’s just going to be a matter of time.”

On Sunday, June 21, 2026, Timentwa had a special day. She won her first race at Emerald Downs on a 2-year-old filly named Made to Impact in a maiden special weight race. With Timentwa aboard, they dueled for the lead along the inside from the outset and prevailed in a prolonged drive against the journeyman jockeys. Owner Eliana Rosales said, “I’m so grateful to watch Made to Impact win in her first start as a 2-year-old today! I’m so proud of Talliyah Timentwa! I love what she has put into riding and working Made to Impact.”

Timentwa was clearly happy with the day. “I got a first, a second, and a third. It felt pretty good. I have a lot of horses that I said were sitting on a win — good horses I know can win. The results always feel good, knowing that I was right. I work really hard. I get on nine horses a day, so to have results in the afternoon is a really good feeling.”

Timentwa after Made to Impact’s victory (Emerald Downs/Reed Palmer)

Timentwa says that “horse racing is what I live, sleep, breathe, and now it’s a little more subconscious. I just can’t picture doing any other type of work. It’s the horses that have been a really big part of my life. And horse racing? I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to leave it.”

This drive to succeed comes from home. “Both my parents engraved into my brain that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. I love that. They’ve integrated it into every aspect of my life. That is something I am really grateful for. I love being labeled as a hard worker. Just showing up even when you’re tired. Keep showing up. Keep doing the work and the results? They don’t have any choice. That’s the story of my life in many ways. Just keep at it.”

For now, every race is another chance to show what she has known all along: hard work has a way of catching up with talent. She is doing exactly what she was raised to do — one ride, one horse, one race at a time.  

Additional Media Mentions

Timentwa has been featured in the short documentary film “Talliyah,” directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Fritz Bitsoie, at the 2026 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Big Sky Award. The film was created for the Washington State History Museum’s “This Is Native Land” and was also an official selection at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).

She was interviewed in a March 2024 “60 Minutes” feature about Indian Relay racing located at Indian Relay horse race dubbed “America's original extreme sport” | 60 Minutes

She has also been featured in 2026 on FanDuel Racing: Incredible Rider Talliyah Timentwa

There also is a YouTube video by Tricky Coyote about the Timentwa Indian Racing relay team: Timentwa Relay 2023