SUNSET BEACH — The semi-secret life of Shelby Rita, a Kahuku High School student, raises eyebrows when she chooses to share it with her friends.

They've found it hard to picture the quiet, confident teen as a rodeo champ, which is something she doesn't describe too often. Some of them even told Shelby that rodeo wasn't a sport.

Apparently, 18 seconds astride a 1,200-pound quarter horse making tight turns at full gallop isn't as convincing as letting your friends ride the old paint.

"When I bring my friends riding, they ask so many questions," Shelby said. "How do I make it stop? Will it buck me? What will happen? Silly questions. But after a while, they really like it."

While her sport is not as popular on the North Shore as surfing and football, Shelby could safely brag about her rodeo exploits if she wanted. She's the current leader in the Jackpot Rodeo series, halfway through the Hawaii Women's Rodeo Association 2007 season.

And the 15-year-old recently finished her freshman year as the Hawai'i High School Rodeo Association's all-around champion and rookie of the year. For her efforts, the association awarded her an ornate belt buckle the size of a compact disc — the bling of choice among rodeo riders.

A LOT OF HARD WORK

Shelby comes by her talents naturally. Everyone in her North Shore family, from her three brothers to her grandfather, is involved in some aspect of riding, ranching or rodeo.

"I grew up around horses, so I'm used to them," she said. "I know how to handle them."

The family holds to an idyllic but hardworking lifestyle. Shelby's grandfather ranches on 300 acres of private land above Paumalu Gulch.

Shelby's immediate family lives at Sunset Beach, across the highway from its famous surf breaks, Every day, they head up to the ranch to tend to its 120 head of cattle, horses, chickens and 4-H pigs, lambs and Rudy, a brown-eyed 1,000-pound steer.

Shelby is up there twice a day in the summer, feeding or grooming her horses: Pocahontas, Spice and Starlight.

Every Sunday, if there isn't a rodeo, the Rita family gathers at the ranch to mend fences, move the herd and do whatever needs doing. It's a work ethic instilled by Shelby's grandfather who, at 63, still shoes horses.

But the reward, beyond a good sweat and a family dinner, is a brand of peace rarely found on O'ahu: Wind rushing through tall trees, crowing roosters and mountain vistas untouched by human hands.

"It's a piece of heaven on earth," said Shelby's mother, Kathy Rita, who grew up here. "We live in such a fast-paced community, with the surfing and the tourists and the beaches, but we spend most of our time on this mountain."

The 39-year-old mother used to compete in the Hawai'i women's rodeo circuit but stopped to raise her family. She often helps Shelby prepare — a labor-intensive process. Horses regularly need to be trucked by trailer to Kahuku and back for weekday practice outings.

Her daughter, who started riding when she was 5 and won her first buckle at 7, doesn't need motivation, Rita said.

"She spends most of her afternoons with her horses," said Kathy Rita. "She doesn't want to go to the mall or the beach. She has a lot of passion for her riding. It's in her. She's very dedicated and she has that drive to win."

SHE HOLDS HER OWN

The Women's Rodeo Association events showcase riding skills. Riders race around barrels, around poles and rope animals from the back of their horses or separate them from the herd.

Shelby rides "with the big girls," said Lu Faborito, president of the association and its event announcer.

"I'll tell you, these older women have their own share of silver buckles, and when Shelby comes, they go 'Oh, damn,' " Faborito said.

The competitors are a dedicated group, but the most serious of the association's 67 members — and its toughest competitors — are ranch hands from the Neighbor Islands, she said.

"The Neighbor Island girls are tough," said Faborito. "They're not all tiny and pretty. The girls here all ride to look nice. The girls from the Neighbor Islands, they live this stuff. They work. They trail ride. They do livestock. They do branding and castrations."

But Shelby was the all-around champ last year.

"The girls who have more age and years of experience, that is all they have over her," said Faborito. "She has youth. She is definitely in contention all the time. She's a pistol."

One of Shelby's favorite events is barrel racing. So far, she has won two of the three races in the current women's rodeo season.

Three plastic barrels are set up in a cloverleaf pattern, and rider and horse must negotiate a series of turns. The sequence of turns is always the same, but the size of the course can vary depending on the arena.

"It's a high-speed event," Shelby said. "It's like an adrenaline rush. You don't know what is going to happen until you get out there and you are going really fast. It's fun."

Having a skilled horse is crucial, Shelby said. Horses can learn the route, but it takes a few years. She usually rides Starlight, a "very hyper and energetic" quarter horse.

"Your horse has to want to do it," she said. "Your horse has to be really fast and flexible."

Precision and timing are crucial with runs timed to the hundredth of a second. The horse can go from 25 mph to a U-turn in the snap of a finger.

A good time is 90 percent horse and 10 percent rider, she said.

"You have to be a good rider to control and know when to turn your horse," she said. "It takes a little skill but not as much as other events. You can just hang on for the ride."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.