Tori Krikke is no stranger to those inner demons and just how hard it can be to try and walk through life when you have a war going on inside your own mind.

Growing up most years of her secondary school years were rough. She was always the quiet and soft-spoken one, but also an outcast, and depression/anxiety often got the best of her, which made her rescind even more.

She had hoped that after graduation everything would get better, and in some ways it did, but a lot seemed to follow her around no matter how hard she tried to shake it. There were good moments in my life, but the bad seemed to outweigh the good which made everything appear black and white. She often felt like she was running on autopilot, and imagined what the world would look like if she wasn't in it anymore. On March 1st, 2021, she hit her limit and made an attempt on her life.

2023 came around and Tori started riding broncs. She began to see that REAL change that she had longed for all those years ago. The broncs ignited a fire in her soul that showed her what it felt like to feel truly alive. They reminded her what it felt like to feel love, fear, frustration, anger, aches and pains again- Truly feel when she felt nothing before. Not to mention the amazing rodeo family that came with it.

From there #BuckMentalIllness was created.

It gave Tori a purpose to ride my broncs, an outlet to share her story, and a way to hopefully inspire others to keep riding it out no matter how rank life gets. Now she can honestly say that she is thankful for the hardships that she faced. They taught her how to dig deep when you think you don't have any more left in you. They taught her that if she has overcome hard days already, she can do it again. There are still dark days, but for the first time in forever, there is hope for the future.

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Suck y'er hat down, bare down, open the gate and go for 8. This life might be the rankest Bronc any of us have ever ridden, but just imagine how rewarding it will be to be able to shout "I rode it". So hang tight, and fight the good fight, because you're worth it!