 August 2006
Sarah Neikirk
From 2001 to now, my journey through POAC has been one
filled with some of the best times as well as some of
the worst. Starting out in 4H my family bought our first
POA, KGB Tess, in 1999 out of the newspaper. She was
a little white mare with nothing to her name and no pedigree
to account for. For two years she taught me how to ride
and introduced me into the world of Horsemanship. In
2001, I began working with a graduated POAC member, Trisha
Spencer who introduced us to the POAC organization and
we began showing our little mare in WSPOAC as well as
ORPOAC. Ironically enough, ORPOAC was hosting the POAC
World Show and NW Regional that year, and with it being
my concluding year in 9-12 we decided to attend. Not
expecting much, Trisha, my mom and I hauled down to the
World Show and we soon became aware of the level of competition
outside the Northwest. To our surprise, Tess, whose talent
was in jumping, carried me to several world and regional
titles in Showmanship and Jumping. As excited as we were,
we realized that if I were going to continue showing
in 13-18 I would need to find an upgrade, and Star Warrior
was his name. He was a three-year-old gelding out of
California, ridden by Stacy Irwin. They called him “Mike” due
to the fact that when he was born, for the fist day he
would only walk moonwalk backwards, thus naming him after
Michael Jackson. Mike and Stacy won the JPFC HUS and
WP at the world show and went Res. in 3yo Halter Geldings.
Mike’s
talent and personality has made him one of the best horses I have ever had the
privilege to work with. Through the trials and errors, the ups and down, and
the frustrations and the joys he has become irreplaceable to me. He carried me
through the next two years to numerous world, regional, and state championships.
As we came to 2003 it was a year of excitement and disappointment when we decided
to take Mike and make the trip back to Tennessee for The International. The day
we were waiting for our hauler to pick up Mike, I came off of our mare, and ended
up breaking my arm. Due to the swelling we had to wait to get it cast until we
got to Tennessee. So the night before the show started we drove into Nashville
to find an orthopedic surgeon. Needless to say it wasn’t the best show
we had ever had. However it was the show where my mom fell in love with a little
bay gelding named Rocky Top Notch out of Texas and owned by the Hermes of Mountain
Creek Ranch. After the international show, where Rocky won the JPFC Reining,
my mom and I flew back to the Futurities in Iowa to take another look at him,
but it was already clear to my mom that he was the horse she wanted. After taking
Rocky home with us after the Futurities, it was clear that I had been riding
pleasure horses for the last few years and was going to need some help with a
reining horse. This led us to Mark Deforest. For a year I rode under Mark’s
guidance and with his help we took Rocky to the 2004 World championship in 13-18
Reining as well as Med. Halter Geldings, and a third, under his half sister Dun
Lika Lady, in reining at the International. While all the while, Mike had still
been going strong, the long trailer rides, seven weeks on the road, late nights,
and early mornings pushed him past his competitive edge, so it was out to pasture
for him in 2005.
When Mark
Deforest moved to California in the summer of 2004 we
transitioned to the guidance of Shawn Church and Double
E Ranch. Shawn’s expertise set us on our path
towards the seven world titles and two reserve international titles we gained
on Rocky in 2005. Yet again, disappointment set in when, in Rocky’s last
junior year, he slid out from under himself in the Junior Reining class at the
International, and I rolled him back the wrong way. Never once had I messed up
a reining pattern until that night. So now, needless to say, we are coming back
strong in 2006. With Mike out of the pasture and back in the pen, Rocky still
going strong, and both under the guidance and expertise of Jeff Evenson and Shawn
Church with Double E Ranch we have high hopes for the 2006 and 2007 show years.
Now as I graduate
high school and begin to conclude my time in POAC I am
truly thankful to all the wonderful people I have met
along the way. Everyone within POAC has been extremely
helpful and supportive. To the Keegans and the Lairs,
thank you for raising such a talented and capable horse,
Mike has been everything I could ever ask for! To the
Hermes, your support and encouragement has been irreplaceable
to us and Rocky has been the one of the most willing
horses I have ever worked with, his reputation precedes
him. He is known everywhere he goes for his charming
personality as well as his talent and style. He has fulfilled
our hopes and dreams, and will continue to do so for
years to come. To Trisha, you have been like a sister
to me for the past five years and everything I know about
showmanship I owe to you. To Mark, it was one of the
saddest moments for me to see you move away. You have
taught me so much and are the reason I still ride reining
horses to this day. You have changed the way I look at
competition and you will always be missed. To Shawn,
you have given me hope when I thought there was none.
Your soft ways and willing attitude influences me everyday
that I ride, for this and everything else I am eternally
thankful. To Jeff, you are living proof that it IS possible
to teach an old horse new tricks. Your work with Mike
and Rocky has been amazing, and I’ve never been more enthusiastic about my work as I
am now. In the short time I’ve known you, you have been there for me when
I didn’t know what to do and you have taught me more then I could ever
ask for. Your support and encouragement is irreplaceable to me. And finally,
to my parents, Mom you have been my support for as long as I can remember. And
even though at times we may not see eye to eye, we agree on everything that truly
matters. You have been there to hold my hands in the worst of times, and root
me on in the best. You have always been my cheering section even when the stands
go quiet. Yes, I’m talking about my reining class last year. You have been
there every step of the way, and the memories I have are memories we share and
memories I will take with me for life. From watching me try to work my horse
in a cast in Tennessee, to breaking down and spending an extra week in the middle
of nowhere in Tremonton Utah, to gaming at 4:00am in Colorado, and to eating
89 cent ice-cream cones in Wyoming, we have turned the worst of times into the
best through the memories we have made. Dad, you have always been there to hold
down the fort when I’m away as well as keeping me updated on all the derby
winners. After weeks on the road and late night drives, its your constant ability
to always welcome me home with my favorite dinners, a big hug, and a smile on
your face that keeps me looking forward. And I think it can be an official quote, “yes
daddy, I’m ‘bringing home the hardware’!” It’s
your support, mentally, financially, and emotionally that have made my dreams
a reality. To everyone out there that have helped me along my way, and especially
to those above, it is your encouragement and confidence that have made me who
I am today and for this and everything else I am everlastingly grateful.
Sarah Neikirk |
Pony Of The Americas Club, Inc.