The Moment that Lead to a Dream

By: Autumn Patterson

I still remember my first 4-H state finals horse show like it was yesterday. I was 12 years old and had barely qualified after a very up and down season. As a first generation horse owner, I was just trying my best to figure out how to show, even though I didn’t really know what it all meant.

That show was the first time I laid eyes on a “real show horse.” The type of horse that commands a presence when it enters an arena. The kind that effortlessly floats when they move and shine just a little brighter from a strict grooming program. I remember watching with big eyes as the horse’s equally polished (rhinestone wearing) rider gracefully maneuvered him around the arena.

I also recall the uproar from all the other 4-H exhibitors’ parents that quickly followed. There was a significant amount of anger towards the trainer who had brought her and some of his other youth students to prep for a big out of state show.

I didn’t have a chance at winning a judged class that year, but I didn’t care. I watched every single student, the trainer coached, compete and gaped at every single horse they had. While others felt they had been wronged; I was grateful because that trainer had given me purpose.

I spent the rest of my 4-H career trying to emulate what I saw at that state show. I saved every penny I earned to buy show clothes, tack, and grooming supplies. Bless Comanche, my 4-H horse, and the way he tolerated my endless practicing. God knows he was tired of my daily persistence, but he still showed up and tried his best every single time.

There was no replacing Comanche. I was happy with my 4-H career and wouldn’t have changed it, but I still prayed every night from that first state show that one day I’d own a horse like the one I had dreamed up in my head.

Fast forward a few years. I had been feeling extremely broken and beat down from a horse I purchased hoping she’d be that show horse. She was incredibly sweet at home, but wanted nothing to do with the show pen regardless of how hard I, or any trainer tried. It was a hard pill to swallow realizing that some horses just don’t work out the way we hope. I had also been attempting to fill the gap by rodeo queening as a back up plan. Even after coming to terms with selling her, I was still on the verge of giving up my dreams. She had shattered all the confidence I had built with Comanche, and my dreams started to feel like heavy unobtainable burdens.

Everyone who knows me knows I have a thing for big sorrel horses. I gaped at Waylon the first time I saw him. I mean it when I say it felt like the world stopped for a few moments. He was everything I ever wanted, even down to his markings. I was warned that buying an un-shown, barely broke, baby had lots of risks, especially with my budget, but I didn’t care. I knew deep down that he was supposed to be my new show partner.

One year in and I still cry happy tears after every show I take him to. I will never be able to express how grateful I am to Mike, Robbin, and Hayden Jung for finding him and for the love and care that has been put into his training.

Waylon and I still have a long road to travel. Regardless of where it may lead, or what ribbons may or may not be won, all I’ve ever wanted was to know that I have a chance every time I walk into the pen, on a horse that wants the same thing. I feel blessed owning Waylon and can’t wait to see where we go next.

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