“There Was Never a Question I Wasn’t Going to Show at the Congress.”

By: Brittany Bevis

While making the rounds at the Quarter Horse Congress this week, we happened upon a young equestrienne hobbling about, wearing a walking boot, while carrying her riding boot in hand. Thinking there had to be some fabulous story involved, we stopped Miss Maddie Passmore to get the scoop.

As it turns out, this wasn’t a horse-related injury. In addition to being an equestrian, 15-year-old Maddie is also a competitive runner. “I’ve been playing soccer since I was three, and there’s a lot of running involved. But, I’m the only runner in the family. They don’t have cross country teams until 7th grade, so that’s when I started competing.” Maddie runs 5Ks for her cross country team and also does the 300 and 400 meter hurdles for her high school track team. It was during one of these competitions last month when her injury occurred.

“I tore a ligament and sprained my ankle while running in a cross-country meet. I fell in a hole. I was warming up, and I thought I just rolled it, so I ended up running the 5K. After that, it got pretty bruised. I thought, ‘I have to get this better before the Congress!'”

“When I sprained my ankle, I actually PR’d (achieved a personal record) with a 25 or 26 minute race. I didn’t want to stop, so I kept going. I looked back and told one of my friends that I thought I tore something. He said, ‘You’re going to be fine.’ It was fine, until the end when I was carried to the trainer while crying!”

While she’s still in a walking boot, there was never a question that Maddie wasn’t going to show at the Congress. “There was never a question. I said that I don’t care how long it takes. I didn’t get to run in the district meet in cross country. Our girls are headed to regionals and hopefully state, and I don’t get to run in that. I say horses come first for me over running and soccer.

One of those horses is 11-year-old Mist My Invitation, aka “Preston,” that Maddie shows in Hunter Under Saddle, Halter, and Showmanship. She also shows Invite Ms Good Bar, aka “Paris,” in Western Pleasure and Trail. She competes with both horses under the guidance of Ryan Painter.

Maddie isn’t the only person in her family who’s a bit injured here at the Congress. Her grandmother fractured her ankle as well. “It’s a lot of walking, especially if you don’t have a golf cart. We have one, but my grandma has to use it. She broke her ankle; mine is just a sprain. It’s not too terrible, but it’s still a torn ligament.”

“I have tape on underneath my boot. I think my athletic training skills just popped in. I was still in a brace last week; but, between my mom and I, we decided it would be better to wear the boot. It’s doing really good, but the bruise still hasn’t gone away.”

“When it didn’t hurt to walk on it, the doctor said it would be ok to run on it. Obviously, I’ve missed this. I couldn’t go to the barn, because my grandma fractured her ankle. Both of us can’t drive right now! I haven’t really ridden since Youth World.”

We send our very best to this tough, little competitor here at the Congress!