BY BRITTANY SIMS, JUNIOR JOURNALIST
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| Sarah Mead, 9, of McLeansboro, Illinois, and Two D Chock in the ranch sorting prelims at the 2008 Ford Youth World. "Big Guy" is a 1980 gelding by He's A Mover and out of Chockalena Miss by Ranger Pine. |
Is your horse 20 years older than you are? Well, 9-year-old Sarah Mead’s is. Two D Chock is 28, but that does not mean he is lacking in spirit.
“Big Guy” spent his younger years as a ranch horse and has been host to many riders, such as Sarah Mead’s 80-year-old grandfather.
“He’s sweet,” Sarah Mead said. “ He will do anything that you want him to do.”
Sarah says that Big Guy was the first horse she ever rode. He was so trustworthy that both her and her mother would trail ride together on him at the same time.
“We had him in ranch work, then we retired him” said Sarah’s father, John. “My dad was riding him and he is 80. Then Sarah started riding him and he took to this (ranch sorting). Anything with cows he’s really into.”
Sarah started ranch sorting because her cousin was into it.
“My cousin has a big barn and decided to host an exhibition so we went there one time, and I really liked it.”
Big Guy has done ranch work all of his life but has never earned a point, not until Sarah started riding him. He qualified for the 2008 Ford AQHYA World Championship Show on his first try, proving that even old horses can learn something new.
