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BY SHELBY VOHSEN, JUNIOR JOURNALIST
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| Ryan Small is a competitive deep-sea fisherman. |
Ryan Small is one unique exhibitor.
Ryan, 15, loves showing his Quarter horse, Leaguers Invitation, but there is something else that he loves just as much: He is a competitive fisherman.
“I probably started fishing when I was about 5 years old,” said Ryan.
Ryan competes in five or six fishing tournaments a year. In the past year, he has won a wahoo tournament and placed fifth in a king mackerel tournament. He fishes between shows or whenever he has free time.
“I started roping when I was really young, and I got beat up a lot on my big horse,” Ryan said. “I decided that I needed to do something slower, and then (trainer) Larry (Little) got me the pleasure horse.”
Ryan is showing Leaguers Invitation, a 1998 gelding, in western pleasure. “Cruz” has two Superiors and two performance Registers of Merit and qualified for the AQHA World Championship Show in open and amateur. This past year, Ryan showed Cruz at the Region 10 Experience and placed fifth in the 14-18 western pleasure.
Ryan has been riding most of his life, and he has fished nearly as long. The thing he loves most: “The excitement. There is a whole lot bigger rush when you’re fishing.”
