Our final installment of rider profiles for the Versatile Horse & Rider Competition, sponsored by Nutrena, is below. Who will you be rooting for?

Stephanie Speers

Horse: Leap of Faith (aka “Faith”), 22-year-old Haflinger mare

When Stephanie acquired Faith 9 years ago she was barely saddle broke. Since then, they have had many adventures – training cross country, competing in Road Hack in the Hunter ring, beach and trail riding, and even visiting local nursing homes, birthday parties, and fairs. Stephanie has been riding and training horses for over 25 years and looks forward to testing her and Faith’s skills at this year’s VHRC.

Carly Wade

Horse: Docs Hot to Handle (aka “Lizz”, 10-year-old Quarter Horse mare

Carly is a recent graduate with a degree in Ag Production Systems with a specialty in Equine Management from Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, where she and her horse Lizz competed on the NCTA Ranch Team and earned the 2017 CSU Silver Jubilee All Around Champion Collegiate Novice buckle. She also completed a 12-week farrier program in Oklahoma, worked for a cow-horse trainer in Wyoming, and currently works trimming, training, and transporting horses. They are truly a “been-there-done-that” pair, and we look forward to their debut in the VHRC!

Loretta Rose Weber (2 horses)

Horses: Colonel Smoken Badger (aka “Smoke”), 9-year-old APHA Paint/PtHA Pinto stallion & Shining Gold Badger (aka “Badger”), 9-year-old APHA Paint/Pinto gelding

Loretta will be hard to miss on her flashy Paint/Pinto horses at this year’s competition. They are no strangers to the VHRC with both horses having competed in previous years and Smoke with multiple top 3 finishes. Loretta and her horses are truly all-around competitors and compete in western and English disciplines, including halter, horsemanship, ranch and trail classes, hunter hack, gymkhana, and western dressage.

 

 

Carolyn Weeks

Horse: Mr. Spoc, 7-year-old Mustang gelding

Carolyn and Mr. Spoc have been working together and showing at local shows and versatility challenges for the last 5 years. At their VHRC debut last year, they were just 2 points outside of the top 10. They have been working very hard this summer to improve their skills are aiming to break into the top 5 at this year’s competition.

Rob West

Horse: Lori Darlin, 4-year-old Mustang mare

Just 6 short months ago, Lori Darlin was a wild mustang. Rob has been training her and working to overcome fears and tackle obstacles, and the two have grown to be trusting partners. She can now be ridden in shows and alongside traffic, and has even been brought into Rob’s home and climbed a flight of stairs upon request. Rob claims there isn’t much Lori Darlin won’t do if asked, and we can’t wait to see how they perform together in this year’s VHRC!