Cochrane equestrienne Madison Steed isn’t afraid of a little hard work.
During the competitive season, the Bow Valley High School (BVHS) student can be found five days a week at Cochrane’s Lauder Ranch, putting in hours of training aboard her reining horse, Jumpin Jac Trash — know in the barn as Jac.
And the hard work seems to be paying off. On Dec. 1, the pair topped the podium in the quest for the Adequan North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) Youth 14-18 reining title in Oklahoma City, Okla.
“My biggest achievement is definitely winning in Oklahoma,” said Steed, a Grade 11 student. “It’s been a goal of mine for a long time. It’s cool to be down there competing in the first place, but I’m so grateful for how it ended up.”
In Oklahoma, the duo competed in three different classes: non-pro, limited non-pro and Youth 14-18. Steed said she finished in the Top 10 — out of about 150 competitors — in the first two classes, before winning the Youth 14-18 with a score of 218.5.
But, one does not simply head down to Oklahoma for the prestigious championship. Steed and the five-year-old quarter horse dedicated their show season to qualifying. A top-10 finish at an event in Manitoba guaranteed the duo an eligible entry to the American show.
In a reining competition, contenders perform a pattern composed of a variety of tasks like spins, circles and sliding stops. The idea is to have the horse complete the pattern without showing any signs of resistance. The rounds are judged and scored.
“The technicality of reining makes it so much different from other disciplines,” said Steed. “You have to be so in tune with your horse, you really have to be a unit. And like anything, you have your good days and bad days.
“It’s not hard, but you have to put your blood, sweat and tears into the sport.”
Humbly, the rider admitted she wouldn’t have had such success without the help of her four-legged counterpart.
“I couldn’t ask for a better horse,” said Steed, her face lighting up at the mention of the sorrel horse. “He never puts up a fight, he’s always in a good mood. He’s a hard worker, has a huge heart and always tries. I couldn’t ask for anything more from him.”
Now that the competitive season is over, Jac is getting some well-deserved time off while Steed focuses on her studies. But this break doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have her sights firmly planted on the future. There are two events in particular the local rider is gunning towards: the North American Junior Young Rider Championships and the American Quarter Horse Youth World Cup.
“I keep doing it for my love of the sport,” she said. “It’s always something different and you can never say that you’re top dog. There’s always something you can do better or different. It’s forever changing.”
