Mt. Gilead, Ohio Ð July 25, 2006: Raising three boys and helping her husband run a ranch and train the horses in their care would be more than enough for just about any working mom, but Stacy Westfall (of Mt. Gilead, Ohio) is not any working mom. In March of 2006, Stacy challenged some of the biggest names in the horse world in the contest known as Road to the Horse, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She was the rookie in the class and the only woman Ð up against renowned horsemen Martin Black, Craig Cameron, and Van Hargis. Now the horse-training mom is gearing up for the next Road to the Horse and a special presentation at the Tulsa Reining Classic, held in Tulsa, Okla. September 1, 2006.
Stacy is well known to reining audiences across the country for competing in freestyle competitions without a bridle or neck rope. She has won several major competitions in Oklahoma-including the Tulsa Reining Classic and the NRHA Futurity.
Stacy and each of the three other competitors in Road to the Horse took an untrained colt and after 3 hours of work in the round pen, showed off their skills by negotiating the horses through an obstacle course. Not only did Stacy hold her own, she went home as a champion. And she was so taken by the colt she trained for the competition Ð a 2 year old she nicknamed Popcorn - that she bought him and took him home, too. Stacy and Popcorn will be in Oklahoma, appearing at the Tulsa Reining Classic's "Slide Zone" Friday, September 1, 2006.
This year's "Slide Zone" presentation is set for Friday, September 1, 2006 at Tulsa's Expo Square and will include a Freestyle competition in which horses and riders compete to music and often in elaborate costumes. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the first 100 kids will receive a free Breyer horse model of "Flicka with Cougar" based on the new movie.
The performance begins at 7 pm and when it's over, somebody in the audience will go home with a free John Deere Gator Ð courtesy Green Country Ag & Lawn. Tickets can be purchased at any Drysdales location by calling or on line at http://www.okrha.com. They are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children 12 and under.
Following her "Slide Zone" performance, Stacy will compete in the 2006 Tulsa Reining Classic aboard the mare she rode to victory in the Tulsa Reining Classic Invitational Freestyle in 2005 Ð Whizards Baby Doll, nicknamed "Roxy." Stacy will be in Tulsa and available for interview on August 30th, 2006 Ð along with "Popcorn" and "Roxy." She is available by phone until then.
About Reining:
The sport of reining is based in Oklahoma, which is home to two of the discipline's biggest competitions. In fact, the Tulsa Reining Classic has one of the top 6 events in the country in just two short years.
Reining is the only western riding discipline sanctioned by the International Equestrian Federation and is being considered for inclusion in the 2012 Olympic games. It is a judged event in which a single horse and rider complete a required set of maneuvers, which include the sliding stop and 360 degree spins that are the hallmark of the sport. For more information on reining, go to NRHA.com.
About Road to the Horse:
The 2007 Road to the Horse Champion of Champions event will be held in Murfreesboro, Tennessee March 3-4, 2007. Tickets are available at http://roadtothehorse.com
