©Voice, March 2007

Picture this: dancing on the balls of her feet, a young girl waits expectantly outside a barn, occasionally glancing around her surroundings. Her impatience slowly starts to infect those around her, causing them to stir. Then, out of the barn walks a stunning black mare, ears and eyes alert. The girl stops fidgeting and stares. This was how I first met Jaye (JFK’s Lady), in September of 2000. She was being shown by Enchanted Gates Stables. It was at the Clark County Fairgrounds, near Vancover, Washington, during a show break, and the weather was perfect. I jumped on and she did her thing. Fabulously, I might add. It was love at first ride. Soon after, Jaye was the newest member of the Reynolds’ horse family. Since then, Jaye and I have trail ridden, shown, traveled, given back to the community, and learned so much.

Trail riding is our favorite past time. Whether it’s racing up and down the Oregon Coast at full speed or trekking through the Cascade Range near Sisters, Oregon, you can always find Jaye and me in the lead. We have trail ridden for fun and competitively. Because Jaye is such a unique horse, we get lots of questions on the trails and I always enjoy answering them. Questions about her gait and shoes are most common. Recently, I convinced my high school equestrian team coach to try a walking horse out and she enjoyed it so much she purchased one of her own!

Our extensive show career began in 2001, with Jaye as a three year old. Jaye is sired by World Grand Champion JFK and inherited her love of the show ring from her sire. We have been to shows all over Oregon and Washington. I have yet to travel with Jaye to Tennessee, but that is one of my dreams.

In the TWHBEA^SM Versatility High Point Program, Jaye has won three national high points: 2001 Adult Pleasure Driving Champion, 2004-05 Youth Versatility Driving High Point, and the 2004 Voice Magazine People’s Choice Versatility Driving Horse. We completed our Youth Versatility Championship in June of 2006. It was the most exciting fourth place ribbon we ever won.

Each year that Jaye and I go to the Inland Empire Celebration in Spokane, Washington, we volunteer to participate in the lead line class for Special Olympics children. Jaye has to do all the hard work but we both enjoy it. Seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces when they hear their names announced on the loud speaker is priceless, not to mention they always bring treats for their mounts. We’ve also been guinea pigs for the TWHBEA^SM Certification for Riding Instructors. I think the hardest part of that was pretending that I had no idea how to ride. I could just hear Jaye saying, “What are you doing? You know how to ride!”

Beginning my freshman year of high school, Jaye and I signed up for the Canby High School Equestrian team, which is part of the Oregon High School Equestrian Teams program. Oregon is leading the way for high school equestrian teams around the country. It is a varsity sport and athletes have the chance to earn their varsity letter. Although it is difficult to be competitive in a sport in which the majority of the judges have had no experience judging a walking horse, it gave us a chance to try something totally different. We were competing on a team that relied on us to put our best foot forward. We were able to be an example of the quality of walking horses and the versatility that the breed could achieve. We competed in everything from Obstacle Driving to In Hand Obstacle Relay. In 2005-06, Jaye and I were the Saddle Seat District Champions and Driving Reserve District Champions. And in 2006 we were named Reserve State Champion in Saddle Seat Equitation! At the state competitions for the last three years, we have been the only walking horse out of roughly 800 other horses. And just like trail riding, we caused quite a stir among our fellow competitors. I really enjoy answering questions, especially when they’re about my horse! We’ve been on the team for four years now and hope to make the best of my senior year.
We’ve been a great team for many years and I hope we will be for many more. JFK’s Lady, the ride of my life.

–Mattie Reynolds