During the weekend of Sept. 9 and 10, an equestrian event opened up and two St. Louis High School juniors participated in the contest to win the district championship, winning with a total of 121 points.
One of the equestrians was junior Rebekah Ross, who participated in the disciplines saddle seat and Western riding, in which she won a total of 64 points! Ross had a lot to say about the contest. “When Bethany and I, we didn’t have that many skills for the competition, but we improved so much and I believe we were finally able to show it. This year, we gained so many points, and even had some troubles along the way, but we continued and managed to get a stable score. I’m super excited for the regionals and how we are going to do because I believe we can do much better and possibly make it to states. Horse showing is a lot to take mentally and it’s nothing like showing at the fair, but we learned how to manage and we both feel that we are starting to ‘hang with the best of them.”
Another rider was junior Bethany Bowerman, who competed in barrels and flags, in which she had 57 points from both challenges. Bowerman also had something to talk about, saying, “After the match, there were a lot of emotions I had experienced. At first, all I could think about was what I did wrong or how to make it right next time. When we had something to eat, I began thinking about things I had improved on since last year. My horse came up lame and I couldn’t compete, and after a little mindset growth, I was still able to pull through the competition on my backup horse.”
Both juniors advance to regional competitions, which will take place at the end of September, at the Midland fairgrounds.
