Local rider wins U. S. scholarship

REINING CHAMPION

Posted By DAVE DAWSON, SPECIAL TO THE PACKET AND TIMES

Posted 2 months ago

Melia Blakely is the first to admit she's not like most teenagers.

While some 17-year-olds may be lucky to be in bed by 2:30 a. m. on weekends, she's often climbing out of bed at that ungodly hour, heading for an important hour of practice time before a big horse show.

And while many teen girls may spend hours primping before a mirror, on show weekends, this Grade 12 student at Patrick Fogarty is just as apt to wash her hair in the wash tub that is devoted to cleaning up the horses.

"I don't relate to teenagers a lot," Blakely concedes. "I don't care for drinking, partying... I'm much more comfortable at home with my horse and my dog," she says with a laugh.

Blakely fell in love with horses when she was a little girl and started riding when she was about seven. At first, she learned pleasure, western riding, English riding and did a bit of showmanship.

But six years ago, her pleasure trainer moved away. Soon after, a reining trainer -- Brock McCauley -- moved in to the same Oro-Medonte barn, so the young horse lover decided to give the relatively new discipline a try. It was love at first ride.

"I loved it right away," said Blakely, who lives on a farm in Coldwater. "It's exciting. Pleasure is very slow and precise. Reining is a lot faster. There's the same amount of precision. Everything has to be perfect but you ride by yourself," she explained. "You're not all in the arena together. It's just you and your horse and no one can take that ride away from you."

From the beginning, Blakely has enjoyed the competitive component of riding.

"I live for competing," she said. "I love it. I love the challenge. It's not that I love competing against other people -- it's challenging myself to do better. Reining is an individual sport. You ride your ride and no one else can change that."

Not only does she love it, she's done exceptionally well in every discipline she's tried since she began competing several years ago. This year has been particularly successful. She is the 2009 Canadian National Appaloosa Show 14-18 reining champion, the 2009 Canadian National Appaloosa Show 14-18 reserve champion bareback horsemanship, is the 2009 World Champion Appaloosa reining reserve champion 18 and under and the 2009 first qualifier for the North American Young Rider Championships.

Those accomplishments have not gone unnoticed.

In fact, she recently accepted a full scholarship to Delaware State University, a Division I school that will allow her to compete against the best riders in North America. When she found out recently that she was accepted to the U. S. school, she could barely contain her excitement.

"I was just bouncing," said Blakely who, with her parents, visited the city and the campus recently as part of an orientation. While there, she had an opportunity to meet her new teammates, new coaches, her academic advisor, her athletic advisor and get the lay of the land.

"I'm their first foreign student," said Blakely, adding her new teammates quickly nicknamed her "Canada." She said her teammates welcomed her with open arms and she is looking forward to starting next fall.

According to a course outline from the university, the cost for international students -- for tuition and residence alone -- is $25,000 a year. Blakely's scholarship is full and includes tuition, residence, books, food -- everything except shampoo and face cream, joked her mom, Catherine.

And while the scholarship is only guaranteed for one year, the possibility is there to extend it. It could be a full four-year ride.

"This is a huge opportunity," said Catherine Blakely. "There is no way we could afford this."

With that in mind, Blakely vows to do everything she can to excel. Her parents have always demanded that she attain at least an 85% average -- something she's always managed to achieve. "I have to or I don't get to ride," she said matter-of-factly.

"I don't want to go in with insane goals because it's very different how the shows there work, but I just want to be an asset to the team and get a degree," she said, adding she's leaning toward English or psychology.

While Blakely will be far from home -- it's a 12-hour drive to her new school -- she says she will not forget her roots and is thankful to those who have helped her reach her goals. She is most grateful to her parents and to Harvey and Molly Stevens, the trainers who have guided her path for several years.

"I've been with Harvey for about five years," said Blakely. "He has taken care of me. He's like my second father. I love him to death."

And while he has helped her hone her craft and helped her get a scholarship, he's more than that. "He has helped me grow into riding, but he also makes sure my grades stay up, that I'm volunteering... He's amazing," said Blakely, who is the incoming president of the Ontario Reining Horse Association's youth.

While having good people in her corner has been important, her passion and work ethic have also been critical. At two-day weekend shows, Stevens demands that Blakely be in the arena at 4 a. m. -- before it gets too busy -- so that they can focus on the task at hand. And he makes sure she does her homework in the converted horse trailer that is her Spartan weekend home.

Many might not enjoy the hard work and sacrifices. But Blakely says she has never minded and doesn't feel she's missed out on anything while pursuing her dream.

"I got more than a lot of kids," she said. "How many little girls just want to ride a horse? And I've been lucky... I haven't missed a thing. In fact, I've got more than I ever deserved."

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What is reining?

Reining began on working cattle ranches, where cowboys used their horses to gather, move and hold cattle on the open range. These horses had to be athletic, quick and agile. They had to be extremely responsive to a very light rein. In years gone by, cowboys took pride in their hard working, well-trained horses. Challenges often arose as to who had the best horse. The most talented riders would put their horses through a series of stops and turns, letting the watching crowd determine which rider and horse were the best. These displays were the forerunners of today's reining competitions.

Trained judges score the reining horse based on its execution of the manoeuvre groups required in a specific pattern. Patterns are divided into manoeuvres such as circles, lead changes, spins, sliding stops, rollbacks and backups.

For example, spins can be a thrilling manoeuvre to both watch and ride. The horse is asked to turn his front end around in a series of 360-degree turns, executed while his inside back foot remains in one spot. Correctly done, the horse will cross the outside front leg over the inside front leg, effortlessly moving its front end around in a smooth, flowing manner. Higher marks are given to the horse that shows no resistance, a high degree of speed and the ability to stop spinning on a specified mark.