By Bonnie Smith
After doing
the preliminary saddle breaking on Delight of Jet Star in the late fall
of 1983, I began to realize that she would eventually make a good horse
for our then seven-year-old son, Bo. My husband Bob and I had been
showing Jet Star's Delight, and young Bo was quite anxious to try his
hand at showing, too. He had definitely outgrown lead line classes!
Delight was
foaled on the 16th of April, 1982. Her sire is 1984 Adult Versatility
Champion, Jet's Star's Delight and her
dam is the good foundation mare, Heather's Panola M. The filly was born
tough and strong, and has remained so! She is black with a star that
looks like the state of California. She is a stalwart-built mare: wide
chest, strong neck and body, standing at 15 hands.
Bo started
riding Delight early in 1985. He rode with great determination and
concentration. At last he had a horse to show, and he worked hard with
her. His first showing with her was in the Youth E-Z Rider Class at the
Trainers' Show in Houston in March of 1985. They won second place in a
good juvenile class — Bo was not yet eight and Delight was not yet
three!
After my
'basic training,' Delight was pretty well Bo's horse, and he was pretty
well her master. They learned horsemanship and manners together. Over
the course of time, she would give to him as she would give to no one
else. He would ask anything of her, and she would respond. They became
quite a team. Bo showed Delight to fifteen or so versatility points in
the years before 1989. Most of them were at the big southwest shows such
as Big "D" and the Texas State Fair.
Then, in
1989, our 4-H group, the Cooke County Emerald Riders 4-H Horse Club,
started having play days and horse shows. The classes that were offered
were just what the "versatility doctor" ordered! The class schedule was
structured on those classes which were offered at the 4-H District Horse
Show: Halter, Showmanship at Halter, Western Pleasure, English Pleasure,
Western Horsemanship (Good Seat and Hands), Western Riding, Pole
Bending, and Barrel Racing. We also added fun classes according to
popular demand: Trail, Water Glass, Egg and Spoon, Rescue Race, and Flag
Race.
Bo promised
me at the beginning of the 1989 year that he would practice and work
with Delight. I left it up to him. If his horse was going to get worked,
he, was going to do it. And he really did get into it. With the 4-H
class schedule as a guideline, there were so many different (and
interesting) things to do. Practice became fun, and a challenge. One
area of one of our pastures began to look like a combat training zone
for the armed forces because we put out a myriad of obstacles which we
invented and practiced on for the trail class!
When we
practiced western riding, we worked the course simultaneously. Bo would
be finishing up the pattern and I would be starting it. It was like the
grand entry for a rodeo! We were both moving on the course at the same
time, being careful not to run into each other, of course! We found it
kept our horses concentrating on their respective riders, and ignoring
other distractions.
When it
became apparent the youth superior championship was a distinct
possibility, we started working on it, hoping Bo could achieve it in
1989. The Emerald Riders had a 4-H horse show in September with a great
turnout. Bo got some pretty good placings. After that show, he was just
two versatility points away — one in English pleasure and one in pole
bending. We drove down to the Houston TASHA horse show in November for
the English point. After several tries, he got his English point in the
Lite-Shod Championship.
One more
point to go! At our last 4-H horse show of the year in November, he got
not only the necessary one pole bending point, but five pole bending
points that day! He had achieved his Youth Superior Championship! He
also got three barrel racing points, to complete a ninth division in the
Youth Versatility Program.
The eight
divisions which he counted for his championship were: English Pleasure,
Western Pleasure, Western Riding, Model, Trail, Good Seat and Hands,
Pole Bending, and Model. He also completed Barrel Racing, and has points
in E-Z Rider, Basic Reining, and Promotion. He got 82 versatility points
in 1989 alone, earning the High Point Awards in seven categories: Water
Glass, Western Pleasure, Basic Reining, Trail, Pole Bending, Barrel
Racing, and Western Riding.
In addition
to being an accomplished horseman, Bo is a straight "A" student in the
seventh grade at Valley View Junior High School in Valley View, Texas.
He has been taking piano lessons for seven years. He is also an acolyte
in his church.
Bo Smith
and Delight of Jet Star — the two of them as a unit — they melt and
blend together into one. Bo started 1989 with a lot of determination to
work with his mare. He carried out his goal. How they improved over the
year was phenomenal. They're a team of which to be proud. And the
obvious rapport they have with each other — it's a real love affair!
I would
like to thank Bonnie for contributing Bo's story & photographs of
Bo & Delight of Jet Star, giving us the opportunity to meet this
extraordinary Champion Tennessee Walking Horse. Their story was also
published in the May, 1990 issue of the Voice magazine.
You can also
visit the website of
BJS
Stables at Valley View Farms
