Local rider competes in reining horse event

Rachel Eady rides to victory on Brandy.

Rachel Eady, a 16-year-old sophomore at Sisters High School, and her four-year-old quarter horse Dunnit By Chex (Brandy) turned in a winning performance at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, earlier this month.

The NRHA Derby is limited to the world's finest four- and five-year-old reining horses, vying for nearly $200,000 in prizes and cash.

Eady won the limited non pro championship. The win was worth a pay check for $2,384, a saddlesmith trophy saddle, a Lawson Bronze trophy and a Gist sterling silver belt buckle.

Eady faced competition from 69 other riders in the limited non pro division, restricted to NRHA money earners of less than $7,500.

Reining consists of a willfully guided horse being guided through a specific pattern with seven or eight individually scored maneuvers. The maneuvers include smooth circles that show a transition of speed from fast to slow.

Sliding stops show off the ability of the horse to stop when queued by a voice command while being run at a high speed. A horse will slide on its back feet for 25 to 40 feet.

Other judged maneuvers include 360 degree spins executed with the inside hind foot remaining stationary; back-ups and rollbacks -- a maneuver that combines a stop then a 180-degree turn over the hind quarters and exit in one fluid motion.

These maneuvers are executed one-handed in a western bridle and the horse must be easily guided or controlled with no apparent resistance. Any deviations from the exact given pattern is considered a loss of control and marked down accordingly.

In the non pro finals Rachel and Brandy scored a 216 which was good enough to place her fourth in the 20 horse finals tied with Kim Lansidel of Washington. Fourth place paid $4,552. Rachel's score of 216 was good enough to win the intermediate Non Pro division by four points over international competitor and reserve champion Andre De Dellefeuille of St-Hilaire, Quebec.

The intermediate championship was worth a check for $3,851, a saddlesmith trophy saddle, a Lawson Bronze trophy and a Gist sterling silver belt buckle.

This was Eady's first time at the NRHA Derby. It turned out to be quite a productive week, with an estimated $15,000 in cash and prizes.

The Eady family thanked Rachel's teachers, Principal Boyd Keyser and counselor Charlie Kanzig for working with Rachel while she is working at the horse shows.