Another Seasoned Rider Story

by Cheryl Childs
 
 Every horseman/woman has this vision, in our head,  of the future - still riding and going strong even in our 70’s and 80’s. Of course we hope that’s a reality when we reach that age. Well for 78 year old Sally Scott of Rogersville, Missouri that is her reality.
 Sally Scott started riding when she was six years old and is still going strong. Sally, a retired teacher, is still raising, training and showing horses. Nowadays she finds herself being the senior most rider in the show ring, but she will quickly tell you that’s not something she thinks about much. Horses are a way of life for Sally. She and her husband, Duane, have raised and trained horses for 40 plus years. “ I would have to say they help keep us young,” Sally admits.
 Sally is no stranger to the show ring or the winner’s circle. She has taken   home several Grand Championships and Reserve Championships in her career. Sally competes in Western Horsemanship, Ranch Horse, Open Trail, Working Cow Horse, Reining, and Cutting. All of those events are physically demanding, and would be for someone 30 years old, yet for Sally it’s just what she loves to do.
 Fellow horsewomen of any age who compete against Sally or just watch her in the show ring will quickly tell “you I hope I’m that good at her age”. or “ I wish I was that good now”. When you see Sally in the saddle you’re struck not by her age, but her horsemanship.  It’s that incredible horsemanship that brings home all the trophies.
 Sally and her Fox Trotter mare, A Thrill a Minute, are always open for new challenges. For the last three years they  have entered the Women and Horses Versatility Challenge. This three phase competition includes horsewomanship, obstacle course and freestyle. In the freestyle phase the competitors need to use their imagination and creativity and are encouraged to use props, costumes and music while riding their horses. The horse/rider team with the highest combined point total from all three phases wins the Challenge. Sally Scott and her mare won that Challenge in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 they came in a close second. In 2012 she and her mare Thriller came back to win the Challenge again.
 Again  Sally found herself competing against women younger than she and ,in fact, a couple of the competitors were teenagers. When her fellow competitors asked  Sally never hesitated to proudly to tell her age. “ Some of them told me that I inspired them,” Sally explained and that was fine with her.   “  I’m pretty proud of what I do,” Sally says.
   A Thrill a Minute is a mare that Sally raised and trained herself, which makes the wins in  the Show Ring and at competitions like the Women and Horses Versatility Challenge even more special for Sally.
     When asked about her age, in reference to her riding, showing and, of course, winning  Sally explained, “They say age is just a number.”
  Sally Scott should inspire all of us, whether we are in our 30’s or our 60’s, to keep riding. So next time you hear someone say, “ Well I’m getting a little too old to ride. It’s not like when I was younger and more limber” tell them about Sally Scott, who is still in saddle riding, competing and taking on new challenges at the age of 78

.