KASEY SOLO  & DUN IT ON STAGE

Hey y'all, this is Kasey Solo. I live with my parents and older brother (and all of our animals) in Hubbard Lake; MI. Hubbard Lake is a small town about 1 1/2 hours south of the Mackinac Bridge. I am 13 years old and a 7th grader at Thunder Bay Junior High. This school was a big change for me as I went from a 100 student Christian school to a public junior high of over 800 students. I've made a lot of news friends and so far things are going well.

    My dad, Dale, has ridden horses all his life so I guess that's what got me started. I can still remember being 4 years old and how mad I was at my parents when they said I was too young for walk-trot classes and that I needed to start in lead line. I guess we all have to start somewhere. This year will be my fifth year showing in NRHA and it is definitely not going to be my last.

    There are many things that I like about the sport of reining. I love being around people who understand my love for horses and this sport. The friends I have made through this sport I will surely never forget. Even though we show against each other we are always cheering for one another and always have encouragement to give. It is a feeling of great acceptance to walk out of the arena and see them all smiling and telling you how good you did even though you may have totally messed up. Competing against not only the other riders in my class but also myself is something unique about reining that I really like. The pressure of wanting to improve my personal best makes me want to push harder and run faster. 

    This past year I had the opportunity to travel to many different places. Through my experience I have come to realize what a wonderful association MRHA is. The people in charge of these shows do a great job of supporting and promoting exhibitors of every level. Thank you for all of your hard work. 

    In 2005 my goals were to make the NRHA Top Ten with my horse "Dun It On Stage". With the help of my coach Sharon Davis-Crawford (who rox my sox off) and my dad, I was able to obtain a 4th place year-end spot. Fortunately for me, my dad shares my reining passion and was willing to work a lot of hours, drive a lot of miles, and put up with a LOT of 13-year-old attitude to get me to these shows. Thanks so much dad I really appreciate it. Thanks also to my brother Chris for taking care of things at home so we could hit the road. To my mom for the all the times when I was on deck and realized I had forgotten my belt or to switch bridles and she ran back to the trailer to save me from total disaster in the pen. 

    This year I will just be taking it easy showing "CF New York Yankee" in the Youth 13-under. "CF New York Yankee", a.k.a. Hank, is a 4-year-old bay gelding that we purchased from Sharon and Keith Crawford. Hank and I hope to be kicking some badonkadonk and celebrating at the local honky tonk:) See y'all at the shows!