I’m sure that I was riding horses with my dad before I could walk. My earliest memories were watching dad compete in rodeos. I remember asking him when I was about nine or 10 years old why girls couldn’t compete. He said they could and asked if I wanted to try barrel racing.
Of course, I said yes.
I rode a couple of different horses, but soon dad realized I needed a horse that was going to win barrel races.
He went shopping for that winner.
Little Girl Go…Suzie to her friends…was born in southern Arizona in 1955. We bought her in 1957, and that summer I started training her to be my winning barrel horse.
Suzie did far more than win barrel races. She was my best friend, my confidant, my barrel horse, my life.
Every night I exercised my mare, and every weekend we would be off to a rodeo somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico. We were always successful, and that was mostly due to Suzie and her consistent performances. We once entered three different barrel races at the Southern Arizona International Livestock Show in Tucson, AZ. Barrel racing is a timed event, and all three runs were within 1/10 of a second of each other. One can’t be much more consistent. My most treasured trophy was won at the SAILA that year. It’s a silver cup that is still on display in my home.
During the summer of 1961 Arizona had it’s first state high school rodeo final. Suzie and I entered all of the girls’ events, and we qualified for the nationals in all of them. The icing on the cake so to speak was that I also won the queen contest. I would have the honor of representing Arizona at the national finals in Douglas, WY.
Suzie didn’t make the trip because I needed an all around horse in Wyoming. Thanks to her effort, though, I had a wonderful experience.
The following summer we also competed and won. I didn’t go to the national finals because my dad was a miner by trade, and he’d gone through a very long strike. He’d just gone back to work and couldn’t take time off. We didn’t believe I should try to make the long drive from Arizona to Nebraska by myself.
I rode Suzie from age 12 until I was 19. I’d gotten married and my husband wasn’t interested in rodeos. My dad sold Suzie to a young barrel racer in southern Arizona, and she was
as successful as I had been.
After that young woman moved on, Suzie then went to run barrels with another girl much younger than I was.
Suzie was the greatest horse. She was gentle, she was willing, and she had a winner’s heart. She never quit. I had my rein break and still won the barrel race. I had the curb strap break and still won the barrel race. She never failed me.
Suzie would calmly walk around while I warmed her up for a race, but the minute the barrels were rolled out, she became all business. She definitely knew the difference between work and play.
That mare loved parades, and she was very pretty when we were part of the 4th of July celebration. She was a little sorrel with a big blaze down her face. She just glistened in the sunlight.
Because I’d been the one to ride and train her, Suzie wasn’t fond of having men on her back. One of the boys my age borrowed her for a rare boy’s barrel race. She just ran off with him. She was no boy’s horse, and she wanted everyone else to know that.
Suzie was eventually retired to pasture in the midwest. I can’t think of any animal who deserved a good retirement more than that sweet little mare did. She never failed to do anything that I asked of her.
Suzie listened to my teenage sad stories, and she hung her head over my shoulder as I cried about the latest lost boyfriend or a disagreement with my folks.
I wanted to pay tribute to a wonderful little mare. It’s been 41 years since I last saw her. However, not for a minute have I forgotten her. She taught me everything I know about winning…at whatever I do.
I loved Suzie then and I love her now. She will always have the most special of places in my heart. If I could talk to her just one more time, I’d tell her thank you for all she gave me. I’d tell her what an honor it was to have been allowed to ride her.
Suzie, you are never far from my thoughts. I’m sure YOU know that my oldest son developed the same love of horses that I have.
It’s been many, many years, baby! You will never,
ever be forgotten.
Run across those beautiful fields.
I'll see you at the bridge!
| Little Girl Go |
| Charlotte Hayes |