By Rita Howell

It takes 12 hours to drive from Panola County to Columbus, Ohio. It took three years for Mary Gracen Reed, 12, to acquire the skills to compete there at the American Quarter Horse Congress last week.

The Magnolia Heights seventh grader, daughter of Judy and Gaylon Reed of Batesville, competed in seven classes and came home with a medallion and a coveted “finalist” jacket (you have to prove you won the award before they’ll sell you the jacket, her mom said).

Mary Gracen excelled in the Youth Hunt Seat Equitation class in her age group, competing with 40 other riders from all over the country and claiming a finalist medal.

The Batesville girl was among 18,000 entries in what has become the largest single-breed show in the world. The show lasts for three weeks and generates more than $110 million for the central Ohio economy, according to the AQHA Congress Web site.

Riding her mare, Precious, Mary Gracen had started off with 4-H horse shows in the spring, participating with the Yalobusha 4-H Horse Club. She’d been riding and competing with her mom’s horse previously, but a year ago the family bought Precious. The new horse’s demeanor blended perfectly with her new owner’s. The Reeds consider Precious an answered prayer, her mom said.

Mary Gracen and Precious competed in the Northwest District 4-H Horse Show at Lee Garner’s Arena One in Batesville in June winning,  five classes and one Grand Champion.  This led to the mare earning the high point junior horse at the district show. 

They qualified for the state show, which Mary Gracen was forced to miss due to illness, but  advanced to the 4-H Southern Regional 4-H Horse Show in Clemson, South Carolina.

At the urging of her trainer, Cathy Herrin, Mary Gracen and her family started making plans for the All American Quarter Horse Congress.

Herrin transported Precious to the show, and Mary Gracen, her mom and dad and grandparents Jimmy and Frances McLain of Senatobia  followed. (She’s also the granddaughter of Sue and Harold Reed of Locke Station.)

In the Hunt Seat Equitation class, in which she won her medal, the judges look at the rider’s position and the horse’s response. It’s an English riding style event, and riders are dressed in formal dark jacket and riding cap. There’s no saddle horn to hang onto. During the three minutes in the competition ring, Mary Gracen explained, Precious got her signals from Mary Gracen’s legs.

The duo moved from lope to trot and back to lope in a prescribed pattern that tests the rider’s skills and ability to guide their horse. The pattern was available to Mary Gracen only the night before.

“I practiced for about two hours,” she remembered.

Back at Magnolia Heights, Mary Gracen’s classmates were able to view her riding in one of the competitions via live video streaming.

Bringing home memories and a medal from the national show have left her with ambitions to return.

And Precious?

She’s in the pasture resting up.

“She’s 17,” Mary Gracen said, “but she doesn’t look it.”