By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

IONIA, Mich. — Sarah Headworth grew up on a horse, and that’s where she spends most of her spare time.

“We’ve always had horses,” the 18-year-old said as she fed her paint horse, Spock, in his stall at the Ionia Free Fair.
This marks her 10th year as a member of the River Valley Riders 4-H Club, and her 10th year showing horses at the fair.
Her mother, Tammy, said that her eldest child “grew up in the barn,” sharing a love of animals that she learned from both of her parents.

“I grew up on a farm and Brett’s family (Sarah’s father) had horses,” Tammy said. “As a baby, Sarah would be bundled up in a snow suit in the barn while her dad trained horses.

“Sarah has never been afraid of horses. When she was about three, she was just all of a sudden, gone. The next thing I knew, she came up with our stud horse.”

Sarah’s first horse was a 15-year-old Quarter Horse mare named Nikki. By the time she was nine, she was riding a 16-hand horse named Eagle.

“They told me I couldn’t ride him if I couldn’t get on him, so I would crawl up his leg,” Sarah said. “I used to fall asleep in his stall and he would cover me up with hay so they couldn’t find me.”
“They were best buddies. They had a special bond,” Tammy said. “Horses have always been her first love.”

Sarah is a self-taught equestrian, but credits her family and her 4-H leader, Phil Hafer, with much of her success. “Phil has taught me a lot,” she said.

“Sarah has never had any formal lessons or taken her horse to a trainer,” Tammy said. “She spends all day working with them.”
“I do everything with all of them,” said Sarah, who has several horses in various stages of training.

Her youngest is a half-Arabian yearling; her favorite is a Paint horse named Misty. Through her 4-H involvement, Sarah said she has learned about leadership and sportsmanship.

“I like to win, but I can lose and not be mad,” she said. “I’ve learned to work harder to be better. It’s a lot of hard work. You have to dedicate a lot of time to it.

“Don’t get down if you lose – you may have an off-day.”

All of Sarah’s hard work has paid off. For the third time, she qualified as a State 4-H Horse Show delegate and will compete in the event later this summer at Michigan State University in East Lansing. As a 4-Her, she has competed in both English equitation and western horsemanship and pleasure classes as well as jumping, trail, reining, dressage, versatility and gymkhana events.
Of their years in the organization, Tammy said, “Our 4-H friends have become our family, and 4-H has given Sarah a lot of confidence. She is very humble, but she does all the work with her horses. Being in 4-H has helped her become more well-rounded.
“I always tell her, ‘When you’re in the show ring, you know if you’ve done the work or not.’ It has shown her that hard work pays off.
“Sarah wouldn’t know what to do without her horses,” Tammy said. “They are her comfort, her security.”

Life without horses is not something Sarah plans to experience, since she wants to pursue a career as a veterinarian specializing in equine care. She plans to attend Montcalm Community College beginning in the fall for one year and will then transfer to MSU.
“I’ve already been accepted,” she said with a smile.