Hey Y’all!

My name is Laura Sumrall. I am 18 years old and from the small town of Summit, Mississippi, where our one stop light turns to a blinking yellow light at 10 o’clock at night.

 

All my life, I have been interested in horses, and at the age of 11, I became a Reiner. I was hooked for life. I now train under Schaffhauser Stables of Brookland, Arkansas and have been a student here for four years.

My life as a Reiner really began to grow about three years ago when we bought my horse, Einsteins Fancy Pine, akaSmartie, at the NRHA Futurity. At the age of three, she still had lots to learn, but I was up for the challenge. Since then, Smartie and I have been working hard to get to where we would like to be.

All along, we set a goal to ride in the NAJYRC her six-year-old year and my first summer out of high school. Along the way, we competed in the USEF Championships in 2009- Silver Medalist, 2010- Bronze Medalist, and 2011- Silver Medalist. Really, really wanted that elusive Gold! This has definitely been one of my biggest goals.

In preparation for the show at the Derby, I spent two weeks at my trainers. We got up early and went to bed late every day. It’s definitely a man’s world for two weeks—hot, gritty work. Lots of hot wings and guy food—I had to be careful not to gain my usual ten pounds! Mr. Randy, my trainer, has some great techniques—one of which is my favorite: Every day I rode my horse first, and we addressed all the problems we had for the day. Then after lunch, he would place me on different horses so that I could work on the problems more on my own.

Smartie’s name was definitely not given to her by mistake. We constantly have to change things up in her training, so she does not out smart me, or my trainer. Therefore, there is never a dull moment with her. I am constantly learning new ways to think ahead and correct things before they actually happen. It is somewhat like the saying, “Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.”

Now, less than two weeks out from competition at the NAJYRC, my excitement is definitely growing. I have been practicing, and Smartie is looking good. You can always tell when she is relaxed and happy, cause she lets her tongue flop out real long! Well, it has been flopping a lot lately. Some judges even know her as “Floppy” because of it. It is good to know my horse has lots of personality!