I have known Maggie's Dark Star ever since he was born 10 years ago, when I was only seven years old. Star was very willing to learn new things right from the beginning, as my grandmother, Maggie MacAllister, found out very quickly while trail riding and he opened a gate for the first time. My grandmother trained him from the very beginning, she did all the groundwork and he was her trail horse and her show horse.

After a few years of my grandma showing Star successfully in two gait classes, she sent him down to a trainer to get his right lead canter. The trainer got the right lead, but it was a rough canter and Star began to pace, especially on hard footing which was unusual for him. When he returned, I decided to take him and work with him to show. For an entire show season, we avoided hard surfaced show rings because not only did he tend to pace but his already rough canter was even rougher.

It was then that my grandmother had heard about Bucky and Nancy Sparks' clinics. We both agreed that it would be worth a shot to take Star to the clinic they were holding in Maryland. When we went there, Bucky and Nancy had all the participants in one big group, and they demonstrated to us the importance of having a horse soft in the mouth using a snaffle bit. From then on, Nancy would work with the horses before Bucky. She would work on using leg commands to back the horse and to ask him to move forward. Star did this quite well, but I must admit he was not very compliant about keeping his head and neck lowered when Nancy and I asked it of him. Bucky worked with Star and me on suppling while riding and the one rein stop -a safety measure should your horse not listen to you while you are working with him. You simply let one rein slack and then pull the other one to your waist until the horse stops and softens. This came in handy several times when Star misbehaved with me. Yes, he can be quite naughty. A measure to insure consistency would be to disengage your horse. You do the exact same thing as a one rein stop, but the goal is to get the horse to soften while keeping him moving and when he does soften, put him back on the rail at the same speed you disengaged at. Bucky worked with us, and he worked us hard! But I really was proud of all that Star and I accomplished just within 2 days. So I worked with Star anytime I could for a year, doing suppling work with a loose ring snaffle bit, and showing with a mild curb bit.

We took Star to several local shows where he did very well, even in the three gait classes. The training with Bucky and Nancy combined with persistence really paid off because his right lead was now extremely smooth. We then took him to the Virginia Gaited Jubilee show where he really showed his stuff! It was there that we experimented with Dressage, Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Halter, and Equitation- all in which he competed successfully. We also showed in Lite Shod Classes and any three gait classes available. I will not say that Star won every class, nor did he get placed in every class, but he did perform above and beyond expectations, performing with amazing willingness in every class. That same year, we also took him to the North American Championships, where Star performed just as well as he performed at the Jubilee. Star didn't win every class, but I was proud on how well he held himself up against several amazing horses and three outstanding judges.

Even with all of Star's outstanding achievements, I cannot claim him as mine thoroughly. When he is here at home, I only ride him to practice showing, but when it comes to trail rides, my grandmother takes control. He will always be, first and foremost, her trail horse. I am just thankful that I have Star in my life and the privilege to show him.

-Sarah