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Show . 7- I Amy Morris takes her horse, Claimjumper, over a gate at Olsen's arena. Riding for the roses by Teri Gomes It is the stuff dreams (and a good many movies) are made of a horse and rider, as one, leaping over hurdles effortlessly, and then entering enter-ing the winner's circle to pick up the ribbons and the roses. At least two Park City girls know that to achieve those dreams there first comes a great deal of hard work and a few falls. More than 60 horses a month are boarded at Olsen's Ol-sen's ranch in Snyderville. They are largely pleasure horses, glamorous pets kept there by traveling airline folks and a few little girls grown tall who "always wanted a horse of my own" when they grew up. Amy Morris and Jody Olsen also keep their horses, Claimjumper and Johnny's Delight, at Olsen's. These two 14-year-old girls spend at least an hour a day, six days a week working their . horses and readying them for the competitive circuit. And they spend hours on end simply caring for the animals. ani-mals. Amy and Jody are both jumpers. That means they ride with English saddles and velvet jackets with spit-shined boots. The saddles alone range from $400 to $1,200, and horses for this kind of competition can cost anywhere from $500 to $50,000. Deciding to compete in shows requires an enormous commitment from both the girls and their families. Jody has been showing now for three years. She had placed first often in under-13 classes here in Utah. And she recently placed 6th among tough competition in a show in Orange county, California. Jody would like a career in riding and training. train-ing. This summer her family sent her to train with famed horseman Rob Gage in California Cali-fornia for two weeks. She found the experience "thrilling." "thrill-ing." Jody admits that sometimes some-times in competition her mind wanders from the course to simply "how good I want to be. I want to be the best." When Johnny's Delight isn't leaping fences for his mistress he is simply "a good friend," Jody says. "I feel relaxed around my horse. I can talk out problems prob-lems and just sort of settle things alone." Amy Morris has been riding for years, but just began showing this past year. She racked up an impressive first place win in June in the 13-and-under class at the Junior Classic Hunter Jumper Show in Sandy. The win came as a surprise. "It was a tough course. Most of the horses had refused to go over one or more of the gates. I tried just to think about the course and do my best." Since this class is judged on the rider alone, it makes this first year win all the more special. "I've been encouraged to keep showing. I really like it. But you have to be dedicated; dedi-cated; it takes a lot of time, and a lot of work." Both girls attend up to five clinics a year to learn more about their specialty. But on the home front, Jody's mother Marianne and local photographer Lori Adamski also serve as trainers. "Because the girls are dedicated, I'm dedicated," said Ms. Olsen. She knows from her older daughter, Lori, also a horsewoman, what the cost of that dedication can be. "Between the horse itself, entrance fees, the clothes, the tack, and the boarding and the training, it can get rather expensive." Pursuit of excellence is always a costly proposition both in dollars and commitment. commit-ment. But for Jody and Amy (and their families) the investment seems to be paying off. |