By Cathy Elliott
publisher

The lady is only 11 years old and the gentleman is 12, but together they add up to one very accomplished couple. Sarah Isgett, daughter of John and Donna Isgett of Darlington, and her quarter horse, Slo Talkin’ Chip, have been nationally ranked by the Palomino Horse Breeders Association (PBHA), achieving an overall standing of number 10 in the country.

Palomino horses have been admired for centuries for their beautiful golden color and superior bloodlines.

They are sometimes called Isabellas, after Queen Isabella of Spain, who famously pawned her jewels to fund Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the New World.

Queen Isabella kept 100 palaminos in her personal stables; a “commoner” was not allowed to own a single one. Even royalty, it seems, is not immune to the charms of these beautiful horses.

Centuries later and a continent removed, one particular palomino certainly has the ability to light up a young lady’s eyes. Articulate and extremely poised for her 11 years, Sarah becomes very animated and literally bubbles over with enthusiasm when she talks about Chip.

Though they are partners in the competitive arena, and obviously work well and successfully together, the pair has a relationship which extends far beyond the boundaries of training sessions and horse shows. They are friends.

“When we first got Chip, his situation wasn’t the best. He hadn’t been treated very nicely,” Sarah says, going on to explain that Chip had for the most part spent his life chained up in a stall prior to his fortuitous move to Darlington two years ago. “He had never been out in a pasture. Now one of my favorite things to do is watch him running around out there, just playing with his buddies. He’s so happy. It’s great to see him having fun like that.”

When she talks about Chip, Sarah, a fifth-grader at the Byrnes Schools, sometimes sounds almost as if she’s describing the family dog—the horse perks up his ears when he sees her, and likes to follow her around—but he is much more than a pet. When a competition approaches, Chip spends two weeks with trainer Terri Skinner of Spot of Gold Farms in Ravenel, SC, in order to prepare. Skinner began training Sarah at the age of four.

“Terri gets him tuned up,” Sarah says. “Then I’ll go down for a week and ride him every day. It’s like going to camp.”

Sarah may have been referring to a summer camp atmosphere with that statement, but a look at the list of performance areas in which the pair competes actually sounds a little more like boot camp.

Sarah and Chip compete in the All Around division, which encompasses six different types of events. Riders and horses are judged and scored in each individual category, then receive a cumulative total score which determines their national ranking.

The categories, according to the PHBA website, are:

Showmanship at Halter
The horse is shown “in hand” following a particular pattern such as walk-trot-pivot-backing, and is judged on the exhibitor’s ability to fit and show the horse at halter. Sarah and Chip placed 10th nationally in this event.

English Hunter Under Saddle
This category is where the horse really has an opportunity to shine. Hunters under saddle should move with long, low strides, reaching forward with ease and smoothness, and be able to lengthen strides and cover ground with relaxed, free-flowing movement, all the while exhibiting correct gaits and the proper cadence. Sarah and Chip placed seventh nationally in this event.

English Equitation
This area is evaluated based on the ability of a rider to perform various maneuvers in harmony with her horse; the rider is judged on her effect on the horse. Sarah and Chip placed fifth nationally in this event.

Western Pleasure
This class is judged primarily on the horse’s “way of going,” and the appearance of being a pleasure to ride.

Western Trail
This category is judged on the performance of the horse over obstacles, with emphasis on manners, response to the rider and quality of movement.

Western Horsemanship
This class is designed to evaluate the rider’s ability to execute, in concert with her horse, a set of maneuvers prescribed by the judges. This should be accomplished with smoothness, while exhibiting poise and confidence and maintaining a balanced, functional and fundamentally correct body position. Sarah and Chip placed 10th nationally in this event.

Western Horsemanship, by the way, is Sarah’s favorite area of competition. She says it is one of the hardest things to teach a horse because there are so many variables involved, and a host of different things to do, “But Chip is a fast learner. He’s very smart!”

It all sounds a little daunting, particularly if you’re an equestrian novice, but Sarah is a pro. Far from being overwhelmed, she says she loves the competition experience.

She describes her fellow riders as “friendly and supportive”, and the environment as one where no one is jealous of anybody else. “I would do it every weekend if I could,” she says. “Some people say training is like work, but not for me. If I’m not in school, I want to be out at the barn. When I’m riding Chip, it’s just pure fun.”

How rare it is to find a team whose members enjoy playing together as well as working together. Sarah Isgett and Slo Talkin’ Chip have found that elusive and magical winning combination.

Expect them to continue to make their family, friends and the entire Darlington community proud for many years to come.

For more information on the Palomino Horse Breeders Association, visit www.palominohba.com.