Just because Molly Arnold, 13, of Clarkston, competed in the Longhorn Rodeo at the Palace of Auburn Hills, she is not about to change from the quick to smile, soft spoken, bright young lady who came up riding in the Davisburg 4-H club.
‘It was a lot of fun, it was busier than at the 4-H fairs. A lot more people and stronger competition,? said Arnold.
Molly finished in 30th out of 80 competitors in the barrel racing segment of the rodeo ? this being her second foray into the world of professional rodeo. Aside from her ‘money run? on Feb. 19, Bruce Lehrke, owner of the Longhorn Rodeo, allowed Molly to make a demonstration run on Feb. 20, so her friends and family knew exactly when to buy tickets.
‘It’s been a dream of Molly and I both to be in the rodeo. (We are) just absolutely reveling in the kindness and humanity. It’s a warm fuzzy feeling,? said Kathy Arnold, Molly’s mother. ‘There has been such an outpouring of love and support for Molly.?
With two competitions under her belt Molly seems to have acclimated to the big lights of the rodeo; however, her longtime mount, Dejia, might not be cut out for the big time.
‘For some reason (Dejia) is not giving me her good run. I don’t know if she is not comfortable with it yet, she just isn’t having that spark she had at the Davisburg 4-H fair,? said Molly.
‘We can’t tell her ‘just think of the other horses in their underwear,?? added Kathy.
Molly does credit Dejia’s skittishness with helping improve their time by two seconds from her first rodeo appearance in Rodeo in Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 4.
Ever one to shy from the spotlight, Molly endured a whirlwind media tour of late, with several news articles and television appearances on WJBK and WXYZ. While Molly would rather just race and go home with her family, Dejia seems to be enjoying the spotlight.
‘She kind of gets the camera thing now. She turns her head, sticks her ears up and her mouth kind of tightens up… as soon as the cameras would turn on I go behind the horse,? said Molly.
Until summer, the Arnold’s plan to slow things down on the rodeo circuit.
‘Now that the initial burst is over, we are going to take some time to figure out what’s next,? said Kathy.
Helping Molly along the way are Cathy McGeen, Dejia’s owner, and Dennis DaSilva, a 20-year veteran of professional rodeo’s. Kathy Arnold credited their tutelage in leading Molly to such a high level.
The professional rodeo circuit moves for the most part to the southern part of the country until the summer. In the meanwhile, Molly will enter some smaller local competitions to get Dejia better acclimated to rodeo conditions.
For more on Molly Arnold, please search for ‘Clarkston girl just beginning her ride? on our website: www.clarkstonnews.com or look back to the front of the Millstream section in the Feb. 2, 2005 edition of The Clarkston News.