Goodrich – Kasha Cobb, 15, has had no time to horse around.
The high school sophomore recently earned the ‘Highest Points Overall? award with her horse, Tommy, after competing with approximately 125 other riders at the Genesee County Horse Leaders Association event at the Everett A. Cummings Center in Mt. Morris.
Cobb is a member of the Making Strides Club based in Ortonville.
The competition was every weekend from May until July and featured 15 classes, including pole bending, speed and action, western horsemanship, dressage and English.
‘Tommy and I are mostly known for our high amount of speed when we barrel race,? said Cobb.
However Cobb’s success isn’t just about agility and speed, rather it’s her drive to turn Tommy into the best competitive horse in Genesee County.
Cobb said it was love at first sight when she saw Tommy for the first time.
‘Tommy wasn’t being rode very much, so the owner decided to sell him. When we were invited by the owner to the barn to take a look at Tommy, I saw him in the corner of the arena and called him by name to come over to me. He ran up to me and dropped his head between my arms. I knew from that moment on he was the right horse for me, so we bought him,? said Cobb.
Kasha’s mom, Leah, said a quarterhorse wasn’t what she had in mind when she started looking for a horse for Kasha.
‘I wanted a taller horse, something like a thoroughbred, but when I saw Tommy put his head in Kasha’s arms, my heart just melted.?
Kasha said it hasn’t always been a smooth ride.
‘It took a lot of work and patience to make Tommy relax,? she said. ‘For awhile he was rearing up, so I had to continually stop and tell him it was okay until he stopped and relaxed.?
Without the support her parents Leah and Ronnie give her, Kasha said she wouldn’t be where she is now.
‘My mother and her mother rode horses all of the lives, so I have been around horses ever since I can remember. My grandparents are in their 80s and they still come out to see me compete.?
Hoping to either be a horse trainer or veterinarian, Kasha said she is already looking at colleges that specialize in large animal equine.