MEET THE JUNIOR

It's been so fun riding with my grandma this season. Each week that I have a ride, my Dad takes me from Orlando, Florida, to wherever the ride is, where my Grandma [Catherine Whiteacre] is waiting for me with my horse.

My horse's name is Zing. She is a 13-hand silver buckskin pony. We don't know her breeding, background or exact age. One thing we do know is that for a small pony, she thinks she's a big horse and acts that way.

My name is Jonathan, I'm 10 years old. Last season was my first time to compete in endurance. I had only ridden a little bit before this season because I lived in Africa for most of my life.

My first ride was extra-hard because my pony had a girth rub the week of the ride. I had to ride another one of my grandma's horses that I had never ridden before. My grandma gave me two choices before the ride: not compete at all or ride Cheerio (my grandma's other horse). I was a little scared thinking about riding her because she is much bigger than Zing and I knew she was bumpier to ride.

Cheerio didn't listen to me for the first whole 10 miles. The next 10 miles were better. But in the last five miles I felt really bad and my grandma said we could trot up hills and walk down hills. Whenever we were going just a little downhill I would always point it out so we could walk. And if we were going just a little uphill, I would not tell her so we didn't have to trot.

I think I'm very fortunate to be able to do these rides because I don't have a horse where I live. Grandma helps me with all the rides I do, by telling me what is good for the horse and good for me. She makes me drink, which I am happy for, because I got really, really sick after the ride when I didn't drink enough.

My second favorite thing about these rides is the day before the ride, if Leslie is there. Leslie is my grandma's friend, and when Grandma and Leslie are around, there are always lots and lots of fun stories and jokes.

My favorite thing is riding with my grandma, and talking with her. When we are cantering, I like to sing about my horse and me, to the beat of my horse cantering. Every song is always different, because I can't remember the words in my last song. I never pay attention to that; I just pay attention to singing, and to trail markers, if I'm in front.

A memory I think I'll never forget is the Goethe ride last December. It rained and rained and rained the whole ride. I think we only had 15 minutes of it not raining. My mom and dad always tell me that I'm not supposed to go out in the cold rain for too long or I might catch a cold. I thought I would get sick because for five hours I was very cold and wet.

I've completed every ride that I've started, with my grandma's help. That is 11 rides and over 330 miles of competitive trail and endurance put together.

In March I did my first one-day 50. It was special because I did not tell Mom, Dad or Grandpa I was planning to do a 50. The only people who knew were my grandma, my sister and me. It was the Lost Posse Ride up near Tallahassee, Florida.

It was really cold and my fingers were numb even with gloves. At the first vet check I was fine. At the second vet check, when I loosened Zing's saddle, the crupper pinched her and she went bucking all in circles which brought her heart rate way up. My grandma's horse pulsed down very fast and I was stuck with Zing at 69 and 65 for over five minutes. She finally calmed down. Before the trot-out she was 64 and after the trot out she dropped to 50.

At the end, Zing finished wonderfully but I couldn't even trot her out because I was so sore after riding 50 miles. If the vets had to judge me I would not have been "fit to continue." I'm glad they didn't judge the rider because I would have been grade 3 lame! I am planning to do mostly 50s next year.

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