Page 41 - May 2018 Speedhorse

know it was coming; she just learned to sit that horse. She learned a lot.
“I’ve listened to a lot of different clinicians in
my life,” Dave adds. “I’ve used what worked for me, and then just passed those things on to Stevi, and she went on in later years to the newer clinicians and expanded from that and built her own program, which, in my opinion, is about as good as they get. I’d say she’s probably one of five or six girls I know of who really, truly knows how to let a horse be an individual and knows how to ride them.”
When Stevi was 13, her parents moved from Colorado to Vinita, Oklahoma, and Dave bought her a 5-month-old Paint colt, whom she called Zeke. “That was the very first horse I actually trained from the ground up,” she says. “I had an English saddle on him when he was 6 months old, and I had him until he was 10.”
While in Oklahoma, Stevi competed in rodeo pageants, earning the Miss Teen Oklahoma title in 2001 at age 14. Although she discovered her heart wasn’t in the pageants, her responsibilities helped her develop her public speaking abilities and discover her love for travel. “I’m a gypsy at heart,” she says.
THE MOVE TO TEXAS
Stevi moved from Oklahoma to Weatherford, Texas, where she was working for a polo player, in 2005 to get some basic classes out of the way at Weatherford College.
Stevi’s love for children was reflected in her original career goal to be a pediatrician. But
she realized that her passion for horses wouldn’t allow that kind of school or work schedule, so
she explored other options. “I love the medical field,” she says of her decision to get a radiology technician degree. “It’s very flexible. I don’t get much chance to work in it, but when I’m available they call me and they’re super supportive.”
While at Weatherford, Stevi and Ty got better acquainted as they participated with the rodeo crowd. “Our first date was actually roping the donkey,” Stevi says with a laugh. “That was in spring 2005. We became best friends.”
Asked what attracted him to Stevi, Ty says, “Obviously she’s beautiful, and then, she could rope! That was awesome! We were both down in Texas where we didn’t know anybody; we came because we wanted to rodeo. As we hung out more and I got to know her better, I got to know she was just the real deal.” They married in 2008, and their families soon followed them to Weatherford.
STEVI’S SUCCESS
Along with what Stevi learned from Dave, she absorbed many valuable lessons from trainers she’s worked for in the cutting, reining and polo disciplines.
She has trained three barrel horses who competed at the NFR: Im A Royal Design and Perfectos Dually in 2012 and Morning Traffic in 2016.
SPEEDHORSE May 2018 39
Im A Royal Design,
aka Hammer, and Stevi compete in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Perfectos Dually, aka JLo, with Stevi at the WPRA Finals in Nebraska.
Morning Traffic, aka Martini, and Stevi in Pendleton, Oregon.