Willie Horzepa and Panamas Diva win the Average title and Year-End title at the First Frontier Circuit Finals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, January 15-17.
Multiple time First Frontier Circuit Finals qualifier Willie Horzepa claimed her first Average title aboard 2014 mare Panamas Diva (Panama Edition x Jets Two Timing Tee x Mega Tee Moon). After an impressive showing inside the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, Horzepa and “Diva” left Harrisburg with $10,677.
“I always aim to try and be clean and consistent, which isn’t the easiest on her,” Horzepa said. “She is a horse that will make you work for it. She’s very fast, but the second you think you’re safe, she’s going to turn so you have to kind of do your best to really ride as hard as possible and get by everything.”
With the second and third rounds being back-to-back on the same day, Horzepa was focused on keeping the barrels up. Changing bits between rounds led to the fastest run of the finals, a 14.52 leading to the round win. Placing in the money in three of the four rounds and having four clean runs secured the Average title by .06 seconds. Horzepa also won the Year-End title.
“I had to win the average in order to win the year end,” she said. “I went in sitting fourth in our circuit with a goal of knowing that if I kept all my life skills at that point and horse in order that we stood a chance to at least move up in the standings.”
This win is even more meaningful as it proves to Horzepa that she doesn’t need to go to more rodeos to still climb the leaderboard. Horzepa also shows hunter jumpers and splits her time between rodeos and jumping shows. When she isn’t competing, she’s giving both English and Western lessons.
“I’ve gone to eight circuit finals consecutively, and this year I only was able to attend 18 rodeos which isn’t an immense amount due to my agenda of also showing jumpers, but I tried to be strategic and hit the rodeos that made sense for my horse and that we’re going to really count,” Horzepa said. “I’ve always had a dream of being able to accomplish something like this and seemed to be that this year was our time, and I think the horse deserves it too. I’ve been rodeoing on her since she was five or six years old and she’s just remained so consistent.”
The First Frontier Circuit consists of rodeos in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. While the region tends to lean more toward English disciplines and shows, the First Frontier Circuit Finals offers big money to rodeo competitorsin the region.
“Our circuit finals has only improved over the years and I think we’re lucky with the turnout that we got and added money that’s offered,” Horzepa said. “It makes a difference because our circuit doesn’t have as many rodeos that offer a large amount of money. Throughout the year, it definitely could cost you money in rodeo in means of a career. It’s nice when you get to go to circuit finals and some of that money and time and effort spent throughout the years is rewarded a bit.”
Horzepa plans to continue splitting her time between rodeos and jumping shows which another circuit finals in her sights.
“I think it’s a feasible way for me to be able to do both disciplines since obviously I rodeo at night,” she said. “So when I am able to go to a horse show during the day and then departfrom any horse show that I’m at, I usually drive to a rodeo and am able to do both in the same weekend. It makes it that I don’t have to choose one or the other. ‘m the type of person that I guess collects horses, so it gives them a purpose and I’m happy to ride as much as I possibly can.”
First round: 1. Karissa Landis, 14.91 seconds, $2,512; 2. Willie Horzepa, 14.95, $1,884; 3. Georgia Warner, 15.03, $1,256; 4. Renee Gardner, 15.19, $628.
Second round: 1. Stephanie Dyer, 14.77 seconds, $2,512; 2. Margaret Rusmisel, 14.98, $1,884; 3. Willie Horzepa, 15.12, $1,256; 4. Karissa Landis, 15.16, $628.
Third round: 1. Willie Horzepa, 14.52 seconds, $2,512; 2. Karissa Landis, 14.69, $1,884; 3. Renee Gardner, 14.83, $1,256; 4. Georgia Warner, 14.91, $628.
Fourth round: 1. Nicole Davidson, 14.74 seconds, $2,512; 2. Cassie Brantmayer, 14.86, $1,884; 3. Margaret Rusmisel, 14.98, $1,256; 4. Karissa Landis, 14.99, $628.
Average: 1. Willie Horzepa, 59.69 seconds on four head, $5,025; 2. Karissa Landis, 59.75, $3,768; 3. Margaret Rusmisel, 60.22, $2,512; 4. Renee Gardner, 60.71, $1,256.
