story by Siri Stevens
Smidge came from a bucking string – her mom was a bucking mare and nobody knew who the dad was. Otis Jennings, who was in charge of the J-J Rodeo company, didn’t want the colt, so he gave her to the his grand daughters, Megan (Jennings) Hendricks, and Darcy, and Mandy. The girls were the perfect age to work with her, so they did. When she grew up, their dad, Bud, rode Smidge on the ranch. Smidge really liked the ranch work, even though she was small. She was always real gentle. She hasn’t bucked a day in her life; you can’t get her to buck.
The girls took Smidge and started rodeoing on her. “She excelled at the trail class,” said Megan. “We never could find another niche for her. We tried goats, she would yard dart me every time because she would turn right back around to run home as soon as we stepped off of her. She wasn’t quite quick enough being so small to compete in the barrels and poles. But she took to the trail course right away!” All three Jennings girls competed on her, and then she was passed to the Jones who shared her with Emily Miller. “When we graduated from high school, we knew Emily didn’t have a good trail horse and she took Emily to reserve world champion.”
Kenzie remembers when she got Smidge. “She’s done a little of everything. I got her when I was seven. I had a year to get with her before I could start junior girls trail. All the Jennings girls were very tall, so it took a while to get with her. The trail course includes running through and unlatching a gate – they had long arms, I don’t, so I had to get her to adjust to that. In the past we’ve made it back to the short go six or seven times. Last year as junior girl I was third and last year I ended up fourth, and this year I was fifth in the world with Carlie finishing third.”
The Jones have had Smidge for 12 years now. At 31, she is still on a regular diet of high quality alfalfa hay and probiotics. “One interesting fact on Smidge is her teeth are in better shape than an 18 year old horse. We have her teeth worked on yearly and for her age- they are amazing- just like Smidge. Smidge will do anything you ask,” said Karen. They keep her legged up, but at this point in her life, she knows her job. “She’s been doing it for 20 years. That’s all we do on her now,” said Karen. “She has a personality; she gets mad when we leave her at home. If you put a halter on her and open all the gates, she would load herself in the trailer.”
Both girls are hoping to head back to the NLBFR this year, and compete one more time on their beloved Smidge. “I really want a world title on her this year,” said Kenzie, who is now a freshman at Garden City Community College.
“She deserves it more than anybody – she’s part of the family,” said Carlie, a junior at Elkhart, Kansas, in the very southwest corner of the state.
