story by Lindsay King
Every time Haidyn Phillips enters the rodeo arena she’s doing something with cattle, but her two events are very different. This Channing, Texas, cowgirl has a hard time picking between breakaway roping and reined cow horse as her favorite. “I like breakaway because it is exciting and fast paced, but I can say the same thing about cow horse,” said the 17-year-old. There is something about the horsemanship required for the reined cow horse, though, that rises to the top for Haidyn. “It makes you a better rider and you have to work as a team with your horse. The fence work is my favorite part. Getting a good, hard turn is the best feeling ever.”
After almost every reined cow horse run, Haidyn said she is usually breathing just as hard as her horse. But how did this ranch-raised high school senior get into the event? It’s actually a funny story. “I heard about the event when I was in junior high, but I had no idea what it was. I was clueless. I showed up at the first show with my breakaway mare (Knotch) after two days of practice on the pattern. We kind of just went and did it.” The score might not have been anything to write home about, but the feeling for Haidyn certainly was. “What’s funny is in the reining part my breakaway horse was awful, but in the cow work she was one of the best.” Haidyn and Knotch worked with Todd Crawford because he saw untapped potential in the pair for the event.
After qualifying for nationals in the reined cow horse last summer, Haidyn and her family (parents, Jack and Tara; and brother Zane,15) decided it was time to step it up a notch with a new horse. “I finally found out what it was like to show a really good horse.” Haidyn showed up at nationals with Notch and her new reined cow horse, Fred. While Haidyn is competitive like anybody else, rodeo is about a lot more than that too. “I woke up early every day to practice and it was just a great experience. I love going to nationals. I got to see some good friends of mine from New Mexico and we just got to hang out and go fishing. I loved it.”
This fall Haidyn was making her way home from a rodeo in Woodward when every horse owner’s worst nightmare became reality for Fred: colic. “We stopped for diesel on the way out of town and Fred had laid down in the trailer. We knew something was wrong so we took him to the vet.” It appeared they caught it in time, so they started home with Fred. On the drive, he took a turn for the worst. “We were almost home when Fred just crashed, and we ended up in Guthrie for surgery.” Despite their best efforts, the veterinarian couldn’t save Fred. It was a devastating blow for Haidyn, one she continues to wrestle with as the rodeo season moves forward. “He was my man. He knew that I was his person. It was really hard to see him go like that.”
Even though it won’t ever be possible to replace Fred, Haidyn is moving forward in the reined cow horse pen. Until she finds a suitable cow horse, Knotch is back on the roster. “We are trying to find a new horse but if I have to teach my mare all that I learned from Fred, then I will enjoy it.” Spending time with Todd and Wade Meador opened Haidyn’s eyes to the possibility of becoming a horse trainer herself one day. “I saw what they were doing and I thought it would be really fun.” Haidyn found a college that offers a horse training and management program that she plans to pursue after graduating from Channing High School this May. “When my horses do something that I taught them I am absolutely giddy, it feels really great. I get this amazing sense of accomplishment. That’s what made me want to be a horse trainer.”
