Story by Lindsay Humphrey
On a Friday night in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Savannah Glover and her horse Friday (Good Friday Docolena) ran the fastest pole time of their entire rodeo career. It was good enough for first place and a trip to the Junior World Finals in Vegas. “Barrels was a bit more nerve wracking the next day because it was hard to tell who was in the junior division with Savannah and who wasn’t,” said Stacey Glover, the 12-year-olds mom. A big trip on the third barrel had the team questioning where they landed in the pack, but Friday made an excellent recovery and took second place. And as the only qualifying event for the Junior World Finals on the east coast, this was Savannah and Friday’s only chance at making the 2021 event.
Although the nearly 36-hour drive is daunting for horse and humans, Savannah is, of course, looking forward to her first trip to Las Vegas. “Qualifying felt really amazing. I was in shock because I wasn’t expecting it to happen. I was really happy, but nervous at the same time,” said the sixth grader. Savannah qualified and will be competing on the same horse in both events in Vegas. She teamed up with Friday in late 2019, but it was clearly a match made in heaven. “Friday was my step-up horse and he’s turned out to be my heart horse. I really wanted to try and qualify for the JrNFR in 2020, but I was still trying to get to know Friday.” A horse with a big motor and high on the muscle, Friday was a big change for Savannah. But he always takes care of her and it’s easy to tell he’d do anything for his girl.
Savannah Glover – Remembrances Sports and Event Photography
Both Savannah and her 15-year-old brother, Austin, are first generation rodeo competitors. In 2013, the pair started taking riding lessons and quickly discovered a love for horses which led them to rodeo. “There’s been a lot of people who have helped build Savannah up to where she’s at now. But if it wasn’t for that first person who introduced her to a horse, we wouldn’t be here,” Stacey said. Of all the people who have been instrumental in Savannah’s rodeo career so far, WPRA champion Jayme Myers has been the most recent. “I started training with Jayme in February and she’s really pushed me to get to the next level,” Savannah said.
Although most of Savannah’s time will be spent focusing on her runs, she’ll also be representing her region as Little Miss First Frontier. “I’m thinking I’d like to walk around and introduce myself to people and just have some fun, but still keep with Friday so I’m ready for my runs.” Always one to appreciate stiff competition, Savannah is also looking forward to running against girls from all over the country. “Barrels is my favorite event because I think it’s the most competitive and I like going against other competitive people. When I’m at rodeos, I think about what it’s going to be like going against new people because I know at Junior World Finals that’s what I’ll be doing. I also just like to go fast.”
As the self-appointed barn manager, Savannah has her hands full at home. She takes care of the horses every morning before catching the bus to school. But in addition to the horses, she also has her 4-H projects to look after: market goats and hogs. It’s all a labor of love for this animal obsessed cowgirl. None of Savannah’s endeavors would be possible without the support of her parents, Kevin and Stacey, and a whole herd of grandparents. But Savannah also has the support of several sponsors: Jiffy Lube, Merlo Brothers Roofing Inc., The Wicked Pony Tack & Supply, Myers Performance Horses, LLC, Tropical Smoothie Café, Amoss’s Lawn & Landscaping, Fancy Cowgirl Designs, Howard Trucking, Custom Cowgirl Designs, and Rememberances Sport and Event Photography.
