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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
4 Wednesday, June 20, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Miracle horse took to the arena at Sisters Rodeo By Cody Rheault Correspondent Amid the noise and chaos of the Sisters Rodeo stood a small mare, quiet, peaceful, and obedient. Under the ban- ner of red, white, and blue she stood with the 2018 Sisters Rodeo Queen, Hailey Konze. The flag drifted in the breeze as the national anthem was sung and the crowd stood in honor. The mare stood below, ears perked and body calm after running the arena twice. She represented the Rodeo Association and the American flag at the start of every show. But Minnow, the 14-year old horse everyone saw, has more story than what people see. Minnow is small — just like her name indicates. Her coat is a dark chocolate color and smooth to the touch. Her mane flows with rich black hair with a vanilla stripe down the middle. Unassuming in presence and peaceful in the arena, few would take this small mare as a miracle horse. At 14 years old, Minnow is a product of hard work and nine years of unrelenting dedication. Definitive as they were, her first five years before her current owner have largely been a mystery. What is known is that she came from Montana with three previous owners and was sold over Craigslist in 2009 to her cur- rent owner, Kerri Raymond of La Pine, Oregon. Raymond describes PELLET PATIO HEATER The Lil’ Timber Minnow’s early years with her as “a train wreck.” The young horse appeared impos- sible and was plagued with medical conditions, includ- ing serious pain, and needed chiropractic work. The young mare could only lead in one direction, and Kerri found her back, hips, and neck to be in bad shape. Minnow wouldn’t take a saddle and trembled at the touch of a human. She had no foundation for Kerri to build upon. Raymond is no stranger to raising horses, but Minnow presented the seasoned horse- woman a unique challenge. Growing up around horses, Kerri doesn’t describe herself as the trainer type. Instead, she finds her value in developing relationships and trust with her animals. For advanced training and development she sends them off to profes- sional trainers, while learning from them herself and apply- ing them in her own way. She strives to develop well- rounded horses. They may not be professionals, or ribbon- winning horses; instead, she works for consistency. Minnow challenged Kerri’s lifelong skills. She recalls falling off Minnow more than any other horse in her life; a total of eight times to date. “I hit a lot of trees with her, too,” she said with a laugh. “And she broke a lot of fences.” Minnow ran from her fre- quently, and avoided her for years. She couldn’t touch the young mare without causing her to tremble and struggled to develop trust and a rela- tionship. Developing Minnow became a slow, painful pro- cess. Raymond eventually tried to sell her, but with no success. The hard work and dedi- cation Kerri provided took a slow turn in the mare. Developing her trust took years, and her medical barri- ers slowly came down. The growth of Minnow would eventually take a team effort of professional trainers, chi- ropractors, and a relationship with her owner. The young horse did change though, and she quickly developed into the horse Kerri believed in. Minnow no longer ran from her, instead she now looks for her and comes without fear. Utilizing her approach to developing relationships with her horses, Kerri patiently nurtured Minnow into a func- tional consistent horse. From there Minnow began to blossom. Her story of abuse to performing took shape as she started to participate in a variety of groups and activi- ties. Kerri introduced her into the world of Deschutes County Search and Rescue where she worked for three years in numerous missions to find lost and hurting peo- ple. She and Kerri now serve as a backup unit for the team. She then went on to become a member of the Deschutes County Sheriffs Posse as well, where she still serves Queen Hailey Konze presented the American flag on Minnow for each performance of the Sisters Rodeo. today. Minnow also went on to be involved in the La Pine Rodeo, OHSET, and Drill Team in 2011. In the 2018 Sisters Rodeo, she introduced the American flag for every rodeo event over the weekend, leading fellow queens and their horses through a show of respect and honor. Saturday morning she and the 2018 Sisters Rodeo Queen, Hailey Konze, walked the parade among cheers, noise, and distractions. Yet Minnow never wavered. Raymond described Minnow’s performance over See MINNOW on page 6 ONTHE CORNEROF SPINEST& WHOOD AVE Featured artist: Local pastel artist JoAnn Burgess and sunstone jewelry by Elyse Douglas. Sunday arts-n-bites, June 24. 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