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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2017)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, July 19, 2017 3B Teen performance horse exhibitor always displays a stable attitude JUSTIN MUCH STAYTON MAIL The corgi-Aussie mix puppy, Bailey, yawned once, then licked fingers and lounged as she sat in 15-year-old Emmer- sen Cook’s lap beneath a shady parasol on the back porch of the Cook family home Friday. In a sense, Bailey is a prize, or per- haps a reward for multiple prizes Em- mersen has earned these past few months while competing from atop one of her Paradise Stables horses. She’s earned enough hardware that her moth- er and trainer, Karmen Cook, mentioned that her father, Dan Cook, may have to build a separate shed to store it all. Bailey won’t be stored in that shed. Paradise Stables’ manicured grounds with adjacent stables and arena on the west fringe of Silverton are happy, if hard-working, environs for humans and critters alike. “Horses are a lot of work; there is a lot of effort involved behind the scenes be- fore that 5-minute (showing) in the are- na,” said Karmen, who has owned and op- erated Paradise Stables for 11 years and trained riders for a quarter of a century. “Lots of long, hard hours cleaning and taking care of the horses behind the scenes that non-equestrians are un- aware of.” Emmersen could fill a trophy cabinet of testimony to that hard work if her modest demeanor afforded such. But it took a bit of prodding from Karmen just to nudge her inside the house to fetch one medallion for an illustrative example of what is presented to performance horse exhibitors. By the numbers, Emmersen’s list of spring plaudits is impressive, even to equestrian-for-dummies ears. The Sil- verton High School sophomore-to-be won seven medallions at this month’s Marion County Fair: High Point Inter- mediate, High Point Jumping, High Point Ranch Horse, High Point Reins- manship, High Point Driving, High Point Combined Driving, and High Point Training Level Dressage. Of course, a little twist in the fair com- petition was that Emmersen had to com- pete with a different horse than the one she’d been competing with during this past school-year’s Oregon High School Equestrian Team competitions, then again at the Pinto Horse Association of America's World Show, June 12-24. She won a World Championship and a Reserve Championship as well as multi- ple top-5 placings in Tulsa, riding her trusty, if quirky, companion “Eliot,” a 15- year-old, pale-blue-eyed paint. Emmersen also rode Eliot through arenas of high school competitions this season, including the Champion Perfor- mance Rider out of 84 vying in the North Valley District. She was also the dis- trict’s Champion Rookie and won medals and state qualifying status in all of her performance events. Emmersen won Hi Point Reserve Champion out of 156 riders at state, then joined the top-5 Oregon riders, along with Washington’s top 5, to compete in PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE Emmersen Cook, 15, of Silverton is a rising star in the equestrian arena. the Pacific North West Invitational Championship where she won Bronze in Trail, Silver in Western Horsemanship and Silver in Huntseat. Following the Tulsa trip, its long trav- el and two-week competitions, Eliot was rewarded with a respite. At the fair Emmersen worked with versatile quarter-horse, Sally, a 24-year- old Paradise Stables veteran who has twice been snatched out of her retire- ment pasture to perform in a pinch. Sally’s veteran poise impressed equestrian officials at the fair, but Kar- men thinly veils her trainer/mother’s pride in underscoring the importance of its rider. “A lot of people think it’s the horse” Karmen said, elaborating the impor- tance of riding skills; technique, but be- yond that is the feel, connection, and in- tuition with the horse. Karmen stressed that her calm-coun- tenanced daughter demonstrates those intangibles. “It’s like, just because you have a nice pair of running shoes doesn’t mean you are going to win the race,” Emmersen analogized. Emmersen has been riding since about age 5. She recalls crying once while graduating to a canter stride, prod- ded on by her mother. But that passed. “Sometimes that can be a big bump for kids,” Karmen said. “It’s a hurdle they have to get over, and once they do they love it.” Karmen has trained scores of riders from around the Willamette Valley. She insists they take on a number of differ- ent challenges, become a complete rider rather than trying to specialize in one or two events. “There is no shortcut to being a great horse rider,” she said, adding that “One thing you can’t teach a rider is the feel.” Emmersen exhibits that feel. Perhaps more importantly, she exhibits a love for riding. “I plan on riding forever; I want to go to the Olympics,” she said. Karmen said there are a lot of differ- ent disciplines in riding, and the idea is to work at many events; be versatile and then you can narrow down your compet- itive focus. “Only problem is,” Emmersen inter- jected, “I haven’t found one I don’t like.” jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com or cell 503-508-8157 or follow at twitter.com/ justinmuch Emmersen Cook’s list of plaudits is impressive TRUST THE HOMETOWN EXPERTS AT SILVERTON REALTY SERVING THE EAST VALLEY SINCE 1975 Marcia Branstetter Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 318 Mary Cam Broker 503-873-3545 ext. 320 Micha Christman Offi ce Manager 503-873-1425 Becky Craig Broker 873-3545 ext. 313 Michael Schmidt Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 314 Ryan Wertz Broker 873-3545 ext. 322 Meredith Wertz Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 324 Chuck White Broker 873-3545 ext. 325 Christina Williamson Broker 873-3545 ext. 315 Mason Branstetter Principal Broker, GRI 873-3545 ext. 303 SALEM SILVERTON SILVERTON SILVERTON SILVERTON SILVERTON #A2401 SOLID SINGLE LEVEL .80 ACRES 2 BR, 2.5 BA 2175 SQFT CALL MEREDITH AT EXT. 324, RYAN AT EXT. 322 $414,800 (WVMLS#720097) #A2383, A2384 CREEK FRONTAGE 2 LOTS 1.1 ACRES & 1.09 ACRES CALL MARCIA AT EXT. 318 $179,000 & $162,000 (WVMLS#715865 & 715869) #A2409 EXCELLENT CONDITION 4 BR, 2.5 BA 2112 SQFT CALL MICHAEL AT EXT. 314 $402,500 (WVMLS#719657) #A2404 WILL FIT EVERYONE 4 BR, 2.5 BA 2496 SQFT CALL MEREDITH AT EXT. 324, RYAN AT EXT. 322 $399,900 (WVMLS#720148) #A2341 2 HOMES ON 2 ACRES 3 BR, 2 BA 1367 SQFT. 2.630 ACRES CALL CHUCK AT EXT. 325 $549,900 (WVMLS#709561) #A2410 VINTAGE 1950’S HOME 3 BR, 2 BA, 1760 SQFT CALL MEREDITH AT EXT. 324, RYAN AT EXT. 322 $348,700 (WVMLS#718215) SALEM SILVERTON SILVERTON SILVERTON SILVERTON SILVERTON #A2311 HOWELL PRAIRIE FARM 3 BR 2 BA 26.77 ACRES. 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