Emily Kent and On The Reydio Push Through Challenges for Youth Cow Horse World Title

Defying all odds with the help of her horse, On The Reydio (Reydioactive x Bewitching Ichi x Cat Ichi), Emily Kent took home the 2024 National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Kalpowar Quarter Horses Celebration of Champions Youth Cow Horse world championship. The tough duo marked a 438 (218.5 rein/ 219.5 cow) in the finals Friday, February 23 in the John Justin Arena at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Nearly a year prior, Kent had back surgery followed by fracturing her tibia, tearing every ligament in her knee and undergoing a second back surgery. Competing in a knee brace, she showed again for the first time and won by 4.5 points.

“I wasn’t really supposed to show, but they said I could ride. They said they weren’t going to take the plates and screws out for me to have ligament surgery for about six months, which fell right around February, but I already had my horse qualified and figured I might as well go,” Kent said. “Riding a horse with no ligaments in your leg is very hard. I did wear a brace, so that was acting more or less as those ligaments. I was definitely pretty crippled through the whole thing, but it was a good experience.”

Kent gives all the credit to On The Reydio for giving her the confidence to show again and get back into her passion. Her first horse to ever start and train, the 20-year-old from Jacksboro, Texas trained her go-to horse in multiple disciplines. The 6-year-old sorrel gelding, owned by Kent and bred by EE Ranches Inc, had his first shot at a world title, and he did his job and took care of Kent to get it done, putting this win right up there with her Youth World’s Greatest Horseman win in 2022.

“This win means a ton, probably more because of the injuries than anything, because I did have people tell me I shouldn’t do it because of these injuries that are pretty catastrophic. But, I just didn’t listen to them and told myself I was going to do this. This is my favorite horse, and it’s pretty awesome to win it on him,” Kent said. “It just means so much to me to go out there and be with a horse that’s had my back every step of the way. As silly as it sounds, that horse was there for every injury, and he brought me back from every single one of them. He would give his heart to make me happy, so this win will definitely be one I never forget about.”

Coming into the finals in the last hole, Kent simply felt grateful for the chance to compete, especially on On The Reydio. In the finals, the team adjusted to be better, and they took advantage of the opportunity in front of them.

“I remember telling myself, ‘Win or lose, I’m happy to be here on this horse.’ Like if I wanted to make the finals, there wouldn’t be another horse I’d want to do it on. Coming into it with a clean slate, I needed to run a little harder and faster. I looked at my judges card, and I knew what they liked and what they didn’t,” Kent said. “So pretty much, I just went in there and ran that horse, and he was with me every step of the way. He circled good. He slowed down good. He changed leads good. He ran and drug his butt good all three times. He turned around really good. Then, I remember taking a breath and saying, ‘Now, the fun part begins.’ This horse is a wicked fence horse, and there’s really not another one like him. The way he thinks and the way he moves on a cow is so smart.”

Coming in behind Kent and On The Reydio, Landri Lisac and Cat Walks Into A Bar (WR This Cats Smart x Sue C Shiner x Shining Spark) earned a score of 433.5 (213.5 rein/ 220 cow) to take home the reserve title. In third, Pinkerton Bridges and Shiney Little Rey (Dual Rey x Shiney Little Queen x Smart And Shiney) ended up just a point behind them.