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"Equitation is our strong suit," Allen said, smiling at her partner.
Technically, Leroy is a pony, not a horse, but at 14.1 1/2 hands tall, he stands within half a hand of the 14.2 cut-off measurement.
"His trot stride is 5 feet," Allen said, "and that's really good for a pony."
Allen's obsession with horses started when she was young.
"My first word was 'no' and my second was 'horse,'" said Allen, daughter of Joel and Marcia Johnson of Webster and Baxter and Diane Allen of Glenville.
Her father bought Leroy five years ago from a couple in Clemson, S.C., and Allen immediately began working with him. She used some of the same techniques as Monty Roberts, whom some call the "Horse Whisperer," to establish a relationship with Leroy, who was skittish at first. Allen's patience and perseverance paid off, and together she and her pony have placed in competitions around the region.
Allen became involved with Jackson County 4-H, a Cooperative Extension program, when she was 9, and this year, she joined the District Show Advisory Board. As one of her duties on the board, Allen helped design the jump courses for the show. "At first, I thought it would be pretty easy," she said, "but there's math involved."
Allen and Leroy's partnership has been good, but now everything may be about to change. Allen graduated from Smoky Mountain High School Monday and will head off to Salem College in the fall, where she plans to major in biology and minor in zoology. She is a recipient of the Gramley Leadership and Service Scholarship, valued at $10,000 for each year of study at the college, and she also hopes to enter veterinary school.
While the future looks bright for Allen, it leaves very little time for a pony named Leroy. Then, too, the method of horse-showing in college is different.
"You don't take horses, just a team of riders," Allen said. The riders draw numbers to determine which horses they will ride, then they must show the horse with no preparation time. This method makes it much harder, since the riders have no idea what kind of temperament their horses will show. For this reason, the judging is based on equitation, the rider's skill, instead of the horse's performance.
Allen and Leroy traditionally compete in the Hunt seat division, which focuses on jumping and foxhunt-style riding, such as the walk, trot and canter. This differs from the Western division, also known as Stock seat, which involves herding, roping and other cowhand activities.
In June, local equestrians will participate in a 4-H riding clinic, as well as the Biltmore Hunter Jumper series, and in July, Allen and Leroy will head for the state competition. Allen does not have any definite plans for horse shows after college, but she would like to compete in the World Equestrian Games, rather than the Olympics.
"There's better competition there," she said.
For more information about 4-H activities, contact the Cooperative Extension Service at 586-4009.
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