Samantha Kinney must enjoy being a horseback riding reserve champion- Saturday morning at the Merry Oaks Stables in Windsor in a Suffolk Horse Show Association event, the King’s Fork Middle School student got the award three times-in only two events!

Well, actually it wasn’t that hard; each event has three separate drills, so Samantha had six chances to get the honor (reserve titlists are the second-place finishers, behind champions). She got it once in Walk Trot equitation and twice in jumping.

&uot;Jumping’s more fun,&uot; Samantha said atop her quarterhorse Buddy. &uot;You’re more relaxed, and the horses can go as fast as they want. You just point where you want them to go. It’s kind of scary, because they can spook and you go flying off, but Buddy’s never done that.&uot;

Fellow Suffolkians Cassie Stockton and Katie Askew called pleasure their favorite event. In this competition, horses are judged on looking relaxed, among other things.

&uot;The judges are mainly looking at the horse, so I just have to make him look good,&uot; Cassie said. &uot;I’m trying to make him comfortable.&uot;

Early in the event, Katie piloted her Arabian quarterhorse Alex to two third places in Walk Trot and a fourth (fellow Nansemond-Suffolk Academy student Kendra Byrwa won the Maiden – age nine and under – competition).

&uot;Pleasure is fun,&uot; Askew said. &uot;I focus on keeping Alex slow and keeping his head down. I try to look like I’m relaxed and having fun. It’s easy on Alex; I just got him a couple of months ago, but he’s cute and he behaves.&uot;

When asked for their thoughts, Buddy and Alex just neighed.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com