Grace Fields is like any other 14-year-old girl. She loves her family, her friends, her coaches, and animals big and small; however, one distinct difference sets her apart: she is the Novice Youth National Champion for the American Ranch Horse Association.
Grace started riding when she was four and has been an equestrian ever since. She has been training with the same coaches, Amanda Pope and her father, Dennis Pope, have been working with Grace since she was small. She has literally grown up at the Popes' stables, Flamekissed Farms.
Amanda explains, "So being a Novice Youth National Champion, you're looking at a really novice rider that hasn't been showing at a national level more than three years."
Dennis describes the preparation for this hard-earned title as "lots of practice, lots of riding," and explains, "This youngin' has the drive, the horsemanship ability, and the time in Mom and Dad's life where they can support her."
Grace has had determination from a very young age and has benefited from the second family at Flamekissed Farm.
"It's a community. She's been riding since she's four, but she's had us as family, us as a horse community to help her," Amanda says.
Grace's winning horse, Mr. Quixote, affectionately known as Q, is 13. Grace has been riding Q off and on since she was six.
There were 24 shows that Grace and Q competed in last year as far north as Ohio and as far west as Missouri. Grace's mom, Stephanie, describes the 25,000-mile adventure that has led them around the country.
"We have a 37' living quarters horse trailer; we would camp at the shows," Stephanie says. "It was a lot of togetherness."
Grace told Amanda that she was ready to compete, and they fully committed to competing to an entire 52 weeks of horse shows.
"Usually I ride three to four days a week, two hours a day," Grace says. "and usually showing three days a weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday."
"For her national title, to win it, there was a young lady up in Wisconsin that was running against her all year," coach Amanda explains. "and it came down to the last two shows. Gracie had to step up."
With only twenty points separating the two equestrians, the final shows proved each contestant to be neck and neck.
"They showed against each other in Missouri, in Georgia, and in Florida, and that was the last three shows of the year," Flamekissed Farms owner and coach Dennis says. "And Grace ended up winning by over 200 points."
Grace credits her win to perseverance and inner fortitude.
"Its a lot of dedication and it takes a lot of patience. There's happy times, sad times, lots of different emotions," she says.
She describes the feeling of her win as "a relief" and "a time when you can start breathing."
Grace's late grandfather, who she lovingly referred to as "Papa," was her impetus to win the national title.
"We talked about it all the time and I promised him that I was going to win it," Grace says, "and whenever he passed away I had set that in stone that I was going to win it no matter how much it took."
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