32 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Kim Patterson,
Haley’s mother, and
Dream of Dance II
before a grand prix
in Florida.
Haley with two of her
barrel racing horses,
Blazin Firewater (left)
and Val’s Alive.
Blazin Firewater and Haley finished as Reserve Champion
money earner at the NBHA Super Show in June.
you point a camera at him. Haley was 16 when “a freak encounter”
brought them together. “A friend wanted to board him at my house,
but I was burned out on dressage and said I never wanted to show
again,” recounted Haley. “My mom told me ‘never say never.’ I
said I didn’t want another dressage horse. My mom said, ‘never
say never.’ The horse had a suspensory problem and needed
stall rest. My friend wanted to find a home for him. He was a fire-
breathing dragon and an idiot – a 17.2 hand chestnut with three
white socks.”
The friend dropped off a DVD of the horse. They watched it
and the rest is history. “My mother said he was too good to pass
up. I thought I would be stupid not to take this horse for free,”
admitted Haley. “The owner wanted to know if I was interested.
I said I couldn’t find his show record. Now, I am a big believer in
fate and destiny. When she said, ‘Hollywood isn’t his show name,
it’s Never Say Never,’ I took that name to be a sign. I said, I’ll take
him.”
It wasn’t easy: they didn’t get along and Hollywood had more
lameness issues. When they qualified for Junior Young Riders,
Hollywood went lame three weeks before. Haley, 17 at the time,
decided not to go. Young Riders must use double bridles at Prix
St. Georges and her quirky Dutch Warmblood didn’t like two bits,
so Haley opted to compete him in open classes and use a snaffle.
Five years later, they now get along and understand each other.
“The lady said I have to keep Hollywood until he dies, so I call
him my husband, ‘til death do us part,” Haley explained. “He’s the
most awful horse on the ground, to tack up, to do anything – a total
butthead. But you get on him and, if he feels like doing something,
he’s a totally different horse.”
So far their greatest triumph has been earning the Junior Prix
St. Georges Reserve Championship at the 2012 Region 2 Finals.
Haley has one more year as a junior and hopes to take Hollywood
to grand prix. They were qualified for the Region 1 & 3 Finals in
October (at press time). Haley shows an Arab for its owner and
they qualified for the Nationals at training level.
As for her barrel racing, Haley’s horses can really turn and
burn. So far, Val’s Alive has the edge over Blazin Firewater and
Brightways Brave Heart. “Val is a different story from my other
racers,” Haley stated. “He’s a freak of nature – wild and out of
control, but he has come a long way in the two years I’ve had him.
What works is that I get on and assess what mood we’re in. If he’s
in a good mood, we do walk-trot and I try to get him really supple.
If he’s a ball of fire, we try to lope a simple circle. If we accomplish
something, that’s a good day. Val fulfilled my permit – won $1,000
– in two rodeos when I started on the pro circuit – he’s insanely
good.”
Their biggest cloverleaf win to date was qualifying for the
2012 Youth World Championship and winning the reserve
championship. They took home $2,100 in prize money, a jacket,
boots and a belt buckle. “We got beaten by 2/1000th of a second
for the championship and there were 1,200 kids who qualified.
Each go-round took three days,” Haley recalled. “I hit a barrel first
round – DQed – but we had a second round redemption that put
us into the finals with the top 150 kids.”
Haley’s mom Kim, justifiably proud, emphasized, “Haley’s a
great kid and I’m not an easy mom. I’m from the school of tough
love. She has to work, help with the barn work, pay her entry
fees and be responsible. What I think is good about doing both
is that dressage is so intense with too much pressure – the kids
don’t have fun. I tell my daughter: go, enjoy your horses, have
fun. If you aren’t having fun, you make yourself and your horses
miserable. Barrel racing makes her think a lot quicker. She’s used
to working under pressure and she’s learning to take that to the
dressage. There’s a big difference between 14 seconds and four
to eight minutes for a test. Position is the only thing challenging
Haley going either way. This family loves challenges.”
About that reality TV show? Kim earned the bottom line when
she said, “We think it would be the most watched. There is never
a dull moment with the Pattersons. The goose won’t let the UPS
man out of his truck. Life is always interesting.”
Turn and burn to a canter pirouette... Girl and horse ride into
sunset…
About the writer: Sidelines staff writer Lauren R. Giannini is an award-winning
“wordsmith” specializing in stories and photos about the equestrian world. Crazy
about horses her entire life, she lives in the horse and hunt country of Virginia.
Lauren’s motto is “write, ride - not necessarily in that order!”
Photos Courtesy of the Patterson/Good Thunder Farm, unless noted otherwise.
