50 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
One
BIG
Pony-Sized Secret
e
By Katie Navarra
S
uccess on the A circuit is often equated with expensive
horses and full-time professional training. There is no
denying that this combination is critical to the success
of many; however, every now and then riders like Julia Davis of
Apex, North Carolina remind us that perseverance, courage and a
little bit of luck can also bring victory.
Like most teenage girls, Julia wanted a horse. She often walked
to the stable near her home to visit. She decided her 13th birthday
present would be a riding lesson.
Once seated in the saddle, she was scheming to buy a horse
of her own. The very next day, she searched online ads but, with
only $200 cash, her options were limited. Weanlings, stallions and
30 year-old lesson horses were the only choices.
Though completely inexperienced herself, Julia wanted a young
horse to grow-up with. She nearly ended up with a four-year-old
stallion, but when the seller asked to speak with her parents she
quickly ended the call. Julia had no intention of telling her mother
she was buying a horse.
Eventually, she found the ad she was looking for – a two-year-
old, 15.2 hand, sorrel mare named Fly Me To The Moon, or Rita.
An unregistered Quarter Horse, Rita was described as unruly and
untrained. The seller warned that Rita cow-kicked and bit too.
Once the sale was final, Julia found a hauler on Craigslist to bring
the mare home.
Rita arrived at a neighbor’s place, a few doors from Julia’s
home. “My neighbor had lots of animals – goats and chickens –
that he let me come over and play with any time I wanted,” she
Julia and Rita have jumped their way
from a secret to great success.
Photo by Shawn McMillen
said. “He always told me I could bring an animal there.”
He never expected her to bring a horse.
He agreed to let Rita stay and promised not to call her mother.
“When Rita got off the trailer I thought she looked small, but I didn’t
know what 15.2 hands meant,” Julia reminisced. “I later learned
she is only 14.1 hands.” She also learned the shaggy coat Rita
wore was not to keep her warm, but were actually signs of neglect
and malnourishment.
Even with the sale finalized and Rita on the property, Julia
never told her mother she owned a horse. She cautions others
not to pursue the same path to ownership. “It was a terrible idea,”
she admits. “You have to make sure you have a solid place to
have a pony and know how to take care of it before buying one.”
She relied on horse books, RFD-TV and online training videos
to learn how to care for, ride and train the green mare. When
questioned about her sudden interest in horses, Julia told her
mother the neighbor had bought an untrained horse and allowed
her to help with the training.
Both of Julia’s parents suffer from devastating illnesses. When
Julia was a toddler, her father was placed in long-term care after
suffering from a debilitating aneurism. Her mother battles her own
health issues, including degenerative disc disease and rheumatoid
arthritis. Since both parents were preoccupied, her mother never
questioned Julia’s explanation.
So, the charade continued for three months. Until the neighbor
tired of chasing Rita and repairing fences after she’d escape. He
called Julia’s mother and told her the horse had to go. Her mother,
of course, argued that it was his horse, not Julia’s.
Continued on page 52
How Julia
Davis hid her
pony from her
mother, trained
her via RFD-TV
and books and
competed her
on the national
circuit.
No kidding.
