sheridanclark

A Winning Birthday Present

sheridanclarkSheridan Clark (center) with her grandfather, Ron Clark, and mom, Becky ClarkSheridan Clark turned 14 on Dec. 2. Her birthday gift was Meradas Puddy Cat, a filly by Athena Puddy Cat out of Meradas Beauty Bars. On Dec. 10, the duo won the Limited Non-Pro at the NCHA Futurity with a score of 220. Earning a check for $11,601 will make it an even more memorable birthday.

“She’s so solid,” Sheridan says of her birthday gift. “She feels like an older horse to show. I don’t have to worry about anything – I have to worry more about myself than her. I know that she’s going to be fine. I just have to worry about getting my cows cut and getting up and away from the herd.”

Sheridan, who is an eighth grade honor roll student at Weatherford Christian School, says she tries to talk her mom, Becky Clark, into homeschooling all the time so she can spend more time with her horses. And it’s not like Sheridan hasn’t spent a lot of time in the saddle. Her dad, cutting horse trainer Jason Clark, recalls a helmet-wearing 3-year-old pushing cattle to him in the practice pen before he became a million-dollar earner.

Kelsey Lee Weeks, of Cotulla, Texas, and Metallic Jones had the pressure of the first draw in the semifinals but were 10th to work in the finals. They marked a 217 and led with five horses left in the second set.

The 24-year-old Weeks describes the Metallic Cat gelding out of the Smart Little Lena mare Smart Starlight as smart.

“He tries hard, and he’s extremely talented,” she says. “He’s been such a joy.”

Weeks says “we were at the right place at the right time” when they purchased the gelding at the NCHA Summer Spectacular sale this year as a 3-year-old.

“I was very relieved that I finally got it together and made good cuts,” Weeks said. “I didn’t know how we would do, but I didn’t care what my score was honestly. I was proud of the run that we had put together.”

Weeks and Metallic Jones earned $11,318 as the Limited Non-Pro Reserve Champions.