Then Shaye Andrews bursts into a rodeo arena, one hand gripping the saddle on her quarter horse, dubbed “Ace,” the intuitive pair rounds the first of three barrels with a keen combination of speed and agility that’s putting this Vero Beach teenager on the national rodeo map.
In just seconds, Shaye and Ace circle two more barrels in a cloverleaf pattern before bolting toward the exit—horse and rider proving to a cheering crowd that training and trust pay off.
“We’ve definitely developed a very strong connection,” Shaye says of Ace, a 9-year-old male red dun whose registered name is “Wonders Exhibit A.”
“I can tell he really trusts me, and I really trust him,” she adds; “I think that’s the most important thing, or else you’re not going to be able to have a good pattern.”…