All little girls want ponies, but sophomore and FFA member Elizabeth Prokop actually got one.When she was in seventh-grade, competitive horseback rider Elizabeth Prokop entered an essay contest to win an Arabian Saddlebred horse.
In the essay, Elizabeth had to explain why she wanted a horse, why she wanted an Arabian and what she would do to take care of it.
“I wanted a horse so I didn’t have to share the lesson horses at my barn and so I could train it how I wanted it,” Elizabeth said. “I wanted an Arabian because they can do everything. They can run really fast for longer than most horses. They’re also nice and good-tempered.”
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The contest was sponsored by the Arabian Association to help promote the breed. Forty-four people entered, and Elizabeth won.
“I was really happy when I heard that I had won,” Elizabeth said. “We had just got back from drill team and I was really tired and about to go to sleep when they called with the good news.”
Elizabeth has been a horseback rider for nine years.
“My grandma had horses,” Elizabeth said. “I would always get to ride them. That’s how I got interested in them.”
Since she won the contest, Elizabeth has developed a unique relationship with her horse, Casino. Casino is 15 years old, 1,100 pounds and 15.2 hands tall.
“Casino’s kind of like my giant dog or my best friend,” Elizabeth said. “He follows me around and he generally will come to me when I call him. He listens to my commands and he listens if I tell him anything.”
Elizabeth rides at Woodhaven Stable in Allen.
“We are all like a big family there,” Elizabeth said. “We all get along and enjoy riding together. We all worry about each other and help each other out if someone needs it.”
Elizabeth enjoys the competitive aspect of riding horses.
“You get to do all different things in horseback riding, you don’t have to do just one,” Elizabeth said. “So you can do barrel racing, showing, trail rides, rodeos, or drill team. I do all of that. My favorite thing is probably barrel racing because you get to compete against everyone. You compete against your friends, but you’re all still friends in the end.”
Horseback riding can be dangerous.
“My worst injury came from when I was putting Casino in the trailer and he freaked out,” Elizabeth said. “My head went back and it hit the trailer. I really didn’t notice anything wrong until I put my hand up to my head and felt blood. I cleaned it off with a wet bandana and then didn’t really do anything else to it. It didn’t really hurt at all except my face was sore.”
Elizabeth has high hopes and aspirations as a horseback rider.
“I want to place first in a show,” Elizabeth said. “I also want to ride through college at A&M or OSU. They both have a horse team and good vet schools. When I get older, I want to be a large animal vet.”
At an early age, Elizabeth found her passion and true calling.
“I feel like I’m flying or free of everything when I ride,” Elizabeth said. “I want to ride horses for the rest of my life.”
