Leilani is an incredible person and friend. She has done so, so much for me in learning about horses, caring for them, riding techniques...she was the one that told me that Knight was for sale.
She never tires of my questions. Always tells me that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Constantly encourages me in stuff about horses. She's just incredible.
And she is the best horse-person ever. I have never met anyone that knew SO much about horses before. She is a huge inspiration to me...and I hope she can be to you too. Love you, Lani. ♥
I thought it'd be such fun to interview her and let you peek into her life through this interview. I hope you enjoy it:)
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1)
When
did your infatuation with horses begin?
I guess I’ve always been in love with
horses. Actually, scratch that. My first
love was dinosaurs, but to my five year old’ self-dismay, I realized I would never
get to have a dinosaur…so horses were the next best thing.
2)
Tell
us a little about what you were like before you had a horse. What were
some ways that you tried to be around other horses?
My grandparents always brought me to the St. Paul and Thunder Mountain rodeos.
Any parade, pony ride, hay wagon ride, horse summer camp, friend’s house with
horses, distant relatives house with horse…I was there. When I was a little kid
(and didn’t have a horse), I always pretended I had an invisible one. When I
became a ‘tween’, I just got really depresses and spent most of my time in
books with horses.
3) Did you like to study/read about horses?
To be honest, before I had horses I thought I was pretty smart. I could name
off over a 100 different breeds, the colors, what a hand was, and other pretty
useless facts. When I finally got the real deal, I felt kind of lost. I’ve
found the more I learn about horses the more I realize I don’t know.
4) What was your first real interaction
with a horse?
I’m not really sure. I DO remember my first ride on a ‘real’ horse though! I
was so excited that nobody was leading me, and it wasn’t a pony. A distant
cousin of mine brought me on a trail ride and let me ride in front of her on
her saddle on this beautiful palomino gelding (I was that small).
5) Tell us about your first horse!
Name, age, breed, how long you had him/her…
My first horse I got when he was 23 (?) years old. His name was ‘Smokey Bonitas
Maximus’ (Smokey, for short) and he was half-Mustang, half-Appaloosa and about
14.1 hands tall. He was given to me by some friends, and I was a little
disappointed he was an ‘old’ horse but looking back he was the best thing for
me, and I was too excited to care that much anyways about his age. I had him
for 3yrs or so then sold him to a family for their young kids to learn on.
6)
Since
having that first horse, what are some others that you’ve had?
Oh boy, way too many! In the
beginning we (my mom and I) didn’t know how to buy the ‘right’ horse so we made
a few mistakes along the way. I have stories about all the horses I’ve had…they
were all special in their own ways. If I had to pick a few I really miss it’d
be my first Quarter Horse, Twister. He gave me a lot of confidence and we had a
lot of success together. Shawnee was my first horse I absolutely fell in love
with…just looking at him I couldn’t help but admire everything about him
despite all of his flaws. He went chronically lame in his front end and I had
to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t afford his vet bills. It was a
tough decision to make to sell him to someone who could, but it was the right
thing. Horses will give you the highest highs and the lowest lows.
7)
How
did you get involved in the Rodeo Court at your local county fair? Tell
us about how you were nominated as Rodeo Princess 2009.
Well…I had just bought Twister that spring and I decided to take reining
lessons to better my riding. The trainer suggested I try out for rodeo court
only two weeks before the competition. I
wrote my speech and submitted my entry forms…I really made a botch of most of the
pageant in my opinion, but I had decent horsemanship, and tied for first in the
speech competition so I got on. There were a few girls I was competing against
that didn’t get on that were really good.
I never thought I’d actually beat them.
It was supposed to be practice for the next year.
8) How
did you feel when you realized that you had won Rodeo Queen 2010?
So very happy!! And like I had earned it. I may have looked
silly in 2009 but in 2010, I was prepared and came back to win all the major
categories.
9) What were some requirements that you had
to meet in order to be part of the Rodeo Court?
There were a lot of rules. You couldn’t be engaged, pregnant, over or under a
certain age. You also had to agree to
attend in county events, and all of the obvious things. Act like a princess. Some people don’t realize
that doesn’t mean dress up and get a lot of attention. It means be courteous to everyone, and inspire
little children to do great things. Be a
role model.
10) What
is one of your favorite things to do on/with horses?
I really enjoy working cows. Every time I have worked a cow on a horse I have
come away with a huge smile on my face whether it went awful or I won the whole
show. I don’t know how to explain it. There
are just so many variables between you, your horse, a cow, and team-mates.
11) Who,
would you say, was your most influential ‘horse person’ (encourager) that you
knew?
I’ve always had several. Stacy Westfall has been a huge inspiration to
me. I guess it switches depending on what I’m striving for. There are so
many people in the horse industry that I respect. It takes a lot to be at the
top of any horse discipline. My step-dad, Don, has always been my staunchest
supporter and I love him for that.
12) Tell
us about the horses that you currently own.
Right now, I have a 3yr old filly named Guess,
and a yearling named Pistol. They are
half-sisters by the same stud. Guess is Sorrel with a question mark on her
forehead, and Pistol is a cute buckskin. I am really excited about these girls,
and have a really close bond with Guess and hope to build one with Pistol.
13) What
are some of your favorite horse books and movies?
I absolutely love ‘The Man From Snowy
River’ both 1 and 2. ‘The Horse
Whisperer’ was a great book. Also the original ‘Black Beauty’ is a wonderful read. Most of the time, though, I read training
books and veterinary manuals, and watch training videos by various trainers.
14) What
would you tell a person who loves horses, but isn’t able to have one at the
moment?
I would tell them not to give up because it is worth it! And anything is
attainable if you set your mind to it. Trust me, I always dreamed of having a
horse, but I think in my heart I had always accepted the fact that I probably
would never get to have one.
15) What
is one thing that you have learned by having horses?
Patience! And so many other
things. They have taught me about life,
how to be an adult, when to cry, when to laugh, when to just be quiet and enjoy
the moment, that sometimes it really isn’t the end of the world, and that no
matter what I am loved. I thank God every day for my horses. I think without
them I’d be lost.
16) Do
you plan on getting any new horses in the near future?
Oh I’m sure eventually I will. I’m
planning on raising my girls and breeding them some day. But it seems like
horses are always falling into my lap. I’m sure I will buy more within the next
few years to train and work with.
17) Tell
us a little about yourself – besides horses. ;) What are some other
hobbies that you enjoy?
I really enjoy photography! I would rate myself as an amateur at best, but I
have fun. I don’t do a whole lot else outside of horses. I am a pretty reserved
person and always have been. I love to read, and spend time by myself. I’ve
never been much of a social butterfly outside of horses, and that doesn’t
bother me at all. I hate bees, and I can’t swim, but I am Hawaiian. If that
makes sense ;)
18) How
did you get started in photography?
I always loved taking pictures and
wanted to be able to take better ones. What really got me going was my new
camera, and I am still figuring it out. I like sharing my life through my
pictures, and I think there are a lot of people who can relate. :) You know
what they say…picture is worth a thousand words.
19) Do
you have a website for your photography?
I have a Facebook page under ‘Hoof Beats Photography’. My friend has been
helping me run it due to my busy work schedule at the feed store.
20) In
closing, what is something you’d like to say to all horse owners (or dreamers!)
out there?
To keep an open mind, and that loving is much easier then hating. Horses taught
me that too.
