Decked out in chaps, cowboy hats and outfits that range from simple to elegant,15 riders on horses enter the coliseum for the Western Pleasure equestrian competition. Amanda Jordan, a 17-year-old senior at Pine Grove high school in Ripley, Miss., may be the youngest rider by at least a decade, but shes not intimidated by her opponents. After all, shes been riding since she was 2 and tasted victory on many occasions.

Running in Circles
A judge directs the competitors to walk, trot and then lope in a circle around the coliseum. The riders lead their horses through the seemingly endless circling that is a Western Pleasure competition. Amanda admits that an untrained spectator may find this boring.

People say, All you do is ride in circles, Amanda admits in her thickn-easy Mississippi drawl.

But while a novice might notice only endless circling, there is much more than just horsing around; there is a lot of skill and discipline involved. The circling just allows competitors to show off their hard-earned riding form and style.

After circling in one direction, youll turn around and go the other way, says Amanda. But its the same thing. Walk, trot, lope. Then theyll tell us to line up in the middle of the arena where theyll call out the winners.

Walk, trot, lope sounds simple. It would be simple if horses were more like motorcycles. But horseslike peoplecome with varying degrees of stubbornness and personality. Thus, Western Pleasure riders compete to see who is best at guiding his or her horse through the paces  in style. 

Theyre looking for the horse that moves the bestits rhythms, the way it looks, the way the rider sits and the overall form, says Amanda. Its challenging for both the horse and me. Literally, I have to ride the same horse for several hours every day if I want to be good at it.

Amandas dedication to Western Pleasure riding has paid off. Every year, riders start off at the 4H district level, then advance to state and finally to the regional level. Amanda has made it to the regional competition four times, once placing second and once fiftheach time out of 125 finalists.

For regionals Ive gotten to go places like Louisiana, Georgia and West Virginia. Its fun because you get to meet so many different people and you get a little medal and a ribbon, Amanda says.

A Different Circle to Run In
Along with the Western Pleasure competitions that have led Amanda around the country, shes had other experiences that have radically impacted her lifelike the short-term mission trip she took two summers ago to Arlington, Texas. Going to Arlington with her youth group from Mount Olive Baptist Church was life-changing. Amanda says that God used the mission experience to show Himself in many ways.

When we first prayed about the trip, we decided we wanted to go to Arlington, Amanda says. But we really didnt have the money to take the trip. Then people just started donating money and, before long, it all came together. It was a lot of money! I guess God really wanted us to go on that trip.

Probably the hardest part of the whole trip was on the first day when we got there and had to split up. Another girl and I went to a church with Hispanic peoplemany didnt speak English, and we didnt know what they were saying. But we taught a Sunday school class and did songs and Bible verses. It was a fun, neat learning experience.  

After witnessing Gods provision for the group, and His faithfulness during the experience of being with people from a different culture, God had even more excitement in store for Amanda.

We were witnessing to kids, and doing plays for them that were about Jesus, Amanda says. I got to witness to one little girl all week, and at the end of the week, right before we left, she accepted Christ. It was awesome. I came back telling everybody; I was so happy.

Whether it is meeting the challenge of a Western Pleasure competition, or sharing Christ with others, Amanda is learning what it means to trust God and let Him work in and through her life. And with college on her horizon, theres just no telling where Hell lead her next.

Special thanks to youth leader Brenda Paganelli for her help with this article.