H
er very first ride was on the back of a cow. She was four months old. Later she
graduated to pigs, sheep and ponies. “I began riding before I could walk,” says Dakota Rawson-Harris. “Dad would sit me in front of him when he rode. I had my first pony, Peewee, for my second birthday.” It was inevitable she would fall in love with horses. Her parents Sarah and Cody, both professional animal trainers, have ridden all their lives. “In the past I did Pony Club, hacking and dressage,” explains the 14-year-old from Samaria in rural Victoria. But in recent years Dakota has been making her mark in reining events. She was attracted to the sport because of her mum. “She’d take me to events along with my Quarter Horse Annlee Tom Thumb. I rode him for ten years. He’s now twenty and a one-in-a-million. My main show horse is Mississippi’s Destiny, a.k.a. Wheats. He’s nine and Mum trained and showed him before handing him to me three years ago.” After practicing in the show pen for a couple of years, Dakota began to ride Wheats in youth classes: “I love the horsemanship and the great people in reining. Also, I’m very competitive so having good horses to show is awesome!” And there’s another great horse waiting in the wings. “He’s Wheats full brother Destined to be Stylish, we call him Oats. He’s four. Mum will work him for his first year and then I’ll have him.” Dakota realises competition horses
YO U N G R I D E R
Reining it in
from whatever discipline require regular work to be successful, and their riders must be determined and committed. “Serious training began in 2019 when Mum handed Wheats over to me. Some days I just didn’t feel like it but I knew if I didn’t train, I didn’t show. So I’d put on
With her sights set on the 2023 Run for a Million reining show in Las Vegas, Dakota Rawson-Harris is determined to qualify, writes SUZY JARRATT.
my earphones and go off to ride on the arena, either before or after school. And every night I’d make sure he was back in a clean stable.”
