Tate Talkington of Scottsbluff was in a bind early in 2019 when his horse developed Cushing’s disease and couldn’t compete anymore. Fortunately, Libby Winchell and her family were willing to help, allowing Talkington to use one of their horses so he could continue to compete. Talkington is grateful for the Winchell’s kindness, especially since the new horse he used helped him win state and world titles in 2019.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Tate Talkington, a freshman at Scottsbluff High School, gets excited when someone asks him about his horse, Cat. That’s understandable, considering the bond that’s existed between the 15-year-old Talkington and his former rodeo “partner.”
“I’ve had a lot of fun on her,” he said. “She taught me everything I know about how to ride a horse.”
Talkington began riding Cat when he was about 7 years old – right when he started getting involved in junior rodeo. Talkington said Cat was originally a calf roping horse, but Talkington used Cat to rope calves, tie goats, and run barrels.
“She let me do everything on her,” he said. “She was a great horse for me to learn on. We had a great connection.”
Over the years, Talkington and Cat combined their talents to achieve success at a number of rodeos, first in the junior rodeo ranks and then in the Nebraska Junior High Rodeo Association. One of their highlights together came during Talkington’s sixth-grade year, when he qualified for junior high nationals in two events. Talkington enjoyed more success on Cat his seventh-grade year, when he qualified for nationals in three events.
Talkington looked forward to having more success on Cat his eighth-grade year. But while they did enjoy success in the fall that season, Cat developed Cushing’s disease, which is a dysfunction of the pituitary gland. That caused Cat to shed all of her coat in late February of Talkington’s eighth-grade year.
“Her skin was really tender, so I couldn’t ride her at all,” Talkington said.
Talkington and his parents took Cat to the vet. Medication helped control Cat’s disease, but Cat no longer could perform competitively. So, Cat was officially declared “retired” from rodeo this past February.
“I had been riding her for seven years, so it was pretty devastating when I realized I wouldn’t be able to compete on her,” Talkington said.
Indeed, not being able to ride Cat put Talkington in quite a bind since the start of the spring rodeo season his eighth-grade year was only about a month away. Talkington needed to find a new horse to ride.
The full story is in the January issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $15. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 in January to the Buckboard Therapeutic Riding Academy.
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