April Trusty Wins Barrel Racing Classes by Nancy Brannon Winning both the Junior Barrel Race at the Dixie National Quarter Horse Show in mid-February in Jackson, Mississippi and the Open Barrel Race Class at the Kudzu Classic in Holly Springs, Mississippi is a great accomplishment for anyone. But they are extra special for April Trusty, who is making a comeback in barrel racing on her 5-year-old Appendix Quarter Horse Gelding “JT” aka LEADING TRADITION. Horse owners grieve when they lose a favorite horse, and some liken the death of their equine to the loss of a dear friend or family member. April Trusty went through a two-year grieving period when she lost her long-time barrel horse JAKE. But her grief is now offset by the winning capabilities of her new horse JT. “Just five months after completing his training, he placed 18th out of over 800 horses at the Oklahoma City Futurity. He was the only three-year-old in the competition, running against mostly four and five-year-olds” April explained. “In his next major show, he placed 4th out of about 800 horses at the Mega Barrel Race in Jackson, Mississippi as a 4-year-old. And he had lots of wins in-between.” April has been riding her whole life. Her mother June recalls that she was “on a horse when she was three weeks old. When she turned two, she rode in lead-in classes at SASCA shows. As a four-year-old, she was riding in pony barrels, poles, speed, and pleasure classes. She grew up riding on Saturday nights at the SASCA shows.” “She got her first big horse at age 11,” June continued. And she got SPECIAL JAKE, when she was age 13. April credits him with “making me who I am today.” She describes him as a “phenomenal horse who won for her over 30 belt buckles and lots of money.” She competed and won on him for seven years, all through high school and following years. “When my friends were going to football games, I was going to horse shows,” April said. He died when April was age 20 and his death was a hard blow to her. “I doubted I could ever replace him. But after a lot of praying and crying,” she eventually got another horse, JT, who seems to have resumed JAKE’s winning tradition. April’s family has a tradition of involvement with horses. “It’s a family affair, both human and equine,” at Trusty Quarter Horses in Olive Branch, Mississippi, April and her mother said. All the family members are involved in riding, training and showing horses. Her mother June has shown horses all her life, too. “I used to show pleasure horses, but April liked speed better,” said June. “I have the need for speed,” April reiterated. April’s father Harold trains the horses; mother June does the videography; and sister Amanda, age 20, also rides. The family’s horses are related as well. While April was competing JAKE, her sister Amanda was competing JED, JAKE’s half-brother. Her new horse JT is also a half-brother, so she wanted to make sure that his name started with a “J” as well. All horses had the same dam, DARK AND FABULOUS, but were sired by different stallions. The horses all came from a Bill Jacobson, a trainer of racing Quarter Horses in Sadler, Texas. “Bill is successful with race horses on the track,” April said. “He races them as 2- and 3-year olds and then they make good barrel horses.” Bill and his wife Nancy Jacobson are co-owners of Running J Ranch. Soon, April will be acquiring JT’s full sister, “who looks identical to him and we’ll call her SIS,” she said. She and her dad Harold will train her all summer, getting her ready for the futurities starting in December. With as energetic a personality as her horses, and a passion for barrel racing, April has finally found a horse to replace her beloved JAKE who has a similar passion for barrel racing. She says she is “thankful for the many blessings in her life given through the horses she has had” the opportunity to ride and enjoy success.