A little more than 18 months ago, Josie Dockery was first introduced to horses during a sleepover at a friend’s house. At the time, Dockery, now a sixth grader at Welches Middle School, took a pony out and rode in some mock competitions around flower pots.

Today, the 11-year-old’s room is adorned with countless ribbons and other
prizes (including two belt buckles, two jackets, boots and a halter breast
collar); her spoils from various competitions (held by the Clackamas County
Gaming Association and other groups), including barrel racing, pole bending,
figure eight, key racing, stake racing, western riding, showmanship and more.

“I really want to go do NFR (National Finals Rodeo) barrel racing,” Dockery
said, referring to a major horse gaming event in Las Vegas. “It’s big.”

Dockery’s horse, Faith, a 14-year-old appaloosa, was set to be put down
before Dockery rescued her, shortly after being introduced to horses. Faith
was considered not to have good ground manners and not a horse for kids,
but Dockery gave her a second chance and proved Faith’s skeptics wrong.

“The first event it was rough, but then when we started doing more and more
we started doing better,” Dockery said, adding that she would just hang out
with the horse to help figure out how best to work with her. “My horse is
stubborn at times, but she comes around and she’s really sweet.”

Dockery and her parents, Dallas and Stephanie, credit neighbors, friends and
the horse community, including Jerry Carlson and the Palmateer and Searls
families, for helping teach Josie about taking care of a horse and providing
constant support.

“They’ve been a big big part of our life,” Stephanie said.

In preparation for event days, Josie typically heads to Eagle Creek the night
before, where Faith is kept, to prepare the horse trailer and get the hay bags
ready.

Then on the day of the event, she leaves her house as early as 5 a.m. and
might not finish competing until 6 p.m.

On top of all this, Josie still finds the time to participate in soccer, earn
straight A’s at school, serve as a student ambassador, do her chores at home
and even hang out with friends.

“I would say that I didn’t think that she was going to follow through with it,”
Stephanie said, adding that they usually go to Eagle creek three or four times
per week.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” Dallas added. “She’s proved it over and over again,
she’s committed to the horse.”

Josie, who also has dreams to be a crime scene investigator, now passes on
her horse skills and knowledge by setting up race courses in her yard with
soccer balls and coaching her friends through it.

And Stephanie recently rescued a horse, Penny, giving Josie another
challenge.

“She’s giving me lessons,” Stephanie said.

And sometimes Josie will look at the awards and trophies that line her room
reflecting on how far she’s come in the last two years.

“It feels awesome,” Josie said. “I’m considered a champion to some people.”