Tiffany Martin spends more money on getting her horse, Josie, a massage than she does on herself.
“She gets the royal treatment,” said Martin, a Hollister resident who has competed in all but two of the California Gymkhana Association (CGA) State Finals Show since 1994. “She’s very much a part of our family.”
In the sport of gymkhana, the rider-horse relationship is paramount to success. The 300-plus competitors at the State Finals Show this week at Bolado Park can attest to that as well.
Amy Odom, 34, and Martin, 38, are sister-in-laws who know the value of establishing a strong relationship with a talented horse.
“If a rider and horse don’t connect or their styles don’t match up or even if their attitudes don’t match up, it can be a disaster,” Odom said. “It’s all about knowing your horse.”
Odom certainly knew something was wrong with her mare, Nala, in the first couple days of competition starting on July 25. Two days later, Odom called the horse dentist to get Nala checked out, and something came out of it.
“There was something really bad cutting into her teeth,” Odom said. “I felt at the beginning of the show something was wrong just by the way she was acting. She didn’t want to turn and she was shaking her head as if to say, ‘Leave me alone.’ She’s normally loving on me and listening really well.”
It was no surprise then that Odom’s first couple of days of competition was less than stellar from a results standpoint. However, Odom, who is a member of the California Gymkhana Association Hall of Fame, has transferred her priorities when it comes to the state finals show.
Odom has been helping her 4-year-old son, Brayden, in leadline events, a non-competitive category that has an adult helping young children through one or all of the 13 different events in gymkhana.
“Seeing my kids happy is more enjoyable for me than actually competing right now,” said Odom, who was a professional barrel racer from 2000 to 2008.. “Kids change you in a good way. It’s wonderful to share this experience with my family. It’s like camping with horses when we come out here.”
Martin’s 11-year-old daughter, Haley, competed in the State Finals Show. Martin loves watching Haley compete, knowing the level of commitment and time it takes to develop into one of the best riders in the CGA.
Martin has been riding Josie for just 18 months, but the two have developed tremendous chemistry. Josie is part of the family and treated with great respect. Even though Josie has done rodeos in the past, Martin describes their ride together in the CGA State Finals Show as “our first big show together.”
On July 24, the day before the start of the event, Martin rode Josie in a couple of practice runs.
“Today was more of a practice day to get a feel for the ground and to see how the horse would do with her footing,” Martin said. “The great thing is she’s a really quick learner and she’s got a really good personality.”
Cohesiveness between the rider and horse often determine success or failure, and no one knows that better than Odom and Martin, who both had several years of winning results at the CGA Finals State Show in the past.
“(The rider-horse) relationship is everything,” Martin said. “One of the most important things is you can’t be too far ahead or behind in terms of what you want the horse to do and then how the horse reacts to it.”
Whenever Martin gets the opportunity, she takes Josie to Salinas River State Beach in Castroville or Pajaro Dunes Resort in Watsonville so Josie can go swimming. Martin and Odom said enjoying gymkhana with the family makes every moment in the sport all the more enjoyable. Odom
“When I had kids, I started gymkhana again because it’s great to make it a family function,” Odom said.
Odom enjoyed a solid eight-year career on the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association competing in barrel races. Odom posted results good enough that allowed her to help pay the closing cost of her house and part of her college tuition. Currently a CT X-ray technician at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, Odom made the California Gymkhana Association’s Hall of Fame in 2000 and 2001, after barely missing out in 1997.
