Queen prepares for Saddle Horse Show Rodeo
Amanda Jacobsen believes her love of riding horses was
preordained.
”
The interesting thing is that my mom rode while she was pregnant
with me,
”
Jacobsen said.
”
So you could say that I’ve been riding before I was even
born.
”
Queen prepares for Saddle Horse Show Rodeo
Amanda Jacobsen believes her love of riding horses was preordained.
“The interesting thing is that my mom rode while she was pregnant with me,” Jacobsen said. “So you could say that I’ve been riding before I was even born.”
Now 19, Jacobsen rode solo for her first time when she was just 4 years old, around her family’s five-acre ranch in north San Benito County on a pony named Princess.
“I think I was born with a natural ‘want’ to do it,” Jacobsen said about riding. “Maybe it’s because my mom loves horses, too. We’ve had horses since we moved out here when I was 2.”
Jacobsen was selected to be this year’s Miss San Benito Rodeo two weeks ago after a competition against three other local riders that included a short reining pattern, flag run, presentation, a brief interview and communication skills. As one of the primary representatives of the annual San Benito County Saddle Horse Show/Rodeo, Jacobsen’s duties include attendance at various events, most notably the annual downtown parade and Grand Entry at the saddle horse show/rodeo. This year’s rodeo begins Friday, June 22.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the parade. I love it,” she said. “It’s so much fun. The parade gives you access to the community and shows horses to people who otherwise might not get to see one up close. It’s also a great opportunity to show everyone what the saddle horse show has to offer.”
Jacobsen began riding ponies at age 4, then moved up to Ponies of America (POA) – “which are a little bigger, 14 hands high instead of nine,” she said. Then she switched to paint and quarter horses, taking part in various competitions. She rode all-around, then did English and Western styles.
After a few years, Jacobsen switched to reining, a skill that requires the rider to guide the horse through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. The skills used in reining are based on the needs of early American herdsmen who worked cattle.
“I love reining. I compare it to being in a hot rod,” she said. “The idea is to show that your horse can work with a cow. My trainer once told me that if I could just focus on one or the other, all-around or reining, I could be really great at whatever I chose. But I can’t choose. I love them both.”
Last year, Jacobsen showed her paint mare, named Tinky’s Graceful Plan, at the Paint World Championships and the Pinto World Championships, winning Reserve Champion-Youth reining and fourth in open reining at Pinto World.
Winning queen competitions runs in Jacobsen’s family – her oldest sister, Margie, was named Miss San Benito Rodeo in 1995 and was Miss Grand National Rodeo Queen in 1997. Sister Vanessa has competed in numerous beauty queen contests. Jacobsen was a runner-up in 2005 before being named this year’s Miss San Benito Rodeo.
“It was amazing,” said Jacobsen, of winning the competition. “I have looked forward to this since I was a little girl. It’s always been a dream of mine (to be queen).”
The competition was not “extremely” hard, Jacobsen admits to being nervous.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” she said. “But I think the good thing about nerves is that you channel them into energy that works for you. If you are not nervous, you can take it easy or slack a little bit. It’s not hard, but more that you have to have faith in yourself that you can do it, and you have to have trust in your horse that they can do the movements.”
In addition to showing horses, Jacobsen also practices dog agility with her family’s three dogs, participates in several community service groups, such as Kicks for Kids and enjoys baking. A sophomore at San Jose State University, Jacobsen hopes to major in child development, with a minor in dance.
“When I was little, I hated dance class,” she said. “In sixth grade I started again, and finally decided it was something I wanted to do. I’m studying jazz and Latin styles, and I’m thinking about maybe someday working as a dance instructor for younger kids. Teaching goes well with training summers. Teachers get summers off and you can get off by 5 p.m., so you can work horses after work.”
In the meantime, however, Jacobsen is focusing on the saddle horse show and her duties as its queen.
“I think everyone should come out (to the rodeo). You have to try things at least once before you know if you like them,” she said. “The rodeo is a huge, action-packed event with a lot of wild West traditions in a great family atmosphere. It is definitely a lot of fun.”
