After so many match-race wins, so many titles earned and so many
buckles won, it may have come as a bit of a shock when learning
that Apple Valley’s Makayla Babiy had switched out her horse, from
the famed Aftershock to The Machine.
TRES PINOS
After so many match-race wins, so many titles earned and so many buckles won, it may have come as a bit of a shock when learning that Apple Valley’s Makayla Babiy had switched out her horse, from the famed Aftershock to The Machine.
After all, Babiy (formerly Makayla Foster) earned six first-place finishes in 13 events at last year’s California Gymkhana Association State Championship Finals, and was named overall match race champion for the fifth straight year while riding atop the then-13-year-old Aftershock.
But, as it turns out, only the name changed — the horse stayed the same.
“Roger Odom, who runs CGA, calls him The Machine. But he’s still Aftershock,” clarified Babiy on Friday at Bolado Park. “He says I have buttons for each event, and I just push a button and he does it for me.”
It’s not entirely far-fetched. Babiy and Aftershock certainly have an innate sense for each of the 13 events, and this year’s spoils certainly prove that.
With four first-place finishes and two runner-up standings, Babiy was named overall match race champion for a sixth straight year at the state championship finals. She also claimed a total of eight buckles after winning keyhole, hurry scurry and five-man speed ball, in which her team fell just three-tenths of a second short of setting a new arena record.
“I had a much better year this year,” she said.
Babiy’s strong campaign at last week’s finals may suggest Aftershock is actually a machine, however. The Apple Valley cowgirl gave birth to a baby girl just two months ago, and the weeklong state championships at Bolado Park was her first show back.
But the long layoff didn’t appear to matter much, not for Babiy nor Aftershock.
“It is so good to be back on,” said Babiy, who managed to qualify toward the state championships early on in her pregnancy while riding a less-aggressive horse, Smalls. “I rode enough just to qualify, hoping I’d be healed enough to ride (at state).”
Babiy’s husband, Brian, and fellow cowgirl Monica Michaels kept Aftershock in shape during the downtime, while Babiy herself received doctors clearance just two and a half weeks after giving birth.
Four weeks after, she was back atop riding Aftershock.
“I was really proud of the way him and I worked together,” said Babiy, 23. “I’m really overjoyed.
“I can’t ask for anything more than what he gave me.”
While Babiy claimed the overall match-race champion title for a sixth straight year, Nipomo’s Christopher Rowles earned his very first match-race victory on Friday in keyhole.
“I feel amazing,” said Rowles, who nearly jumped out of his saddle in excitement after earning the win. “It’s really exciting. You have the crowd in the stands that supports you, but it’s one of those events that goes real fast.
“It’s tough out there.”
Things appeared to be going Rowles’ way when he upset his younger brother Nathan in the match-race semifinals. Riding atop Copper Penny, Rowles earned the sixth fastest overall time during the keyhole event earlier in the day, but earned a buckle in the event for finishing first overall in the AAA division.
But going against little brother Nathan, who is an ROC (Riders of Champions) rider — the highest division possible — the odds seemed stacked against Rowles from the start. Nathan even added a little brotherly intimidation, allowing Rowles to enter the arena first, all the while staring him down from the opposite end.
“I knew he was gonna do that to me,” he said.
“He has the speed, but I have an advantage of a smaller horse,” said Rowles, adding the size of the horse is important in an event like keyhole, where quick, tight turns are necessary in order to record the fastest time.
Whether it be a smaller horse or a little bit of luck, Rowles’ win over his brother, and later earning the match-race buckle, was simply icing on the cake for the 24-year-old cowboy. After being shutout last year from any accolades, Rowles took home three buckles this year, including one last Sunday in Poles I.
When asked what was more important, though, earning the buckle in the keyhole or beating his brother in the keyhole, Rowles didn’t miss a beat.
“Beating little brother,” he said. “The buckle is nice. But I’ve got a ton of buckles.”
Complete results, including high-point champions, were not reported at publication.
