vet’s approval, she was then sent to a rehab trainer. But Kinaja was not ready; she was resistant and not interested in listen- ing to anyone. Some thought she had suffered a minor brain injury during the fall. I was at a loss. So many dreams had been nurtured over the last six years, all crushed in an instant. It was at this point that my good friend Dr. Margo Saun-


ders, another Budenny enthusiast, stepped in and offered to take her on as a broodmare. I trusted Margo and agreed. Kinaja was sent to Serenity Pastures & Stables in Rupert, Idaho, Margo’s retirement and rehabilitation barn. In 2014, two years after the initial accident, Kinaja was


pasturing in beautiful, rural Rupert, just three hundred miles away from her birthplace. After several unsuccessful attempts at breeding, an in-depth ultrasound revealed hemorrhagic cysts in her ovaries. They were so severe that they had essen- tially replaced both of her ovaries. Margo is known to her friends as the person who steps in when others give up. An internal medicine doctor at Mini- doka Memorial Hospital, she dedicates her free time and generosity to helping others in need. Kinaja’s history didn’t faze her. Her equine rehab and retirement facil- ity is filled with the old and the lame, and a surprising number of the lame gradually work their way to soundness after some time in her care. She attributes this to good pasture and quality hay, but a lot of love and attention go into the horses at SPS, too. Without the prospect of breeding, Margo decided to do


her for next to nothing. Kinaja was too nice a mare for either option; she had the papers to prove it, and the brains and talent to warrant it. She just needed one last chance, and a particular kind of rider, to reach her full potential. Margo didn’t want to see her end up at the bottom of the barrel. So, she waited and waited, until fortune brought a unique oppor- tunity both for the horse and for a sweet young man.


Meanwhile, in Rodeo Country... Idaho is a ruggedly beautiful state characterized by swaths of green farmland, dramatic mountains and enough water- falls to justify naming multiple large cities with a moniker that includes the word “falls.” (Idaho Falls, the location of Parkwood Equestrian Center, is one of many.) The vast majority of Idaho horse


Hunter Anderson and his rodeo horse Diablo.


owners keep their animals on their own property, even two minutes’ walk from the heart of some downtowns. Keep- ing horses in Idaho is not a statement of wealth, it’s a result of the local farming culture. Money is tight for many, but the small-town vibes of communities that pull together in difficult times are strong. The people are friendly, with a little country roughness, and Western riding


what she does best: rehab the horse that no one else knew what to do with. After a careful winter of conditioning and flat exercises, Kinaja appeared eager to go back to work. She had had enough time off, thank you, and she was ready for her next adventure. In the spring of 2015, Margo sent her to Sally Parks of Parkwood Equestrian Center, the owner and head trainer of one of the best hunter/jumper training and sales barns in Idaho. With Margo and Sally’s combined patience and skill, Kinaja was brought back into the world of competition, this time as a prospective show jumper. And this, my friends, is where it gets really interesting. If


not for Hunter Anderson, a seventeen-year-old rodeo star from Pocatello, Idaho, she would have reached—yet again— the end of her long list of chances. After being at Parkwood for a year, Kinaja was nearing the end of her time there. Her first show, at the 2016 Northwest Spectacular in Bend, Oregon, garnered her reserve champion in the 0.70m Begin- ning Jumper division with assistant trainer Nadia Tanner in the saddle, but she was hard to sell to potential buyers. Kinaja had a penchant for tricky rabbit leaps deep at the base of each jump, and she wasn’t the easiest or best prospect in a barn full of classy imported Warmbloods and high-bred show- stoppers. She had come a long way at Parkwood, but it would likely take many more years to work out all the kinks. Margo considered the options: take her home and hope that she could find a buyer outside of the sale barn, or sell


28 November/December 2017


is predominant. Rodeos, livestock fairs, 4-H events and town parades all witness a healthy local turnout. The average folk think nothing of trailering their mounts to the City of Rocks Regional Park and other breathtaking locations for a little Sunday ride. Markers and trail heads for parts of the original Oregon Trail weave all over the state, and one does not need to try very hard to “get away from it all” and envision a trip back into the “old west.” Hunter Anderson is the epitome of a young Idahoan.


The seventeen-year-old high school senior currently lives in Pocatello on a small ranch with his family. Hunter started riding at age nine, when he met a school friend whose family bred and sold horses. His passion for competition in the Western world began


later, when he met the leader of the local 4-H team. While competing in 4-H, he was encouraged to join his high school rodeo team. Once on the team, he discovered a love for team roping and reined cow horse events. He likes these events because of “the thrill of the speed needed to compete,” he says. He also enjoys the camaraderie of his friends and watch- ing the bull and saddle-bronc riding. With a strong talent for horse riding, a can-do spirit and a


dedicated work ethic, he trained his own rodeo horse from the ground up at age twelve. “I bought Diablo when he was just a yearling,” he recalls. “In high school rodeo, Diablo and I compete in team roping, ‘head or heel’ and reined cow horse.” He also barrel races Diablo at local jackpots (a less intense event than a full-fledged rodeo), and competes with him in other rodeos and shows. In a short amount of time, Hunter’s hard work paid off. In 2016, he won his first belt buckle for success in high


Ed Anderson


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