10/14/2026
There are some horses that come through a training program that you genuinely can't remember life before.
Sticker is one of those horses.
DLB Mecoms Tag came to me in mid-October of 2025 as a restart (a pretty easy one at that). In the grand scheme of things, just shy of a year really isn't all that long. But somehow it's hard to remember a time B.S. (Before Sticker).
Today, October 13th, 2026, Sticker headed home.
I knew this day was coming, of course, but as I was wrapping up my final ride on her this afternoon, I found myself thinking about everything we'd done together over the last year. All the rides, the places we'd been, the things we'd learned, and the experiences we'd shared. When it came time to step off her for the last time while she was still in my program, I was pretty overcome with emotion.
Fortunately, it's not as though I'll never see her again. Trudy and I work together regularly through lessons and showing, and somewhere along the way, she's also become a good friend. I know I'll get to continue being part of Sticker's journey, and I'm really looking forward to that. But I won't be walking out to her pen every morning, hearing her nicker at feeding time, or getting to spend nearly every day swinging a leg over her. That particular chapter of our time together has come to an end, and man, what a year it's been.
I've felt that way about several horses who have come through my program over the years. When you invest so much time and thought into their development, experiencing the progress and the frustrating days right alongside them, they become a pretty significant part of your life and your program's story. Sticker has certainly done that, but she's also been especially pivotal in influencing the trajectory of my program.
Sticker has a combination of breeding, athletic ability, mind, and potential that I haven't often had the opportunity to develop over an extended period of time. Having that kind of horse in front of me has pushed me to become more precise, continue expanding my horsemanship, and think more seriously about the kind of horses I want to produce and the kind of trainer I want to become.
It's easy to think trainers are the ones doing all the teaching and shaping, but the right horses have just as much influence on us. They expose where our timing could be better, make us think beyond what has worked in the past, and give us opportunities to develop skills we simply can't build without having the right horse in front of us. Sticker has done a whole lot of that for me.
And we've gotten to do some pretty neat things together over the last year! We hauled, rode in new places, continued building on her foundation, and spent a good portion of the year getting experience in the show pen. We even wrapped up our final show of the season riding one-handed in the bridle, competing against the other futurity horses as just a 3-year-old!
After her first season in the show pen, Sticker finished second in NeRHA's year-end Open Versatility standings, fifth in Open Cow Work, and fourth in Open Dry Work, despite missing the April show. She also finished the Gettin' Ranchy series as the Series Open Champion!
She's just as cool outside the show pen as she is inside. Randy put just shy of 40 miles on her during our trip to Fort Robinson at the end of September, and she was the horse I trusted to carry my mom for her first ride in a few years this past weekend. Those experiences mean every bit as much to me as the ribbons and year-end standings because they speak to the kind of horse she is.
Her owners have also been willing to give her time. Rather than sending her for a quick restart and taking her home as soon as she was riding safely, Matt and Trudy allowed me to keep building on that foundation, hauling her, and getting her experience in the show pen. That longer investment allowed us to continue uncovering what she's capable of in a way that just isn't possible on a shorter timeline. And if I'm honest, she's also helped me uncover more of what I'm capable of as a trainer.
More than anything, Sticker has helped confirm that I'm taking my program in the right direction. One of the most rewarding parts of this job is when my work doesn't have to end once a horse is started under saddle, considered safe enough to send home, or reaches a certain deadline. I get to keep asking, "What else is in there?"
That's part of what I appreciate about the ranch and cowhorse events. They give me a place to test a horse's education, expose the holes, and continue developing the qualities that make a horse better in any setting. Not every horse needs to become a show horse, and not every owner has competitive goals. But a horse that can stay soft and responsive, handle pressure, move its body with purpose, and confidently take on unfamiliar situations is going to be a better horse whether it's headed into the performance arena, working cattle, or carrying its owner down the trail.
The destination isn't what excites me nearly as much as helping each horse reach more of its own potential, wherever that may lead. Sticker has helped make that direction for my program a whole lot clearer.
And as much as I've loved everything Sticker and I have gotten to do together, one of my favorite parts of today was watching Trudy ride her. We wrapped up our time in the arena with them nailing a couple of lead changes, and I couldn't help but be excited for all the fun they're going to have together.
As attached as I get to these horses, I know they're only here for a relatively short period of their lives, and ultimately, the education and experiences we build are meant to go home with them. Getting to watch an owner enjoy the horse we've spent so much time developing is incredibly rewarding in its own right.
I am pretty smitten with Sticker, if that wasn't already obvious. I don't take for granted the trust involved in having someone else's horse in my care for any duration, let alone nearly an entire year. I'm incredibly grateful to Matt and Trudy for giving me that opportunity, for believing in the value of continuing her education, and for allowing me to be such a big part of her development.
There will be other talented horses, and I certainly hope there are many more to come. But Sticker will always be one of the horses who helped change what I believed was possible for my program and pushed me toward what comes next.
I'm sure going to miss having that mare around, but I can't wait to see what she and Trudy do next!
