RuthAnn Hutchison and her horse, Winnie, will compete in the Junior NFR pole bending event in Vegas this December. SUBMITTED
A mare that’s around a decade past her prime — and fresh off a serious leg injury — will run again in the Junior National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, thanks to a young Boyd cowgirl who never gave up on her.
Winnie, a 24-year-old mare, and her 11-year-old rider, RuthAnn Hutchison of Boyd, are finding their pace again just in time for the national competition.
It’s an unlikely comeback. But Winnie is not your typical horse.
“She’s a special mare,” said the pole bender and barrel racer with speed beyond her years.
RuthAnn Hutchison and Winnie finished in the top 10 of the Junior World Finals in 2023. SUBMITTED/BOAZ DOV ELKES
Their path to reach the highest levels of junior pole bending — then back again — started when RuthAnn turned 5.
Before that birthday, Winnie lived in a different barn, where she was known for shaking off adult riders, especially men, explained RuthAnn’s mother, Stephanie Hutchison. The mare’s former owner — a family friend — had been bucked off one too many times, apparently. But Winnie did well with the man’s daughter, before she outgrew the horse. So he began looking for a better fit: a young cowgirl.
He didn’t have to look far.
RuthAnn met Winnie on her fifth birthday. The two clicked immediately. RuthAnn briefly considered naming her horse Rainbow Pony, but it didn’t stick. But make no mistake about it, RuthAnn is a serious competitor.
She started riding at just 2 years old. With Winnie leading the charge, RuthAnn gradually worked her way up in competitive pole bending, quickly becoming one of the fastest riders in the world under age 17.
To date, RuthAnn has secured 14 saddles. This will be her and Winnie’s third trip to the Junior NFR.
In 2022, at just 7 years old, RuthAnn placed fourth in the world — competing against stronger horses and older riders, including many high-schoolers. They did it again in 2023, with the duo finishing ninth. Junior pole bending doesn’t have classes, like other events at the Junior NFR.
“I still get nervous because I’m going against the big girls,” RuthAnn said. “When I feel that way, I take a deep breath and pray about it. I know God has my back, and I start to feel safe.”
The Hutchisons expected to return to Vegas in 2024, but those plans were interrupted one morning when Winnie was turned out in their arena.
Winnie was favoring her front right leg, and unable to walk, Stephanie Hutchison said.
X-rays confirmed their fears.
Winnie had fractured the radius in the leg. The prognosis can be devastating.
“It’s the kind of fracture that can end a horses’s career, or worse, their life,” Stephanie said. “We were blessed with where the break was.”
While there was a chance it could be grim, there was also a chance that the fracture could heal.
So, under advisement from vets and trainers, the mare who loved to run suddenly had to stand still.
Winnie wore a splint and was tied in her stall for months. Then came another scare: one morning, the Hutchisons found her bloodied after she had apparently punctured herself with the splint.
“We really thought her career was done,” Stephanie Hutchison said.
RuthAnn Hutchison comforts Winnie during her rehab from a leg injury. SUBMITTED
But RuthAnn remained at Winnie’s side. And gradually, the mare began to heal, despite her frustration each time the horse trailer left without her. Neither the horse or their rider gave up on each other.
And with help from their large-animal veterinarian, and guidance from their trainer, Kristy Scribner, Winnie was eased back into the arena. RuthAnn was there for each step, assuring the horse that going slow was OK.
“She tries her hardest to make me happy,” RuthAnn said. “I had to make her take it slow.”
First came walking. Then trotting. Then they began weaving through poles again.
Winnie could still do it.
“It’s been amazing,” RuthAnn said. “The first time back, she ran a 24. She was out of shape, but we kept getting faster.”
Soon, she began to look like the old Winnie — powerful and eager to run.
“We’ve shed a lot of time,” RuthAnn said. “Now she’s hitting 20-second pole runs.”
“That’s Winnie’s heart,” Stephanie added. “She proved us wrong.”
RuthAnn Hutchison and her horse, Winnie. SUBMITTED
In December, the mare who refused to retire will run one last time in Las Vegas.
The family hopes that Winnie will soon bring an offspring that shares her traits, and not just the physical ones.
The Junior NFR runs Dec. 9-13. RuthAnn and Winnie are scheduled to run Wednesday, Dec. 10, and Friday, Dec. 12, with a possible run Dec. 13, if they advance.
Regardless of the result, RuthAnn said making it back to Vegas with Winnie is nothing short of a victory in itself.
“I’m proud of her,” she said.
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