
Dec 12, 2019
âItâs a beautiful sportâ
Saige Smith knows what it takes to win in the Wrangler Rodeo Arena. The high school sophomore from Touchet, Washington, won the short go-round of senior barrel racing at last yearâs Junior World Finals in Las Vegas.
But Smith surprised even herself Tuesday.
Competing in the inaugural Kelly Kaminski Run for Vegas pole bending event, Smith and Cupcake, her 10-year-old sorrel mare, completed the course in 13.911 seconds to win the first round.
âThat first run was actually the fastest run me and this mare had ever run in our lives,â Smith said Thursday after her second run. âThat was a surprise to me, too, completely.â
Adding to Smithâs surprise is the fact that she and Cupcake have only been running poles for a little more than a year. A freshman at the time, Smith wanted to add another discipline to her rodeo resume. Her choice proved to be a natural for Cupcake.
âMe and her started to do poles and I discovered that she was pretty good at it,â Smith said. âWhen I was just working her at home I had an idea that she was smooth, but I never really know until we started clocking her. Sheâs just phenomenal. I couldnât ask for a better partner.
âSo I decided to try and qualify for this and she has blown me away.â
Cupcakeâs natural ability in pole bending was instrumental in Smith returning to Vegas for the third year in a row.
A bone bruise sidelined Cupcake â her registered name is Datsa Lita Playmate â for six months and had Smith scrambling to qualify for the Junior World Finals.
âI wasnât sure I was going to make it back here,â Smith said. âWe went to a barrel qualifier in Salinas (California), but that was her first time back and we didnât qualify there. So we went to the last qualifier they had in Moses Lake, Washington, on Labor Day weekend and thatâs when we qualified.â
Smith isnât the only cowgirls who has benefited from the addition of pole bending to this yearâs Junior World Finals. And event organizer Kelly Kaminski couldnât be happier to see poles on the schedule.
âPoles are close to my heart,â said Kaminski. âIf you want to be a better barrel racer run poles as well because it teaches you so much horsemanship.â
Kaminski knows all about the relationship between barrel racing and pole bending. She was a two-time world champion barrel racer who was also ranked in the Top 10 in the world in pole bending. Now she gets to share that love of the sport with the contestants.
âA great pole run is beautiful to watch,â she said. âItâs more about staying in the middle of your saddle and helping with that rhythm, and thereâs so much timing involved. Itâs a beautiful sport.
âAnd if you have a horse that runs barrels and poles it teaches them to hold that shoulder up and to be more square in their turns. Itâs like cross training.
âThe kids are really excited about it and I just think itâs going to continue to grow,â Kaminski added. âPlus, it gives our girls a shot at the all-around because it adds another speed event. Iâm just glad we can bring it to the forefront.â
While Smith didnât qualify in barrels this year, sheâs glad that Cupcake gets to show off her ability in the poles.
âHonestly, I think sheâs got natural ability,â Smith said. âShe moves her hips in a way that she is able to clear the poles and she can do it so fast. I take no credit; I think itâs all her.â