Haley Hine with her show horse Stretch.

slideshow

Haley Hine has spent much of her life on four legs.

No, she’s not some new, special breed of teenager; she’s a world champion in horse showing.

Hine was born in November of 1995. She’s lived in Yadkinville since birth with her parents Tony and Rebecca. She’s the granddaughter of Vivian and the late George Harrison.

Her mother played a major role in Hine’s interest in horse showing.

“Mama showed horses even when she was pregnant with me so I’ve been showing even before I was born,” Hine said.

Hine started showing when she was just four years old. Her first show was also her first win when she took home the ribbon at an open show in Kernersville.

At age five Hine decided to move on to palomino horse shows. Her first palomino show horse was named Parrnicky or Bubba. After she got her practice in with him she sold him and bought a horse named Dandy Flashy Zipper or Nick that she acquired in Georgia. Nick would help her to place in the top five and top ten at her first world show in Tulsa, Okla.

“My mom and I brought her show mare out of retirement, and I started showing her,” Hine said. “I got my first Reserve World Championship with her. She took me to my first year of 13 and under.”

In 2007 Hine changed horses once more. Her next mare, MWS Twice As Flashy aka Dolly, would earn her three World Championships in the youth division, two Reserve World Champions and a Golden Horse trophy in 2009.

“That was a very big deal for me because I’d always wanted to win that,” Hine said. “I won a saddle and a bunch of other prizes with her.”

Hine started showing Dolly at the quarter horse shows after her big wins at the Palomino World Show. Hine said that this was a way for her to grow and start a more competitive kind of showing.

“The quarter horse competition has a lot more people competing in it,” Hine said. “For the past 10 or so years the quality of horses has improved so much. There’s just so much that goes into it.”

Hine said that she got her current horse in April 2012. MWS Lace His Zipper is his registered name but he’s more lovingly referred to as Stretch. Hine says that he is a very well-rounded horse that is talented in all areas of competition.

“He’s a really good boy,” Hine said. “I’ve only had him about five months but he’s a lot of fun to ride. He’s probably one of the best horses that has ever been on our property.”

When Hine isn’t busy training Stretch for the next competition she’s busy working around the house and stables. She has four horses, a pony, 10 cats and four dogs living on the property. Each morning she wakes up early to feed her furry clan and then ventures inside to start her school work.

With the exception of a couple of years in a Christian school, Hine has always been homeschooled. Based on her experience with friends that attend public school, she’s OK with that.

“There is a just a lot of it that I couldn’t tolerate every day,” Hine said.

Hine said that she prefers to get her education at home. She gets real world experience working on her parents’ vehicles, cooking with her grandmother, providing medical care for her horses and taking care of the house and yard.

“She’s kind of the Elly May Clampett type,” said Tony Hine with a laugh.

Hine said that she’s not in a hurry to decide on college and a career right now. She is entertaining the idea of attending Surry Community College when she finishes up her high school diploma.

“I’m not really too worried about college and career right now because I’m just trying to enjoy my young days as much as I can,” Hine said. “I have plenty of time to think about it. I’d like to be able to have a good paying job, still show horses, get married and have kids one day but I don’t know what I’ll be doing career wise when I get to that point in my life.”

Tony encourages her to take her time to decide on her path in life.

“Her mother and I have never pushed her to hurry up and get a job and get out into the world,” Tony said. “When I was 16 I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I’m not pushing her because you change so much from the time your 16 to the time you’re 21 that she might have a whole new outlook on the whole situation then. If she wants to stay around here until she’s 45 that would be fine with me.”

Hine does have a pretty definitive answer when asked about her future in horse showing. She wants to win an All American Quarter Horse Congress Championship as well as an American Quarter Horse Association Youth or Amateur World Championship.

Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@heartlandpublications.com.