FLIPS, TRICKS & SPEED

Find out what it takes to become a trick rider.

- MEGAN ARSZMAN 

It's easy to be captivated by trick riding: Picture bright, sparkly outfits adorning athletic riders with fancy horses galloping around the arena. Rarely does the rider stay in the saddle for longer than a second: She's flipping over the horse, hanging off the side and then standing on the seat of her saddle, yet the horse never slows down.

The sport caught the attention of Kelsey Gascon in a demonstration at BreyerFest the summer before she started college. She immediately knew that's what she wanted to do.

While in college, Kelsey attended a Trick Riding 101 clinic hosted by Shelby Peterson of the Trixie Chicks, a trick riding group based in the South, and she jumped headfirst into the sport. After college, she got her start with the Trixie Chicks. But trick riding is a sport that's as dangerous as it is awe-inspiring.

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED? 

Trick riding basics include a professional instructor, a trick riding saddle, and a well-trained horse.

Seems like any other riding discipline, right? But there are some big differences between western or English and trick riding.

"What I didn't know at first was that there are fewer than 50 professionals in the world that do trick riding as a full-time job," Kelsey says.

This meant that finding the right professional that performs the sport safely and is a suitable trainer was going to be difficult for a young rider to do. Kelsey drove 14 hours to a three-day clinic in Colorado while attending college. She later received permission from Shelby to watch the Trixie Chicks practice and start learning tricks.

As difficult as it was to find an instructor, it's just as difficult to find the right equipment and the right horse for the event.