Learning to fly: Dalton teen rising in equestrian sport ranks

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Top left, Madison Wade on Roo receives her first title at the Quarter Horse Congress in 2018. Top right, Wade is the Ohio Pinto Sweetheart.

 

DALTON Madison Wade is more than a horse whisperer.

She has full-blown conversations with horses.

“There’s this thing with equestrians that if you’ve been around horses enough you can have legitimate conversations with the horse — or at least that’s what I do. They give you the answer with a look. I just talk with my horse. I have conversations with my horse and my horses like stories, and treats — and Doritos,” the 14-year-old Dalton girl said.

The bond is not unlike that between athletes, though equestrian sports often don’t get as much attention as other sports.

“You figure out their quirks. Basically, they’re your partners. You have to have this bond or something can go very wrong, because you have to be able to understand the horse and make decisions that will affect how or what happens,” Madison said. “The bond also helps with figuring out their personality. They will tell you what they think – strongly think. They’re like us – they have attitude some days.”

As a young equestrian, Madison is working hard to rise to the top – taking off at a high-speed gallop and beginning to make a name for herself in the horse show community.

Madison, daughter of Mark and Terri Wade, was crowned as the 2020-21 Ohio Pinto Horse Association Sweatheart. Recently, she was elected as a member of the National Pinto Horse Association Youth Board of Directors. She also received a title in 2018 at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.

Read the complete story in the July 29, 2020 edition.