Q&A with Rio Rancho area equestrian Skye Weatherly  

RIO RANCHO, N.M. — 

Name: Skye Weatherly
Age: 33
Sport: Equestrian (Reining)
Sports participated in: Reining, ranch riding, sorting, working cow, performance halter, western pleasure, western pleasure, english. I have done archery, volleyball (sand, grass, court/women’s and co-ed), basketball (bo-ed and women’s), soccer (co-ed), softball (co-ed and women’s), and golf.
Years in current sport: I began competing in 2014 but grew up riding horses since I was a little girl.
Team/s: There is no team for this sport but I am a part of the Southwest American Quarter Horse Association, American Quarter Horse Association, and National Reining Association.

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?

Skye Weatherly: LIVE, LAUGH, AND LOVE. I want to live by winning the golden globe at the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association) World Show in Oklahoma City.

I want to laugh as I win my freestyle reining  performance at Congress in Ohio. I will be reining in a dress to the song  “Man I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain,  riding bareback and bridleless spinning fast to left then to the right, running in circles in different leads, large and fast, then small and slow, flying lead changes, rollbacks, to sliding stops singing “man I feel like a woman!”

And lastly, I want to love! I want to have a business that is a therapeutic horseback riding program for people with developmental disabilities. The program will encompass the basics of developing a relationship with a horse, taking care of a horse, riding,competing, and hosting horse shows for people with developmental disabilities. I want everyone to live, laugh, and love with their horses!

What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?

Weatherly: Horses are not cheap. I work hard so that I can play hard.

What was the best advice you were ever given?

Weatherly: “Wait….breathe… take your time in the middle”.

What do you love about your sport?

Weatherly: I love the adrenaline rush I get when showing! I love the speed of the fast circles, the cadence of the spins, and sitting that sliding stop. The sport is you and your horse against the pattern.  There is always room to perfect therefore it never gets dull.

Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?

Weatherly: I will do the pattern off of my horse and when I get on my horse I will visualize myself doing the pattern. I say a quick prayer.

What do you like to do outside of your sport?

Weatherly: Outside of training, I am a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Developmental Disability Waiver and a Clinical Educator for New Mexico State University and Eastern New Mexico. I model in print, catalog, various social media platforms, and runway (theatrical, bridal, and high-fashion). When I am not working or training you can find me in the sand playing sand volleyball for various leagues in Albuquerque.

What has being a member of a team taught you?

Weatherly: Winning takes a team.  A team gives balance, where you are weak your team members can strengthen you and vice versa.  Rider and horse work as a team, where the horse may need more support. The rider is there to do the job and the horse’s talent and performance can enhance the rider’s skills. Competition isn’t always about winning or losing but it’s about what you gain in between the wins and losses.

What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?

Weatherly: Take it one maneuver at a time.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.

Weatherly: I have allowed nerves get to the best of me and my “a.d.d” to where I had once read through a pattern quickly assuming I knew the patterned, well I did not take my time to read each step, so I anticipated the incorrect step, therefore, I did not do the correct pattern, and did not win. After that, I have learned to slow down and read each move and visualize myself doing the pattern before each class.

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