OklahomaHorses Magazine March 2022

10 OklahomaHorses • March/April 2022 trick riding. She started lessons with Haley Ganzel and has since participated in clinics with Madison MacDonald and trained with Landen James and Jeremiah Eugenio. Sophie and Jessie have a very special bond. When Sophie started to learn trick riding, Jessie accepted her young trainer’s guidance with confidence. “Jessie’s the best. She took such good care of me,” Sophie explained. Then it all changed. While the Duch family was preparing to leave for a rodeo in Oklahoma City, Jessie was enjoying the cool morning air, bucking and playing in the pasture. She bucked too close to the fence and landed on a T-post, tearing her chest open. She was rushed to their vet- erinarian for surgery and spent months in rehabilitation. Jessie will not perform again, but plans are for a 2022 foal. For a backup and second horse, Sophie had also started her mom’s bay mare, Dar- bie, for some of the shooting performances and trick riding. After Jessie’s injury, Darbie became Sophie’s performance horse. “She has come along great for trick riding and is now half of my Roman riding team as well.” Sophie also recently added another horse to the team. Seven, a two-year-old grade red-and-white spotted mare who was originally born to be a bucking horse, is now part of a liberty routine performed at rodeos. Sophie added, “I bought her as a weanling, settled her down, and trained her to perform. She’s doing great.” Sophie’s Veach trick saddle has been completely releathered but still bears the brand of the famed 101 Ranch in north-central Oklahoma. Sophie has already acquired a collection of buckles from the IFR showcase champi- onship and 2021 Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association Dress Act Championship. She also won the 2021 Contract Act of the Year from the American Cowboys Rodeo Asso- ciation. She had already received several shooting awards, including 2016 Mount- ed Shooting World Champion Mounted Shooter, 2017 CMSA Reserve National Champion Mounted Shooter, 2016 Lazy E Champion Mounted Shooter, and others. Sophie rarely competes in mounted shooting events now because her rodeo schedule keeps her extremely busy. She performs her routines at rodeos and events throughout the region and has started to compete in rodeo speed events. In addition to her Annie Oakley and trick riding rou- tines, she also performs event opening cer- emonies with a hippodrome-style USA flag presentation. Sophie recently contracted her Annie Oakley routing with the Great American Wild West Show and will travel to several states to perform in 2022. The Duch family is on the road most weekends during rodeo season, and they agree that Sophie’s career is a very fami- ly-focused venture. Practices and perfor- mances require a team of family and friends to set up and move equipment. It includes a lot of traveling for coaching, clinics, and performances. It’s a very physical sport, so Sophie not only conditions the horses, she also conditions herself for the demanding gymnastic skills. According to her parents, Sophie is definitely the driving force behind their team, not only in performances but also in practice. She rides as much as she possibly can and works hard to become the best that she can be. When asked about her future, Sophie smiled and said, “I love it all and know it is what I want to do more than anything else in the world.” Sophie Duch trains Jolene (left) and Darbie for Roman riding. Photograph by Leigh Ann Matthews.