News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Scottsdale 'mini’ owner to show horses at WestWorld
Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
Marcia Sizemore's miniature horses are just slightly bigger than her dog, Bozo. She will be competing in a miniature horse show at WestWorld March 26.
Paul O'Neill, Tribune
Marcia Sizemore works with Renegade, her 12-year-old miniature horse on her Scottsdale property. She will be competing in a miniature horse show at WestWorld March 26.
Paul O'Neill, Tribune
Puddin’, Sweetheart, Renegade, Queen, Nusi, Mountain Dew, Hari and Danci surround Marcia Sizemore at her north Scottsdale stable.
“These are my kids,” she says of the miniature horses, ages 12 to 24. “I wouldn’t sell them or get rid of them for anything. I love them.”
View miniature horses slideshow
Three of Sizemore’s “minis” will compete at the Arizona Touch of Class Miniature Horse Show, which begins Wednesday at WestWorld of Scottsdale. More than 200 miniature horses will compete in everything from driving to obstacle and hitch. Some horses will even perform to big-band music during the show.
“I’m just doing this show for fun,” Sizemore says, stroking Renegade lovingly. “It’s such a fun social event. Everybody is so devoted to their minis, and we just have such a good time together.”
Horses aren’t just a hobby for Sizemore, 59. The steeds of the Scottsdale Police Department’s mounted unit are also under her care.
She bought her first miniature horses in 1985 at the urging of her father, and has competed in more than 20 shows since. Some minis hold titles such as “Five-Time Canadian National Halter Gelding Champion,” “Two-Time Reserve World Champion, Single Pleasure Driving Gelding” and “Three-Time World Grand Champion, Hitch Team.”
But it’s not all about prizes: For fun, Sizemore shows her horses in parades for the Fiesta Bowl and the Parada del Sol, and Mountain Dew even visits patients in the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix three times a year. Sizemore also takes her into a few nursing homes.
“She’s such a hit,” she says. “Everyone loves her.”
Sizemore says minis, which start around $1,000, have a few advantages over full-size horses: They’re cheaper and easier to care for, and not as intimidating.
And even though they barely stand bigger than her dog, Sizemore says one of their traits is full-size.
“They have big personalities,” she says.
Feeling a little horse?
The Arizona Touch of Class Miniature Horse Show begins 8 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday at WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Road. Free. Information: (480) 312-6802 or azminis.com.
Related
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: