AQHA YOUTH REINER
PG . 11
AQHA YOUTH REINER
Clare
NEYLON
WORDS BY : LYN HOFFMANN © 2023 D PHOTOS BY : KEN ANDERSON EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY
NEYLON
Clare Neylon began riding around the same time she ’ d learned how to walk . Like many country kids , her first steed was a little pony . Her mother , Erin Neylon , says that from around the age of only four , Clare showed early determination and confidence , even to the point where she began ‘ training ’ that little grey pony in reining maneuvers ! She shared that patient pony with her brother , and even though her feet didn ’ t even reach below the saddle pad , she would try to train him to perform spins and stops .
Living on the family property at Woodford , Queensland , where her parents , Erin and Dennis , operate Neylon Performance Horses , Clare would later advance onto a trained Reining horse , the very trustworthy Quarter horse , Doc ’ s Leo Tivio Q-26676 , also known as Jake . Over the course of his many years in Reining , Jake had already carried plenty of Non-Pro and Youth riders around the Reining pen . When Clare started her Reining journey , Jake was a 22 year old gelding — a horse her parents felt would carry her safely through her first lot of reining classes .
Her first competitive Reining show was great , but also hard for Clare at the same time . She really wanted to ride in the Youth Reining , a one handed event , but had not yet progressed to actually riding one handed . Erin explained to Clare that when any rider rides two-handed in a one-handed class , they are scored a zero . Understanding this , Erin says , made Clare so much more determined , and from a young age , a very serious little competitor emerged . Much to her parent ’ s surprise , Clare was soon riding and competing one-handed !
While she was growing up , Clare had watched her parents ride and train their Reining horses almost every day , and then she ’ d head off to a show with them , to watch them compete . Understandably , she ’ s now doing the same . Currently competing in every class she ’ s eligible for , right up to State and National Level , Clare rides and shows various horses , year to year , depending on what mares her parents put in foal .
Clare ’ s current Reining horse is the lovely chestnut mare , Lilmissnoitall Q-61888 . Bindi , as she ’ s known , was bred by Ray Gabbert of Onya Quarter Horses , and is by Freckles Gay Doc Q-36969 , and out of Yugilbar Ineka Chex Q-314846 . Both her sire and dam are Reining Australia Hall of Fame inductees .
It ’ s the second time that Bindi ’ s been brought out of retirement . Originally trained and shown by Warren Backhouse , Bindi was Reserve Champion in the National Futurity and won the National Derby the following year . Bindi ’ s signature moves would be her fast turns and powerful stops .