I didn’t really know what to expect, but once my horse was settled in and I met the people I was stalled by, everyone was really friendly and helpful.”

Amanda Headon

Rochelle Township High School alum Amanda Headon was among the top equestrian riders in the nation who gathered for the 2024 IBHA World Show at the C Bar C Cowpokes Arena in Cloverdale, Indiana from July 21-27. It was a debut to remember for Headon, who brought home several top finishes including a world championship in adult walk/trot barrels.

Headon competed in six events at this year’s world show, earning third-place finishes in adult walk/trot pole bending and aged mares at halter as well as sixth-place finishes in adult walk/trot showmanship and adult walk/trot western pleasure. Headon, who competed alongside her horse BNB Final Design, aka Piper, added an eighth-place finish in amateur mares at halter.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but once my horse was settled in and I met the people I was stalled by, everyone was really friendly and helpful,” Headon said. “I was really surprised because I haven’t owned the horse for that long. We got her at the beginning of the year and bonding with a horse takes a long time, but taking her to a world show and placing in the on-ground classes and the riding classes… She exceeded all of my expectations.”

Headon’s next event will be the 2024 Illinois State Buckskin Association’s Fall Extravaganza, which will be held over Labor Day weekend at the Heart of Illinois Fair in Peoria. The RTHS alum also said she hopes to compete in the 2025 IBHA World Show if her schedule allows for it. Headon currently attends the University of Illinois, where she’s studying for her doctorate after earning her bachelor’s degree in pre-veterinary science at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

“I’ve met so many of my friends through working with horses,” said Headon, who began competing when she was 7 years old. “I used to take lessons over in Malta, where I would ride on a black and white spotted pony. My grandma would take me over there all of the time and I would ride him. I had family and friends who would take me out on their horses after that and my parents eventually made a deal with me that, if we ever moved out to the country and I saved enough money, I could buy my own horse… I saved around $800 and bought my first horse.”

Headon’s favorite equestrian event is showmanship, where the handler leads his or her horse through a series of maneuvers while demonstrating their ability to control the horse. Headon, who currently owns three horses and one pony, placed sixth in showmanship at the world show despite only purchasing her horse, Piper, earlier this year and having limited bonding time.

“She was a little difficult at the beginning because when we brought her home, it was a very new environment for her,” Headon said. “I have sheep, goats and a pig, so it was a slower process for getting her to bond with me. Doing the groundwork with her helped a lot. It was really important for me to walk her around a lot and get her to respect my personal space.”

Headon has been around farm animals for most of her life. She was a member of the 4-H as well as the RTHS FFA program, where she won state championships in horse judging and equine entrepreneurship while participating in several other career development events. Headon, whose family has a farm on Reynolds Road near Ashton and a home in Rochelle. said she currently owns around 30 sheep as well as three goats, three horses, a pony and a pig.

“I was always really passionate about showing my animals,” Headon said. “They’re my pets but they’re kind of like my friends. They have personalities similar to our dogs and cats and it’s fun to see how they grow… When I sell them and other 4-Hers are showing them, it’s really cool to see what they win and how they turn out. I showed sheep for around four years before I came back to horses. That’s when I got my buckskin horse and went to the world show.”

Headon’s fondest memories from her time competing include a first-place finish when she attended the Walworth County Fair as a 12-year-old. Her prize was a large belt buckle, one of many buckles Headon has earned throughout her competitive career. Headon said she has around 20 buckles, many of which are kept in a jewelry box in her bedroom. Her championship buckle from this year’s world show has been framed and serves as a motivator for the future.

“Looking back, I have a bunch of buckles from 2015 and having one from 2024 made me go, ‘Wow,’” Headon said. “I can wear buckles on my belt from all the different years I competed.”

Headon said her academic goals include graduating from the University of Illinois with her doctorate and returning home to the Rochelle area to begin her veterinary career. Headon, who worked at a veterinary clinic in Amboy over the summer, said she hopes to work at a mixed-animal clinic where she can work with both smaller and larger animals.