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Caysie Troutman competes with her horse, Little Coded Jac.
Now, after competing in equestrian competitions since she was very young, Caysie has recently set her sights on competing in world competitions.
Troutman’s mother, Heather Payne, is a professional horse trainer with 23 years of experience, so Troutman has grown up around horses and horse training. She began her equestrian journey at the age of two when she got her first horse and at the age of four she began her interest in competing after seeing another trainer in the barn.
“I saw one of the trainers in the barn do reining and I thought it was so cool,” Troutman said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Having her mother as a professional trainer came in handy with this endeavor as well, meaning Troutman had no need to go anywhere else to train. Payne acknowledged that the two of them working together is not always easy, as a mother and teenage daughter, but she said it is mostly good. Troutman is homeschooled so the two of them are able to be out in the barn working with the horses every day. She diligently rides and practices on multiple horses daily and competes in AQHA and NRHA shows throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Caysie Troutman recently won the bronze championship at the NYSBA World Championship show in Oklahoma.
Competing in world competitions has been Troutman’s most recent equestrian goal, competing recently in the National Snaffle Bit Association World Championship Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she pursued her first world title.
“We’ve always wanted to go to World Championships and there are a few others we could’ve gone too but they are very far away,” Payne said. “This was quite a decision for us to make, but I had another client who wanted to go too. This was her first year competing in a world championship and it was awesome.”
Troutman exhibited her horse, Lil Coded Jac, who is owned by Secota Horses, LLC, which is owned by Jane Fisher of Cattaraugus. Jac is a 12 year old registered Quarter Horse. They competed in the youth ranch events and secured a Bronze World Championship in youth ranch rail and a top ten in youth ranch trail. Payne added that they had never been to Oklahoma before and got to see things there that they never had before.
The next competition for Troutman is the American Quarter Horse Congress, coming up in the next few weeks, with Troutman and Payne set to leave for it this weekend.
The Congress takes place in Columbus, Ohio and is the largest single breed horse show in the world. There is no need to qualify for this competition and Troutman is able to simply sign up and go, competing in this Congress every year since 2019 except for during COVID.
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Caysie Troutman will be competing with Little Coded Jac and MyMap at the American Quarter Horse Congress, beginning next week.
This year she will be competing in reining and riding. Troutman will bring two horses, Jac and another known as MyMap. She will also be showing both horses in the stakes class.
Troutman’s competitions go for about 11 days, though the Congress itself goes for about a month. Payne returns home after those 11 days and then goes back to the Congress with a second group of horses.
The highest placing Troutman has received in previous years at the Congress is Reserve Congress Champion.
Immediate goals for the pair for the future are to see Troutman become Congress Champion this year. In the further future, they have discussed going to the world championships again, and Troutman hopes to eventually become a trainer like her mother and have her own clients. Troutman is also looking to compete in the NRHA Derby and end her youth career strong with a new horse, MyMap, who was named because the previous owner liked racing and a specific race horse named Map.
Both Troutman and Payne encouraged more youth to become interested in the equestrian sport.
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Caysie Troutman and her new horse, MyMap. She is set to compete with both MyMap and Little Coded Jac next month.
“Youth competitions are very small lately,” Troutman said. “People over 18 are getting into it but growing the youth has been a struggle.”
Payne added that shows and competitions are also pushing to encourage more youth to come by doing things like lowering entry fees and having special classes and tournaments. She said trying to grow the sport is important.
“Youth are the future and we want to do what we can to educate them and give them opportunities to grow,” Payne said. “That’s why we and Jane (Fisher) like to do it. We want to give the youth the opportunity to learn and grow, and more importantly have fun. Horses are our number one priority, but winning is a bonus.”
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Pictured is Caysie Troutman, with her new horse MyMap.
