Laurie Roden entered the World Show arena
a rookie and came out a world champion

 by Michelle Reichert

Laurie Roden of Phoenix, Ariz., has managed to overcome injuries, blown tires and nerves to compete this year in her first World Championship Paint Horse Show.

 Through hard work and determination, Roden’s work has paid off. She walked into the arena a rookie World Show exhibitor and walked out a world champion.

She accomplished this milestone leading her American Paint Horse, Miss Coolsified, in the Amateur Solid Paint-Bred Halter Mares class.

The road to the World Show has not been easy for Roden. She has battled through injuries that have required serious back and hip surgery.

Following those injuries, she started looking for a steady mount to ride and came across Snow Use, a well-seasoned rodeo horse.

“My mare will be old enough to drink next year,” said Roden about her 20-year-old barrel mare. This was their World Show debut and final curtain call on the barrels, ending the day with a sixth in the Amateur barrels and a third in the Novice Amateur barrels.

Not only has Roden’s sense of humor helped her overcome her injuries, it has also built friendships. She was driving her trailer to the World Show with two other women when they blew a tire, then another one about 45 miles later.

“We timed ourselves for fun to see how long it took to change the first tire. It took 20 minutes” said Roden.

“The second time it took only 15,” she added with a laugh, about the three women out on the side of the road changing the tires. Her husband, Randy Ternan, came out a day earlier with her trainers Kerry and Claire Aycock pulling two other horses.

 “He went with them in case there was any trouble,” chuckled Roden about the irony.

 The Aycocks are neighbors of Laurie and Randy, as well as their trainers for their halter horses and Roden has broken into the halter classes with a big bang so far at the World Show.

She entered the Amateur Solid Paint-bred Mares class with her first halter horse, Miss Coolsified, who they purchased for $1,000 last August from Jerre and Robin Pritz.

Roden purchased a horse trailer from the Pritz’ on the day that Miss Coolsified was born and saw her as a newborn foal. They returned only months later to buy her upon recommendation of Kerry, whom they praise.

 “He just became a professional trainer, he gave up his Amateur card last year. We believed in the way he did everything so we took her [Miss Coolsified] to him as a 4-month-old foal. He and I have been showing her locally and getting her ready for the World,” said Roden.

As a result of both of their hard work, Roden and Miss Coolsified are now world champions. “This is his first world champion too,” said Roden about trainer Kerry Aycock, “And I couldn’t have done it without Kerry and Claire.”

The praise between this team goes both ways. “Laurie is the most generous person we’ve ever met,” said the Aycocks.

She travels many airline miles for her position as an area manager for HDR Engineering in Phoenix, Ariz. and they explained that she even donates her unused airline travel miles to the Ronald McDonald house for families seeking medical treatment. “She is always helping someone, hauling horses, giving someone a hand.”

Friendship, humor and determination have definitely helped Roden make it through some hard times and look forward to the future.

“This is my first year here competing at the World Show, but I’ll be back again next year, but only in halter!”