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Susan Putnam and her horse, Rusty
Susan has love for animals
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Susan Putnam, 13, is a horse-
woman who is proud of the 40-plus
ribbons she won this spring.
She is even prouder of her
menagerie of animals at her home
in the Patterson Grove Community.
The barnyard of the home of
Roger and Libby Putnam, Susan,
Laura and Jim, is overflowing with
the loves of the teenagers life.
Her horse, Rusty, gets tender
loving care as well as Sam, her
cocker spaniel, three cats and their
siblings, four roosters, 12 chickens,
her father's guineas, and a guinea
pig.
Susan, 8th grader at Kings
‘Mountain Middle School, stated
" her animal collection last fall when
the family moved back to Kings
Mountain from Salisbury. The barn
of her grandmother's farm is a per-
fect place for housing her horse
and Miss Hen and the chicken fam-
ily have plenty of room to grow.
It isn't hard to guess that Putnam
aspires to be a veterinarian. She is
getting an early start on her dream
by learning to groom her horse
which she hopes to train for up-
coming competitions. She gives
him a work out almost daily, jump-
ing over hurdles set up in the front
yard. Rusty has never competed in
a show or event and Susan says she
has her work cut out for her.
Putnam says it takes patience to
work with a young horse. Rusty
kicked her several times when she
first started training him. "He didn't
like for me to pick up his front foot
and he let me know it," said Susan.
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"It almost scared us to death,"
said her proud mother, the former
Libby Alexander of Kings
Mountain.
Rusty also threw his young rider
a few times too but the secret of
Putnam's success is that she climbs
back on his back and off they go.
"At first I could not touch him at
all and he would not stand still,"
said Susan.
In recent months, Rusty and
Susan have become fast friends.
They jump almost every day and
young Susan takes every precau-
tion to try to avoid spills. She
wears a riding habit topped off
with a helmet and always is alert
for rocky ground, guiding the ani-
mal through practice sessions.
‘When: her little friends-asked
Santa for a doll, Susan said she al-
ways asked for a pony or a horse.
Living in Salisbury she couldn't
keep a horse or pony at her home,
so she boarded Pal, her first horse,
and leased her first pony, Confetti.
At age eight Susan fell in love
with horses at the Cleveland
County Fair when she rode the
pony rides. Six years ago she took
her first lesson in Salisbury and
English riding lessons became a fa-
vorite part of her young life.
"It was the happiest day of my
life when we moved back to the
farm and then found Rusty on
March 5," said Susan. Her family
rents the Putnam homeplace on
Amelia Road, formerly owned by
the late Mrs. Lala Putnam .
An avid rider in the Cleveland
County Horsemen's Association,
she never tires of riding and prac-
tices every day as soon as she com-
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pletes her homework assignments.
Cross country, stadium jumping
and dressage are three events she
hopes to master.
Susan probably got her love for
horses from her mother, who used
to own a horse named Josie. The
palomino quarterhorse was too fas:
for Libby. "He liked to trot and I
liked to walk," she laughed.
Susan checks her horse daily for
cuts because he is pastured at the
back of the house. She is his exclu-
sive trainer.
A member of a vaulting team in
Salisbury, she said the young riders
learned to groom their horses but
they also learned to clean stalls. "It
isn't glamorous and it's dirty work
but the stalls must be kept clean
and the animals must be kept clean
and healthy," said Putnam.
"She highly recommends’ that
other teenagers learn to ride. "Work
at it rain or shine," says Putnam,
who says that a novice rider should
board horses first before making
an investment in one. She attended
camp with a pony club and the
first chore assigned to the young
people was stall cleaning. The
class was aptly called stable man-
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Susan is the only member of her
family who rides. Her sister, Laura,
is a sophomore at UNCC. Her
brother, Jim, is a junior at Kings
Mountain High School. Mrs.
Putnam teaches music and chorus
at Shelby Middle School. Mr.
Putnam works for = Naska
Pharmacal, pharmaceutical manu-
facturer in Lincolnton.
Susan recalled that during her
first competition at a show she fell
from her horse.
"I got up and mounted him again
and we finished the competition,”
said Susan who was proud of the
ribbon she received. The blue rib-
bons in her bedroom at home are
examples of her proficiency. But
she also gives the credit to her fam-
ily who are always on the sidelines
when she works out at home or in
an arena. :
After high school graduation,
Putnam wants to go to college and
study veterinary medicine. And she
wants to own horses and animals
of all sizes and descriptions. With
several years ahead, she expects to
gain plenty of experience on her
family's animal farm.
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Monday-Saturday,
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Thursday, October 15,1992-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Page 94
Basketball tourney set
A benefit 3-on-3 basketball tour-
nament for ancurysm victim
Charles Smith will be held Sat.,
Nov. 14 at the Salvation Army
Boys and Girls Club, 1001 S.
Marictta St., Gastonia. :
The event is sponsored by Jones
Intercable. :
There will be an open division
as well as a six feet and under divi-
sion. There is a $40 entry fee (four
players). Twelve teams will be ac-
cepted for each division.
Prizes will be awarded to the
Mens, Womens
& Childrens Sock
first place teams in cach division.
To enter, send a check or money
order to Jones Intercable, PO Bax
218, Lowell, NC 28098 (Attn: 3-
on-3 Tournament); call Bryan
Welch at 853-2334; or go by any
Jones Intercable Office location be-
tween 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Entry forms arc al-
so available at the office of the
Salvation Army Boys and Girls
Club.
Entry deadline is November 10.
Checks should be made out to
Charles Smith Fund.
344 Oak Grove Road
Kings Mountain, North Carolina «77
Debbie P. Van Dyke, President © 739-5344 ©
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