{"id":117721,"date":"2014-09-11T21:26:53","date_gmt":"2014-09-12T03:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/the-making-of-a-legend\/"},"modified":"2014-09-11T21:26:53","modified_gmt":"2014-09-12T03:26:53","slug":"the-making-of-a-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/the-making-of-a-legend\/","title":{"rendered":"The making of a legend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Jake
Jake Cruzan sits aboard his horse, Peppy, after winning the world championship in heading at the 2014 Built Ford Tough American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championship Show on Aug. 9.<\/span>Courtesy photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Growing up in the Cortez area, Jake Cruzan had big dreams.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t dream that he\u2019d win a prestigious title on a horse that he rescued.<\/p>\n

Cruzan did just that, capturing the world championship in heading at the 2014 Built Ford Tough American Quarter Horse Youth Association World Championship Show in Oklahoma City on Aug. 9.<\/p>\n

Cruzan\u2019s victory showed that hard work pays off and that even the most unlikely of dreams can come true.<\/p>\n

An unlikely beginning<\/p>\n

To fully appreciate the significance of Cruzan\u2019s recent title, it is important to examine his evolution into a top-notch rodeo cowboy and horse trainer.<\/p>\n

Born to local business owners Kyle and Rickie Cruzan, Jake Cruzan didn\u2019t grow up around animals, but after joining 4-H, he quickly became interested in horses and competed in junior rodeos at the age of 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents did not ride or rope (and) they did not grow up around horses,\u201d Cruzan said last year. \u201cGiven my background, it is sort of ironic that horses have become such a huge part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolstered by his love of horses, Cruzan rose through the rodeo ranks, winning Colorado State High School Rodeo Association state titles in cutting and team roping in 2013. He also finished first in cutting at the Arizona State High School Rodeo in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t consider myself the best roper or the best cutter, but I do consider myself to be a good horseman,\u201d Cruzan said in 2013. \u201cI think that my ability to keep my horses ready and tuned has been a big key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aware that he could connect with horses, Cruzan elected to forgo a professional rodeo career and focus primarily on horse training.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that I can make a living (training horses), and that is what I want to do with my life,\u201d Cruzan said in 2013, one year before his high school graduation.<\/p>\n

After working under trainer Brad Barkemeyer near Cave Creek, Ariz., Cruzan moved to Camp Verde, Ariz., and began working six days a week for trainer Kevin Stallings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has definitely been a good opportunity,\u201d Cruzan said. \u201cKevin is a good horseman, and he\u2019s very knowledgeable.\u201d<\/p>\n

An unlikely horse<\/p>\n

While Cruzan\u2019s path to winning a world championship in heading was aided by the knowledge he gained under Barkemeyer and Stallings, the seeds of his title run were sewn in an unexpected way.<\/p>\n

In April 2013, Cruzan heard from a friend that Peppy, a gelding that he had been impressed with on previous occasions, was starving, sick and in danger of dying. Interested in acquiring Peppy, Cruzan traveled to take a look and was shocked by what he saw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe individual who owned him had starved him,\u201d Cruzan said. \u201cHe weighed about 700 pounds, and he was pretty lame. Nobody wanted to buy him because he had so many problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Convinced that Peppy could become a productive show horse, Cruzan took a chance and purchased him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty sad for me to see Peppy in the shape he was in, and I knew that nobody was going to take care of him,\u201d Cruzan said. \u201cHe was a shot in the dark, but I had always liked that horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cruzan worked hard to nurse Peppy to health. After several months, Peppy responded, regaining his weight and stride. As his horse grew stronger, Cruzan began riding him and not long after, began seeing results.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started working with (Peppy) a little bit and got him qualified for worlds,\u201d Cruzan said. \u201cI had a feeling that he could do well.\u201d<\/p>\n

An unlikely win<\/p>\n

With Peppy in top condition by mid-summer, Cruzan took Peppy, along with two other horses, in the 2014 Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show in Oklahoma City on Aug. 1-9.<\/p>\n

The show is considered a pinnacle event for American quarter horse exhibitors 18 years old and under and features many of the nation\u2019s top quarter horses.<\/p>\n

With 815 competitors in attendance, Cruzan faced stiff competition, but he believed that his horses could score well.<\/p>\n

Cruzan\u2019s beliefs were confirmed on Day 1,when Peppy marked a score of 222, which was good enough for eighth place.<\/p>\n

Looking to move up on Day 2, Cruzan rode Peppy into the large arena, and the horse enjoyed the performance of his life.<\/p>\n

Breaking perfectly from the gate, Peppy marked a score of 225, the highest score of the competition. Peppy finished first overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody thought I was crazy for buying (Peppy), but I bought him, and here he is now,\u201d Cruzan said. \u201cI think he\u2019s grateful for what I\u2019ve done for him, and he\u2019s paying me back.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bright future<\/p>\n

Just 19 years old and winner of one of the nation\u2019s most prestigious show titles, Cruzan\u2019s future appears bright.<\/p>\n

Cruzan emphasized that he has much to learn, and will continue working for Stallings for at least a year.<\/p>\n

In addition, Cruzan, a devout Christian, plans to continue honoring his faith and spending time with his family, for which he is grateful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to thank my parents and grandparents because I couldn\u2019t have accomplished my goals \u2026 without them. \u201cThis has been a great experience. \u201cYou have to appreciate it while you\u2019re in it and be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wise words from an inspirational champion, who reminds us that even unlikely dreams can come true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jake Cruzan turns rescue horse Peppy into a world champion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6313],"tags":[13],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-117721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-2","tag-frontpage-lead"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117721"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=117721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}