Cheryl and the Big Horses

My name is Siena Bergounous I am 13 years old and a 4th year member in Range View 4-H Horse Project. When I was 7 years old, I had the pleasure of meeting Cheryl Pritchett. Cheryl has been working with horses for over 60 years. She started driving horses because it was fun to have people come with you. She also taught young horses to drive before riding. Before driving she did Pony Club, dressage, and other English riding. Now she has 4 horses, Rosebud and Angel who are strawberry roan Clydesdale sisters. She also has a Fjord pony named Eva who can be ridden under saddle and drives a cart. I have begun riding Eva to get her back in shape for Cheryl. She is fun to ride. Her newest edition is Ruby, a three-year-old Shire who is already bigger than her Clydesdales.

Cheryl, Rosebud, and Angel have done Highway 50 Wagon Train for 5 years. She said it was a lot of fun to be with the horses every day, and pretend to be a pioneer on the real wagon train. When I was 9 years old, I rode my horse Stetson on the Highway 50 Wagon Train with Cheryl. One of the days I rode up on the Highway 50 Wagon with her and was dressed as a pioneer girl. The Draft Horse Classic is an annual show in Grass Valley for draft horses. Cheryl has been competing in it for 18 years with Rosebud and Angel. Before she began competing in the Draft Horse Classic, she had watched it and just fell in love with the horses. In 2021, Rosebud was the poster child of the Draft Horse Classic. Rosebud was disqualified from the Draft Horse Classic 3 years in a row for her bad attitude in the ring, but her 4th year back she competed and won every one of her classes. Cheryl’s husband Bill also competes at the Classic with Rosebud in the Gambler’s Choice Class.

This year Cheryl represented the Draft Horse Classic at the Western States Horse Expo at Rancho Murieta Equestrian Center. She drove a team of two gigantic Percherons, Nate and Gus, that she borrowed from a friend to pull the stagecoach. I barrel raced Rosebud in the ‘Big Horse’ demonstration in front of the spectators.

When I was 7 years old, I met Cheryl and she started teaching me how to drive a cart with Rosebud so I could compete in the Draft Horse Classic as a Junior Driver. When Covid happened in 2020, I was then unable to compete. This year Cheryl talked about getting me back into driving and having me compete as a junior driver this Fall.

Cheryl introduced me to the Big Horses and am lucky to have met her.