Jesse sold his horse, his only horse, to buy my engagement ring.
We were married June 7, 1997. We have been married for seventeen years.
When we were married he had one dollar in his pocket and that was all the money we had.
By 2005 we had worked hard and built our business. I was showing a nice 4 year old mare named Whizards Baby Doll. I wanted to do freestyle reining with her but for me the song needs to match the horse. Roxy was an elegant mover…the song ‘A Moment Like This’ by Kelly Clarkson was suggested and it fit. But what to wear?
A receipt for Stacy Westfall’s wedding gown showing that she paid $274.98…she later won over $17,000 in it showing Roxy.
A horse so black and a song so elegant…what about a beautiful dress?
The most elegant dress I owned was my wedding dress. Jesse and I had three sons and I decided that any future daughter-in-laws would probably want their own new wedding dress.
But can you ride a horse in a wedding dress? Will it interfere with movement? Will it hold up?
How will you know unless you try?
To my delight the dress still fit (phew!) and I showed in it a total of six times in 2005. The first time I showed in it I was still unsure of how it would hold up. We did well and won $600.00.
The next four times I relaxed and became comfortable with the cap sleeves and the low cut back. When I walked my spur rowels would frequently catch in the lace but I wasn’t worried as I had no future plans for it.
My last show in the dress was at the NRHA Futurity during the freestyle reining. By this time Roxy, the dress and I were pretty comfortable with our roles. With only a few more people to show before my turn all of my supporters went to find seats in the arena…and that is when it happened.
The back of the dress was low cut…and then the zipper ripped out!
The zipper ripped out of my dress.
I was loping, bridleless, when I felt a pop and suddenly felt my dress become very loose. Keep in mind that the back was low and the cap sleeves barely covered my shoulders.
I immediately clutched the front of my dress and froze in the middle of the arena. Roxy stood calmly while I was falling apart inside. They were already calling my name to be sure I was prepared.
My face must have reflected my terror as two women who were in the warm up arena stands asked me, “Honey, do you need some help?”
I remember nodding dumbly as words had not yet returned to me.
Once I found my voice I quickly explained my problem. We were short on time and even shorter on materials to fix me up. We quickly pulled pins from my entry number and the women pinned me back together again.
To make it even more interesting the women had to overlap the material to pin it back together…if it hadn’t been snug before it was now tight. By now my name was being called and I walked, breathing shallow so as not to pop the pins, entered the arena. The impending threat of being stabbed by safety pins and having my dress fall off was a constant distraction.
Roxy was still flawless and we won again. This completed a clean sweep of all six freestyles Roxy and I entered that year. It also brought our grand total of money won in my wedding dress to $17,014.
Not a bad return on a $274.98 dollar dress!
The dress is now in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Museum collection for future display.
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Thanks for sharing such informative tips.
[…] I won over $17,000 showing Roxy in my original wedding dress! […]
Happy Valentines you two.
Absolutely awe-inspiring, so beautiful! I loved watching this video.
That´s goosebomb stuff!Happy Anniversary!
Hi Stacy. Great hearing your story again. It is amazing just how far love can take you!!
Happy Anniversary to you and Jesse. Hopefully see you both soon.
Pat! Will you be down for the July Findlay show? We are aiming to be there. Then headed to PA near Erie, so we won’t be too far. Maybe we should come your way for a sight seeing trip.
Awesome, yet another wonderful story. Joy does seem to surround those that are true.
Dear Jessie, your nurturing support is truly admirable. True LOVE!!
Happy Anniversary Stacy and Jesse, You are the best and hope to see you next time you are here in Ohio. God be with you guys always.
What a beautiful story, thank you so much for sharing. If you are willing to keep sharing little snippets like this, I for one, will continue to be in awe and love every detail 🙂
Happy anniversary. What an awesome way to use your dress. Loved it.
Beautiful sentiment. Happy Anniversary!
So sweet! Happy Anniversary Stacy and Jesse!
I love your stories they are so real! What a great outlook on life! I see you bought your dress on valentines day! I saw you at equitana Australia and look forward to the day you come back here again! Thanks for all you do for the horses and us!
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For some reason or another the video brought me to tears…and I’m a dressage girl! Amazing work, Roxy was an incredible animal.
Thanks Stacy, I needed a good cry this morning lol ;@). I can never watch you and Roxy without bringing to mind my beloved black mare Sugar Bear. She was my dream horse who I raised, trained, showed and bred. It is 3 of her get who i still have. Though Bear and I never rose to the levels of you and Roxy, i love to dream with your rides.
Happy Anniversary ~ may your love continue to shine!
BTW… I’m going to a wedding this afternoon, I will totally loose it if they play ” A Moment Like This”!
What an INCREDIBLE Inspiration you are, thank you for sharing your God given talent. My how I would love for my daughter Morgan to learn some horsemanship skills from you. She has such a deep love for this and would treasure some time learning with you.
May God continue to bless you with success.
Watching this and your 2006 rides always bring tears to my eyes. You are so incredible. Happy Anniversary!
What an awesome testimony of love between two people who have chosen to put God first in their lives. Thank you for sharing with us. Happy Anniversary!
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely story and the beautiful video. Roxy was such an awesome mare! Happy Anniversary!
This story and many more would be great in an Autobiography!!……will you let us know when the new display is available??… I’m planning to visit the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Museum in the near future….. oh and Happy Anniversary!!!!
Beautiful….inside and out. Stacy, I always enjoy watching and listening to you. When you come out to Southern California, let’s talk about a clinic. Our store, American Horse Products, could sponsor the event.
Awesome! Tears flowing! I love watching you ride! I hope to meet you one day? Thank you for sharing!
Well doggone it, this story and video brought tears. I haven’t seen this one before or heard this story. Both are beautiful.