As the APHA Fall World Championship Show gets underway November 5-14 in Ft. Worth, open and amateur competitors will take center stage vying for bragging rights and World titles in a wide range of disciplines. One of those competitors, Susie Derouchey is accustomed to performing on horseback in front of an audience. She entertains a crowd of nearly 80,000 people on a regular basis.
Derouchey has two loves, dancing and riding and she has done both since the tender age of three. In her second year as a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader, this season has combined her profession with her passion – she has the enviable job of riding “Warpaint” during Chiefs home games.
“In May the Chiefs knew they wanted to do something special for the 50th Anniversary season,” Derouchey explains. “Back in the 70’s and 80’s the Chiefs had Warpaint and they decided to bring the tradition back for the 50th Anniversary season. They knew I was a horse person so they asked me if I would ride her and I told them I was honored and that I would love to be a part of that!”
The owners of the Chiefs, the Hunt family, looked at over 30 registered APHA horses with the most important criteria being its coloring and markings. Derouchey explains that “People are just crazy about Warpaint! It has been a tradition for so long and fans are so happy to have her back.”
This is the first time the Chiefs have gone with a member of the cheerleading squad as Warpaint’s rider. “This has been a really big honor and tremendous opportunity. I told them I will be there as long as they will have me.” Derouchey’s role on the 2009 Chiefs squad seems custom made for her. “This has been a dream come true to incorporate my love for dance along with my passion for horses. I feel really blessed to be able to do that for the Chiefs.”
There’s quite a bit of preparation that goes into getting this horse and rider team ready for game day. In addition to working out 5-6 days a week and endless hours of practicing dance routines with the cheerleading squad, Derouchey gets lots of seat time in with Warpaint. With the help of two local trainers, Kenny Fisher and Brian Flynn, they work on preparing her for a variety of challenging game-time situations. “We have shot guns off of her so she can expect fireworks. We have had girls shake pompoms in her face. I brought her to our cheerleading practices and had her run through the girls. I have to carry a flag so we’ve done a lot of work with that.”
All of this is to be as prepared as possible when she takes the field in front of a packed Arrowhead Stadium. “Part of our job at the game is to lead the players onto the field during introductions,” explains Derouchey. “Every time we score, Warpaint runs down the middle of the field and we do our touchdown celebration which is where we run from one goal post down the center of the field all the way down to the other one and back. She has gotten better every game.”
Derouchey is able to find parallels between riding at a horse show and riding with thousands of screaming fans and music blaring. “The years of riding and showing has really helped me and prepared me for this job. Every game when I’m walking down that tunnel is about the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve ever felt. I think that it’s a lot like showing horses because I get that feeling in my stomach when I’m about to show. It’s a combination of excitement and nervousness.”
Fortunately for Derouchey, the Chiefs have an away game in Jacksonville the weekend of the Amateur events so she will be able to compete at the APHA Fall World Championship Show. She has been top-5 in multiple events at the Pinto World Championships, but this will be her first Paint World. Under the guidance of Jeff Sommers, Derouchey will show her five year old gelding, SB A Zip In Time (pictured left) in Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle, Equitation, Horsemanship and Showmanship as well as Classic Amateur Junior Hunter Under Saddle.
“I really enjoy showing at the Paint shows, the people are so nice and the staff is amazing,” says Derouchey. “I plan to take the confidence with me that I have performing with Warpaint to Ft. Worth and I hope to do my best.”
Click here for more information about the APHA World Championship show.
