By Joel van der Veen

HOLDFAST — At age three she was riding horseback with her mom, and two years later she was trying it on her own.

At age nine she won her first buckle, as the high-point champion cowgirl on the Little Spurs rodeo circuit.

“I got a big buckle, it was as big as my dad’s,” recalled Kiana Ehmann, now 13 and a Grade 8 student at Schell School.

She credits much of her success to her involvement in 4H, for the opportunities it’s provided and the skills she’s developed along the way.

“(When) I started off I couldn’t ride by myself,” she said last week. “I’m still trying to be better than I am.”

“That’s what she does everyday,” her mother Michelle confirmed. “She lives on the back of a horse.”

Kiana is vice-president of the Heartland Light Horse 4H Club, based in Holdfast.

The club currently has 13 members, ranging in age from six to 18 years, and drawing from as far as Davidson, Bethune, Lumsden and Watrous.

Originally based in Moose Jaw, the club saw its enrolment dwindling six years ago, when it was down to four members.

Michelle agreed to take over as leader, and soon afterward they relocated the club to Holdfast, using the riding facilities at the Ehmann ranch south of town.

Her husband Jacob’s ancestors homesteaded the land in 1904. Jacob and Michelle now live there with their three kids Kiana, Lilly and Jack.

The club’s season runs from September to mid-May. In the fall and spring they focus on riding and related disciplines. They work on projects in the winter months, when it’s too cold to ride.

For the full story and more photos, please see the April 17 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.