Gulizia named ’09 Calaveras Saddle Queen

The 2009 Calaveras Saddle Queen did not have her own horse to ride on. But no matter.

Her love for the animals that helped her overcome a learning disability shone through Thursday and helped Cat Gulizia, of Arnold, claim the crown.
 

 Doctors diagnosed Gulizia, 18, a senior at Bret Harte High School, with dyslexia at age 5. Her mother, Sally, said doctors told her if her daughter “had one thing she could really pour her heart into,” it would help her cope. She has been riding horses ever since.

However, Gulizia’s family could never afford to buy and keep a horse. She borrowed one when she earned first runner-up honors at the 2006 Saddle Queen contest. The Horse and Barrel Ranch in Murphys loaned her Buddy for this year’s run.

The horse “did an amazing job,” Gulizia said.

Gulizia credits the tutelage of coach Shasta Stemler-Rogers for making her performance possible, as well as support from sponsors like Sue Funkey, of Sue’s Custom Gardens.

“She’s important to all of us,” Funkey said of Gulizia. “She means something different to everybody.”

After two years at Feather River College in Quincy, where she will pursue equine studies, Gulizia plans to pursue a four-year degree and give back to a gracious community. She wants not only to achieve her dream of owning her own horse, but “to provide horses for kids that were in my situation.”

Saddle Princess Holly Moore, 17, of Copperopolis, said she enjoyed the contest and took pride in the performance of her horse, Ike, who she has worked with the past five months to transform from a roping horse to a queen horse.

She said she looks forward to also attending Feather River College with queen and classmate Gulizia. Moore won the reigning portion of the contest and said she enjoyed working with Saddle Queen coordinator Michele Lee.

The other Saddle Princess crowned Thursday in the Frogtown arena was Columbia College student Chelsea Flores. Like Moore, Flores competed for the Saddle Queen crown for the first time this year.

She said she would recommend participation to anyone “if you want to work hard.”

Flores, 19, won the barrel racing competition during the contest with her horse, Dusty.

“He’s quick. So once he figured out what I wanted, he would do it and he likes it,” she said.

The queen and her court will represent the Saddle Club, the Calaveras County Fair and the Frog Jump throughout the next year at various events.