Blitz has her swan song at the Belmont County Fair
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- The Belmont County Fair Rodeo saw the end of an era Thursday night.
Union Local High School sophomore Eme Martin spent the evening retiring her longtime horse, Blitz, during the fair's rodeo.
Blitz is a 28-year-old trick-riding horse owned by Martin's mentor, Union Local graduate and professional trick rider Shadow Montag.
Montag rode Blitz professionally before he retired in 2018.
Once Martin informed Montag that she would be retiring Blitz, he decided to come out of retirement to perform alongside her at the fair.
"I grew up watching him and his sister Dallas, and I just kind of fell in love with it. I was like, I want to be a trick rider when I grow up. So he had finally taken me right after my seventh birthday and said that he wants to see how I'll do," Martin said. "He just threw me out to the wolves, and after all these years, he's still here supporting me and my horses."
She added that she and Montag had switched riding Blitz before Montag's retirement in 2018. When he retired, Martin became Blitz's rider, although Montag still owns the horse.
"It's a full circle moment. So back in 2018, Eme Martin, who’s been a family friend for a long time, had a piqued interest in trick riding, and so her first lesson was on Blitz," Montag said. "Blitz is my horse who was previously a bucking horse in rodeos that turned into a trick horse, who gave this little girl a start in her career."
He said it was only fitting that the pair team up to retire Blitz.
"Eme has built her career off this horse's back, has traveled the United States, and Blitz did it with me too. She was part of the Roman riding team that I had, where I stood up on two horses, and she jumped fires. She carried the American flag. She's done lessons. She's part of kids camps. So there's many kids that really sparked their interest in horseback riding off her back," Montag said. "She's such an amazing creature that just made people interested in horses. It’s just full circle that we can come back and retire her tonight in Belmont County."
Montag said he retired in 2018 to attend Ohio State University, where he studied veterinary medicine and has since graduated.
He said college was too demanding to continue his professional trick-riding career, so he decided to retire.
During Thursday's performance, Montag performed first with Blitz, followed by Martin.
"The first trick that Eme learned was to stand up on the horse, and she's gonna make that her final trip tonight with Blitz," Montag said. "We're going to do a tribute and untack her and walk her out."
He said trick riders could not perform without their horses, so he and Martin wanted to make sure they honored Blitz's legacy.
"We couldn't do this job without them and we're going to pay her the highest honor tonight," Montag said.
Once Blitz is retired, she will return to Montag's home, where she will graze with his other retired horse, Thunder.
Martin's mother, Sarah Martin, said it was a big deal for the family that Montag was able to reunite with her daughter.
"It's a big deal for Eme to get to do it as a teenager and not as a little kid with her mentor," she said. "I never thought in a million years that she would be this far into it. We went to practices with Shadow for fun, and she fell in love with it. Now we're here nine years later. And last year she was SEBRA Rodeo’s Act of the Year, and it's insane. I love it for her and I'm proud of her. She works very hard at what she does and puts her heart and soul into it."
She added that Eme does not plan to continue her trick-riding career after high school.
Sarah said Eme enjoys it for fun and that, as a teenager, it is a really good paycheck.
"I think, after high school, she'll probably not do it unless she absolutely gets a big inkling to," Sarah said.