By Brittany Ghiroli
For The State News

At some point, most little girls dream of riding or even owning their own horse.

Blame it on the My Little Pony toys. Or the fairy tales in which the princess is carried off happily ever after on the back of a Prince Charming's majestic steed.

Lisa Ondersma was one of those girls.

In fact the animal science senior's first word was "horsie."

More than 20 years later, the word "horsie" has been replaced with "Rodney," the quarter horse that helped Ondersma win shows at state and nationwide competitions. She currently holds the title of Michigan Quarter Horse Association Queen.

"Actually his registered name is Potential Hot Rodder, but it's just too long for me to say," Ondersma says.

She prefers the name Rodney because it's simple and less flashy — just as the 22-year-old likes to keep her life.

As Ondersma shines Rodney's shoes Sunday in preparation for a horse show at MSU's Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education, she apologizes for seeming slightly distracted.

It is, after all, 9 a.m. and Ondersma is like any other college student — tired. But her face lights up when she starts discussing Saturday's events in the show, and although it ran until late at night, she shows no signs of frustration — no whining about being exhausted or complaining about the mark she recently discovered on the white cowboy hat she dons as part of her costume.

No, the queen of the ring seems perfectly calm and at ease, chatting with other contestants and coaxing her family's dog, Berley, into performing tricks.

As the reigning Michigan Quarter Horse Association Queen, Ondersma serves as an ambassador, appearing at various horse shows and events.

However, she is quick to shy away from the praise and recognition that comes with such an elite title.

With 8 a.m. classes nearly every day, work in between and evenings filled with exercising and long hours at the library, Ondersma's life mirrors that of many MSU students. But she shows Rodney nearly every weekend, and statewide horse functions and jamborees can run from 12 to 14 hours a day.

Ondersma also rides five times a week and competes in a weeklong show in October for All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen in Columbus, Ohio.

"She works incredibly hard, but she's not so good at tooting her own horn," said Karen Waite, 4-H Equine Extension Youth Specialist.

Ondersma works for Waite at 4-H between classes. Her boss describes her as an ideal role model for young riders. She's the "least self-absorbed queen I know," Waite says.

Ondersma had to be selected as the top representative in the state of Michigan in order to be crowned. The contest, held every May, is fashioned after the national Congress Queen Contest, where each state's representative goes to compete. There are three parts that are judged: 40 percent interview, 40 percent written test on the official rule book and 20 percent on the horsemanship ride.

In Michigan, a woman between the ages of 18 and 25 can run three years in a row or until she wins the Congress Queen title.

What started as a phase her parents thought she would "grow out of," became a serious hobby throughout middle school, when she leased horses until she got her own at 15.

A graduate of Holland Christian High School, Ondersma started showing on her school's equestrian team, and within her first year at Grand Valley State University became involved in the Quarter Horse circuit, where she's been hooked ever since.

At the end of her sophomore year at Grand Valley State, Ondersma, then a photography major, considered moving to San Diego to further her career.

"I didn't want to be stuck doing senior portraits the rest of my life," she said.

So Ondersma sat down with parents Lori and Jim and made a decision that would change her life.

"Obviously we didn't want our only daughter to move across the country, so we sat down and asked her, 'What do you love?'" her mother said. "And the answer was this."

"This" meaning transferring to MSU and enrolling in the animal science program. "This" meaning skipping naps between classes to work at 4-H Equine and forgoing weekend parties to wake up early and drive around the state to compete in shows. This is what Ondersma is good at, and more importantly, this is what she loves.

"Horses are my fun time," Ondersma says. "It's something I want to stay involved in the rest of my life."

Like many college students, Ondersma is unsure of her plans for the future. She's applied to the graduate program at MSU and will stay here "as long as they will have me," she says. Beyond that she is considering careers in equine nutrition or teaching. Extension work with 4-H's Equine Outreach is also a possibility. But no matter what, horses will always be a main fixture.

"My parents never thought that I would be competing in a contest like this since I'm not really a frilly girl," she said. "In fact, one of my earlier trainers told me that I wouldn't ever make it very far because I wasn't 'showy' enough."

Slender with blonde hair and blue eyes, Ondersma is quick to point out being in a horse show is not a glorified beauty pageant. Although the Congress Queen travels throughout the United States during the year, the responsibilities are totally different from pageant winners.

"They want the winner to be a capable representative regardless of looks," Ondersma said. "Someone who is friendly, but knowledgeable, more like the girl-next-door type."

Wearing a white cowboy hat and a rhinestone studded green suit made by her mother, Ondersma said she would love to be that girl.