Gray-and-white pony Jazzy — rescued from a kill pen in Sugarcreek — was in rough shape when purchased by Jillian O’Connor, her husband, Jason, and her mother, Judi McCloskey, in May 2018.
“We were her eighth owner in seven years,” says Jillian, a Stow resident who bought Jazzy for her daughter, Jaclynn. “We found out from all of her stress … she had severe ulcers, which caused excruciating pain.”
The discovery explained Jazzy’s standoffish personality. “I really don’t like to give up on things very easily,” says Jaclynn, now 13. “She was just one of those things I could see potential in.”
Around 2020, the O’Connors moved Jazzy to a barn in Ravenna, where they began working with a new trainer. No longer in pain, the pony began to mesh with her rider. “She has a really funny and sassy personality, and I’m kind of the same,” Jaclynn says. “I felt like we were almost the same being — just in different forms.”
At around age 7, Jaclynn began to compete in rodeos. For the June 2019 Cowboy Up Youth Rodeo, she learned events such as goat untying, in which young riders must dismount their horses to untie a ribbon from a goat’s tail. The 7-year-old took fifth place in roping, poles and goat untying at that rodeo.
Over time, Jazzy improved. Jaclynn qualified for the prestigious 2023 Hooey Junior Patriot rodeo in Texas. Five days before she was set to depart in late February, however, Jazzy suffered an injury to her ligament — leaving her unable to compete. “She was devastated,” Jillian says. “The two of them had such a bond. ... They were at their peak, and then, all of a sudden, it’s gone.”
Jaclynn already planned on taking another horse, Jagger, to Texas, but they didn’t place. It took nearly two years for Jazzy to heal. “You can’t give up,” Jillian says. “She fought for herself.”
Today, Jaclynn earns accolades with Jagger and another horse, Wynn, including securing Grand Champion in the open contest at the 2023 Summit County Fair and clinching Grand Champion (15 and under) in pole bending at the 2025 Hooey Junior Patriot. Jazzy, too, has found a new purpose — teaching another cowgirl to ride. Her wins with Jaclynn, including her fastest barrel times — at Garwood Arena’s Youth Rodeo in early February 2023 — created fond memories. “My favorite moment with Jazzy ... I ran one of my fastest times. And everyone … they were all really excited,” Jaclynn recalls. “Getting so far with Jazzy and accomplishing such great things — that wouldn’t be possible if I’d given up on her.”
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
