Girl-and-pony show.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

PLEASANT HILL - Ten-year-old Liza Clark's pink bed is piled with stuffed horses and her room is lined with blue ribbons. Trophies, prize crystal, painted pony awards and photos of herself and her pony after victories fill every shelf in her small room.

It's the glamorous part of being in the horse world, and Liza likes her stuff. But for this little girl, it's more about the relationship she has with her pony, Sophie, than the results of showing her.

The fifth-grader recently took home two first-place trophies in costume categories at the Pony of the Americas World Championships, but when you ask her about the show, she wants to talk about making the costumes.

In the "open costume" class, all age groups compete against each other. It's the event that opens up the show, held in Eugene in August with people hauling their ponies from as far away as the East Coast and Kentucky to compete.

Liza and Sophie's "Broadway Babies" took the top award with Liza making the unusual move of singing atop Sophie - who was outfitted as the stage. Liza and her mom, Paige Clark, spent countless hours with their friend and seamstress, Wanda Niemi of Dexter, creating the costume.

"I do a lot of theatrical stuff so I decided to sing," Liza said of the Broadway medley she and her voice coach came up with. "We have a lot of fun doing it."

Paige Clark said it's unusual for a 10-year-old to win the open costume contest because the competitors are up to 18 years old and many have been refining their routines for years.

"The judges were delighted because it was so fun - a breath of fresh air," Paige Clark said.

Liza also took top honors in the Indian costume class, where participants try to be as authentic as possible. Liza arranged a research trip to the coast and members of the Siletz tribe helped her come up with a story to go along with her costume.

"I think that's the best part about it," Liza said of the research process and making the costume. "I didn't expect to win."

Her mom chimed in, "It was wonderful to win."

Only about 30 families in Oregon have ponies registered through the Ponies of the Americas organization, said Peggy Neikirk, who serves in a variety of leadership positions in the Washington and Oregon organizations and knows the Clark family through shows.

Having a horse can be an expensive hobby - running between $100 and $1,000 a month not including the cost of the horse, Neikirk said, depending on whether you have to pay for boarding and how much you show. But to bring a child up in the horse world is worth the investment because it helps raise the child to be responsible, empathic, caring and hard-working.

"It teaches them humility," Neikirk said. "It mirrors life in a lot of ways. "It teaches them that there is more than the color of the ribbon, it's the effort you put in. Likewise there is a certain connection. You communicate on an entirely different level. It calms the soul somehow."

Liza said she loves the wind on her face when she's riding.

"It's kind of smooth, like flying. That's kind of awesome," she said. "It feels kind of like if you're running really, really fast - that weird feeling on your face - I really like that."

Liza's behavior at shows is the epitome of good sportsmanship, Neikirk said.

"She's always cheering others on, she's always got a smile on her face," Neikirk said. "She's very kind and very good with her pony. She's going to be an excellent horse woman."

Liza's involvement with showing horses is a family affair. Her older brother Evan, 13, and her father, Jim, all attend shows and support Liza.

On a less formal note, the family enjoys trail rides together and when Jim Clark was offered a banking position in Eugene four years ago, they moved to Pleasant Hill because it is a good place for horses.

Still, it's a big responsibility. Liza gets up at 6:15 a.m. to feed and clean her pony and is back in the barn at 6 p.m. feeding and grooming.

"It's a huge lifestyle choice to do this," Paige Clark said. "It pays off because the relationship the child has with the horse is very special."

Sophie the horse, whose registered name is JN Precious Moments, also got a huge honor at the world competition in August. The 15-year-old mare was presented with a "Supreme Champion" award, which roughly only 12 out of the 40,000-plus registered ponies receive each year. It's like a lifetime achievement award for the horse and a huge deal to those in the horse world.

Liza loves Sophie because of how well she adapts to her rider.

"She's pretty fun because she does what you are capable of doing," Liza said. "Sophie is more part of the family than a show horse."

In Autumn, horse season winds down, just as theater and ballet season heat up for Liza. She said her dance background helps with posture and poise for showing horses, and she enjoys performing regardless of how. When dance becomes her focus, she doesn't ignore Sophie.

"I still ride my horse almost every day," Liza said. "We keep it fun. As long as I'm having a good time it's worth doing. It's fun, fresh, exciting. None of it gets old."

LIZA CLARK

Age: 10, of Pleasant Hill

Claim to fame: accomplished Pony of the Americas competitor

Bet you didn't know: This is her ninth year of ballet and her fourth `Nutcracker' production. She's also been in nine musicals.

CAPTION(S):

Liza Clark, 10, and her pony JN Precious Moments, aka Sophie, won two first-place trophies in costume categories at the Pony of the Americas World Championships. Liza didn't just ride Sophie in their "Broadway Babies" presentation: "I do a lot of theatrical stuff so I decided to sing." Two awards that Liza Clark and her pony JN Precious Moments won in August.