I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends


The rock group America wrote about a “Horse With No Name” back in the 1970’s. It was also in the 70’s that I became friends with Sherri Allen. Today I got to spend some time with my dear friend from high school and her world champion horse Yuppie Cuppie. We often hear stories of people saving animals. This is a story of a woman saving a horse but it’s also a story of a horse saving a woman.
Prestonsburg High School was where Sherri and I met. Her dad, Floyd B. Allen, was everybody’s favorite science teacher. I think Sherri and I hit it off because we both struggle with shortness. Back then the high school had lockers that were stacked in two’s and we couldn’t reach the top ones. Unlike me though, Sherri was a terrific basketball player, a guard who could shoot and dribble. And boy was she fast! Lately through Facebook we reconnected and I was so impressed to see that as an adult she was an avid horse woman. I saw many photos of her and her beautiful horse who is named of all things Yuppie Cuppie. I also read that she and Cuppie are world champions! I’ve been intrigued to know more about the horse world and about Sherri’s champion Cuppie, so I paid her a visit. Little did I know that there was more to the story of Cuppie, way more than your usual horse story!
Buttercup was her name and she had a family who loved her. The family fell on hard times as a serious medical condition afflicted their son. His condition required lengthy hospital stays in Cincinnati. Money grew tight for the family and Buttercup suffered because of their tragedy. She grew thin and sickly and the family knew that they would be forced to sell her because of their son’s illness.
Sherri was also hit hard by an illness; stomach cancer. She had to have a surgical procedure and a strong chemo drug. Sherri told me of many dark days during her treatments; she was sick, weak and vulnerable. Then one day she found out about Buttercup and her sad existence. And it lit a little spark. Sherri decided to go see this horse and Buttercup looked at Sherri and Sherri looked at Buttercup and she knew that she and Buttercup could help each other. So she made an offer to the family and she took Buttercup to her new home.
After spending some time together, Sherri thought that the horse just didn’t look like a “Buttercup”. The previous family had nicknamed the horse “Cuppie” so Sherri thought, “What rhymes with Cuppie? Yuppie? Yes, Yuppie Cuppie!” And a story began.
Sherri spoke softly about the hard days during that time in her life. There were days that she struggled to rise from her bed.  She was sick from the medication, in pain and she was worried about the future as well. Easily Sherri could have just stayed in bed and allowed the dark thoughts to fill her mind and soul; but instead thoughts of Cuppie would spur her to get up, get out and head to the barn to check on her horse’s progress. So she would go to the barn and spend time with her horse. She would encourage Cuppie to eat, rest and she would brush Cuppie’s long mane. Sherri believes, and I do too, that animals have the ability to calm our souls and restore our bodies. Slowly Sherri and Cuppie both started to get stronger. Soon, probably too soon, Sherri began to ride again. Tentative at first, but with each trip on horseback she felt her life force returning. Soon she put Cuppie through her paces in front of trainers and experts and everyone was impressed with Cuppie’s natural gait and intelligence. After some training sessions with several local experts, a star was born.
In 2013 Sherri took Cuppie to a fun show in Salyersville, just for a test. And she won that event with ease. Soon the competition bug took hold and that summer the awards stacked up. They competed in the Mountain Pleasure World Show later that summer where Sherri and Cuppie won Mountain Pleasure Country Trail World Grand Championship. Since then the titles and awards have mounted reaching the goal of 2015 UMH Breeders Cup Mare and 1st Place Amateur/AOT/Novice Country Trail World Grand Championship. Yuppie Cuppie has also quite a fan following on the show circuit. So much so that Sherri has had t-shirts made with a Yuppie Cuppie cartoon horse, which she gives out to kids during the shows. Life on the summer show circuit can be demanding yet is so rewarding for Sherri and Cuppie. They have formed a strong bond and are a team in competition and in life.
We can learn a lot from Sherri’s example. Life can sometimes kick us in the teeth. It’s up to each of us how we respond to the trials that we face. Life lessons are taught during hard times. The trick is to keep riding through the obstacles in front of us. We can learn a lot from Sherri and Cuppie who have persevered despite illness and are living life to its fullest.