As Magnums Lil Missy exited the show ring at the 2026 NRHA Derby^® presented by Markel, Olivia Allen and Valerie Kaute were already emotional.

Just a few months earlier, neither woman was sure the mare would survive.

Missy, a 5-year-old mare by Magnum Chic Dream, entered training with Allen in January 2025. For Kaute, who had spent much of her riding career in the hunter-jumper world before transitioning to reining, the mare represented a new chapter. After finding Allen Reining Horses through an online search for reining lessons, Kaute quickly developed a relationship with Allen and began pursuing new goals in the saddle.

By the fall of 2025, those goals were put on hold.

In October, “Missy” became seriously ill and was transported to Pine Ridge Equine Hospital. Veterinarians determined her colon had become displaced and immediately began treatment. At first, there was reason to believe she would recover. Fluids and medication seemed to help, and Missy slowly began eating again.

The progress didn’t last. Her condition continued to fluctuate. Additional testing and eventually surgery revealed a section of bowel trapped within her pelvic region. Veterinarians corrected the issue and hoped recovery would follow.

Instead, more complications surfaced. Missy stopped eating. She developed ulcers. Specialists were consulted, treatment plans were adjusted, and veterinarians worked around the clock searching for answers. Despite every effort, she continued to decline.

Weeks passed, and for Kaute and Allen, each phone call from the hospital carried a mixture of hope and uncertainty. Some mornings brought encouraging updates. Other days brought new setbacks. Eventually, the difficult conversations began.

The mare had now spent nearly six weeks at the hospital, and veterinarians were running out of options.

The recommendation was one neither owner nor trainer wanted to hear.

Rather than immediately moving forward with euthanasia, Allen suggested something different. Why not bring Missy home and let her be a horse for her final days?

The decision wasn’t based on a treatment plan or a veterinary recommendation. It was simply an opportunity to let the mare spend her remaining days in a familiar place.

A euthanasia appointment was scheduled for the following Monday. Then Saturday morning arrived, and for the first time in nearly two months, Missy went to the bathroom on her own. It was a small sign, but it was enough.

No one knew what the future held, and recovery was far from guaranteed. Yet for the first time in weeks, there was a reason to believe things might be changing.

There was no significant improvement and no overnight recovery. However, Missy was showing slow improvement: a little more energy, appetite, and strength with each passing day.

Allen remembers how weak the mare had become. After losing significant weight and muscle during her illness, even simple exercise was exhausting. Two months before the Derby, Allen began walking her under saddle. There was no pressure and no expectations. The goal wasn’t competition. It was simply rebuilding strength.

Little by little, Missy responded, and responded well.

What began as short rides turned into longer ones. The mare that had once struggled through basic recovery started looking more like herself. As the Derby approached, Allen asked Kaute a question neither of them had imagined discussing just months earlier.

Making it to the Derby was improbable enough. Walking through the in-gate felt almost impossible.

Yet there she was. As Missy completed her run, the emotions that had built over the previous eight months finally surfaced. For Kaute and Allen, the moment represented far more than a horse show. It represented every difficult decision, every setback, and every uncertain day spent wondering whether Missy would ever come home.

Looking back, both women see the experience through a lens of faith.

Throughout Missy’s illness, Proverbs 3:5 became a source of comfort: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” When answers were unavailable and outcomes remained uncertain, those words carried a different meaning.

Another verse, Proverbs 16:9, reminds believers that while people make plans, the Lord establishes their steps.

The plan had been simple: train, compete, and continue building toward the future. Instead, the journey became one of patience, resilience, and trust.

Today, Missy’s story is not remembered because of a scorecard. It is remembered because a mare once scheduled for euthanization found her way back to the show pen.

For Kaute and Allen, that was more than enough.

 Story By Elisabeth Moser