Prime opportunity
- Updated: March 8, 2024
Having excelled at soccer and track, Donoho’s Parks will ride equestrian eventing opportunity to college at Transylvania.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
ANNISTON — A track athlete since seventh grade and soccer player since eighth grade, Rory Parks is no one-trick pony.
In fact, she found a niche that became a college opportunity in equestrian eventing.
The Donoho senior celebrated the fruits of her life’s turn during Thursday’s ceremony to make her signing with Trasylvania, where she and her adopted horse family of Whiskey, Prime and Bayland.
Prime is her competition horse.
Parks has ridden horses “off and on” for years, but she started doing volunteer work at a facility in Weaver five years ago.
“That soft of sealed my deal for it,” she said.
She began doing show work about a year ago, when a friend gifted her first horse, a rescue filly named Whiskey. Building a relationship with Whiskey “took a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Parks said.
“She was abused, neglected and terrified of everything,” Parks said. “I brought her from the ground up, built a relationship with her and just started from there.
“When we realized I was needing more improvement, I got another horse.”
That was Prime, a chestnut colt who became her competition horse. Then came Bayland.
“I named them after alcohol,” she said. “I won’t even lie.”
How appropriate they’ll go with Parks to Kentucky, which is known for horse racing and Bourbon and the home of James B. Beam Distilling Co., in Clermont.
She got into eventing after watching videos. She tried barreling racing then advanced to jumping. Results encouraged her to try Prime with eventing.
“I took him to a little schooling, and he did really good,” Parks said. “I was like, ‘I think we can make this work.'”
They practiced for a year, until her first show, in June. Prime got second place in eventing.
“I was like, ‘This is what I want to do with my life,'” Parks said. “I want to do this. I want to train. I want to ride. I want to show.”
Whiskey and Prime have placed in every show since. Bayland has also placed in hunters and jumpers.
“This is my life,” she said. “This is what I’m going to do. I’ve worked so hard, and I can make a living at this.”
The chance to compete for Transylvania came after she researched eventing teams in college. She considered Auburn but wanted to go farther from home. She found Transy, which has a team.
“It’s an actual team and not a club, because Auburn’s are clubs,” she said. “I was like, ‘We’re going to try this.'”
Parks started having regular contact with Transy head equestrian coach Kelly Shores. Parks sent practice, training and competition videos.
“She said it and said, ‘We can use you on this team,'” Parks said.
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
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