The North Idaho Fair had a record-breaking 170,000 attendees this year. A jewel of that fair is the Gem State Stampede, a televised rodeo that features contestants from all around the world competing in events like steer wrestling and barrel racing for sold-out crowds. On the second-to-last night of the rodeo, an eight-year-old girl named Kinsley sat in the stands with her family, watching well-traveled cowpokes display feats of roping and riding. Little did she know that her life would change forever.

Kinsley is no stranger to horsemanship. Her family owns horses. Kinsley is in 4-H and going to the rodeo and fair was a regular occurrence for her. That morning, Kinsley’s mom, Lacey, said that “their night at the rodeo would be one that she would never forget,” but Kinsley responded by saying that she probably would forget. Kinsley had other things on her mind. She was battling cancer.   

During a routine medical check-up about a year ago, the doctor found a lump in Kinsley’s neck. It was thyroid cancer, and soon Kinsley was making regular trips between Post Falls and Seattle for treatments and surgery. She’s still making those trips, and it’s been a tough go. Kinsley is shy and doesn’t like to be reminded that she has cancer. She just wants to be “normal.” However, Kinsley has also proven to be quite a fighter.  

“She’s one of the toughest, most resilient kids you’ll ever meet. She has had to endure so much over the past year and keeps bouncing back. As soon as she was medically released, she started participating in gymnastics again which is a passion of hers,” Lacey wrote.

During her medical journey, Kinsley found out she was getting a wish. Her mom said that “she was excited, but a little overwhelmed. At her age, it's a tough decision when you're granted a wish and told to ‘think big.’ She discussed Disney World, meeting a celebrity, but the more we talked, a good, solid horse that she could build a relationship with and learn to show in 4-H seemed to get her the most excited. Even though she was told anything was possible, when she mentioned it to [Make-A-Wish Idaho staff] in our initial meeting, she was a little shy asking for it.”

Kinsley was very anxious to discover what the horse would look like. Lacey said, “she’s obsessed with paints, palominos, and horses with multiple colors,” so it was important for Make-A-Wish® to find the perfect horse.

Michelle John, Make-A-Wish Idaho North Idaho Regional Manager, put out an all-points bulletin to the North Idaho horse community to find a wish horse, and after talking to many people and seeing a variety of horses, Michelle arranged a riding lesson for Kinsley to introduce her to a stallion named Tucker to see if they were a good fit. The two were fast friends. “There was magic in the air that day,” Michelle said.

To keep the magic flowing, Make-A-Wish Idaho revealed Kinsley’s wish during the Gem State Stampede. A video played on the Jumbotron that seemed to be about Make-A-Wish Idaho, but suddenly Kinsley's face flashed on the screen.

“My wish is for a 4-H horse,” Kinsley said in the video. “One for my own to control and learn what horses do.”
 
When Kinsley saw herself up there, she got a little embarrassed, but as the video continued and it told the story of Kinsley and her wish, she realized that her wish was being granted and that she was getting a horse, but not just any horse, she was getting Tucker. “She was so happy,” Lacey said.

Kinsley and her family made their way to the center of the Findlay Arena where they were presented with Tucker. Kinsley was beaming, and the crowd was cheering.

"Now I know why you said I would never forget tonight!” Kinsley told her mom.

Lacey said “having her own horse has made her so proud and protective of Tucker. It's also given her a sense of responsibility and accomplishment taking care of him. Clay and Ashley Hilderbrand at Post Falls Equestrian Center have given her multiple riding lessons and she has gained a lot of confidence in just a few weeks of riding Tucker. This bond will continue to grow over time, it's been pretty incredible to watch her with him. Horses are therapeutic for so many reasons, and this wish is something she will enjoy for many, many years.”