With a quiet nudge, Dalaylun Demmons, 15, of Milford moves her horse, Boston, forward around a practice arena at Starwalk Stable in Orono. His breath fogs in the frigid air as she leans into his neck and whispers in his ear, urging him to pick up speed. The pair are seamless, melting into one another without even a saddle between them.
During the past four years, Boston has served as more than a show horse for Demmons and her family. They have been racked by challenges — most recently, Dalaylun’s mother’s breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. But her horse — as well as her parents’ desire to surround their daughter and her horse with support and love — has kept them moving forward.
“My wife and I have always thought Dalaylun was put on this earth to do something special and make a difference,” Butch Demmons, Dalaylun’s father, said. “We haven’t figured out what it is yet, but we can’t wait for it to happen. In the meantime, we spend all the time we can together as a family.”
A therapeutic ride
Fostered and adopted by Kelly and Butch Demmons as a baby, Dalaylun began riding horses at 3 years old. Riding helped the young girl, diagnosed with ADHD, calm down and focus. Dalaylun did the same for 18-year-old Boston, an American Appendix horse, four years ago.
Boston was extremely active when the family first purchased him from a stable in Waldoboro. He wouldn’t even stand still — a must for a competition horse. But after four years working with the young, well-spoken girl, he is now mild, good-tempered and relaxed.
“At first he was really hyper,” Dalaylun said. “Now I can ride him with nothing on him. He listens to voice commands, and he’s so patient.”
Along with calming Dalaylun, Boston — or Boston Cream Pie, as he’s known in competition circles — gives the teen a chance to take on more leadership and accountability for her success as a person and rider.
“Riding really grounds her and gives her a lot of responsibility,” Kelly Demmons said.
But it’s responsibility she’s more than happy to take on, spending hours at the barn, working with her horse, researching riding techniques on YouTube. Dalaylun recently expressed interest in participating more in the financial obligations that come with owning a show horse.
“He’s my whole life. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be who I am today. He definitely means the world to me,” Dalaylun said.
Bonding a family
Photos of Dalaylun and Boston fill the walls of the Demmons’ home, and her new, handcrafted leather breast cancer awareness saddle is on display in the family room. Trophies fill a case on a back wall, and a sterling silver necklace depicting a silhouette of Boston hangs in the doorway of the kitchen.
Dalaylun is at the barn in Orono almost every day during the summer and three to four times a week during the winter, meaning her parents often are shuttling her back and forth.
“Any time she asks me to bring her to the barn to see Boston, I never say no,” Butch Demmons said. “I have spent so many hours watching her ride at the barn, and I never get tired of it.”
Butch and Kelly have hired nearly a dozen trainers during the past 12 years to help Dalaylun learn Western and English riding styles. Starting in April, the family rises before the sun and heads off to riding competitions nearly every weekend.
Butch Demmons manages Dalaylun’s competition schedule, securing sponsors and event registration. Kelly Demmons oversees her costumes, hair and makeup, making sure there isn’t a single hair or piece of lint on her daughter or her horse.
“Dalaylun having and riding Boston is such an important part of her life and ours,” Butch Demmons said. “Boston has brought our family closer and closer. … We are a team.”
The horse-and-rider pair participate in many different events, including cross-country, a timed jumping event that requires them to work their way through a natural obstacle course over streams and logs. In recent years, both have been recognized at competitions throughout Maine. Show organizers often would combine classes, meaning Dalaylun and Boston would compete against adults; but they didn’t back down and instead excelled.
“She has grown to be a rider that young girls want to be able to ride like,” Butch Demmons said. “It is very heartwarming to see young riders gather around her and her horse when she goes to shows.”
Supporting her family
On Jan. 3, 2014, the Demmons’ lives changed forever. Kelly Demmons was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. It rocked the close-knit family and left finances tight.
Butch and Kelly talked openly with Dalaylun about what “extras” would need to be cut; but instead of pouting, she looked for ways to help.
The family began half-leasing Boston to another local family to help pay for his boarding and other associated fees. In a typical half-lease agreement, the horse’s owner and the lessor split the animal’s care expenses and riding time.
But Dalaylun wanted to show her support of her mother beyond finances. On her mother’s birthday last year, after Kelly Demmons began losing her hair from chemotherapy, Dalaylun shaved her head in an act of solidarity.
“Of course my wife burst into tears … and I got a little misty-eyed myself,” Butch Demmons said. “For Dalaylun to do this, being a 14-year-old girl where appearance is everything, just blew me away and made us so proud of her.”
Kelly is in remission, and their hair has started growing back. The family is looking forward to spending even more time together this summer since last year; Kelly missed several competitions. Dalaylun also will be working with nationally renowned bareback competitor Stacy Westfall, who is holding an invitation-only camp for 22 of the best riders in the state.
Dalaylun eventually would like to study journalism or graphic arts and somehow combine that passion with her love of riding and horses. In the meantime, she hopes to continue competing in shows throughout Maine and pursue additional training from professionals, such as Westfall.
“She is a good example of what a young girl can do when she puts her mind to it, does what she loves and was meant to do,” Butch Demmons said.
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