Scottsdale sisters Madelyn and Malloy Sells World Champions

‘Never give up’
by LeeAnn Sharpe

SCOTTSDALE— Few 9 or 10‑year‑olds can call themselves a World Champion, but Scottsdale sisters Madelyn and Malloy Sells can claim such titles.

The Sells sisters recently won Championship and Reserve Championship titles at two prestigious horse shows—the Region VII All‑Arabian Horse Show in Scottsdale and the All‑Arabian Youth National Horse Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Young riders from all 50 states competed in the shows.

“Our advice is to never give up, find the right horse and don’t be nervous, or your horse will get nervous too. There is always another show if you don’t do well in one,” said Malloy Sells, fifth grader at Grayhawk Elementary School .

Like many young girls, the Sells sisters always wanted to have their own horses. Their dream came true. The sisters started riding Arabian horses about five‑years‑ago when the family moved to Arizona.



“We like being with our horses more than anything else in the world. The love them and enjoy riding and taking care of them,” said Maddy Sells, a fourth grader who attends the same school as her sister.

“The girls love their horses and the opportunity to compete. They want to be out riding all the time,” said their mother, Donna Sells.

The two are true champions and have a wall full of awards to prove it.

Malloy Sells has been in the National Top Ten at Youth Nationals three years in a row for Country English Pleasure Equitation Age Ten and Under. She was Reserve Champion at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse show last February and Reserve Champion in Region 7 this year. Malloy also has two Top Ten UPHA awards on her horse Forgery DGL. Nicknamed Forge, he is half Arabian, half saddle‑bred, out of Afire Bey V and Forget Me Not. He has won 12 National titles.

Madelyn rides English Pleasure on UltraSonic, her purebred Arabian. She also has multiple National Titles to her name. Maddy won Youth Nationals Age Ten and Under in the Equitation Class for 2006. She was also Region 7 Champion in 2006.

Both girls ride three times a week with their trainer Dede Bisch at Los Cedros Stables in Carefree. “Dede is a wonderful trainer,” said Donna Sells.

With years of experiencew working with children, Bisch has trained many champions over the years.

Sells is serious about her daughters and their horses.

“They are committed to the horses and the sport. They have learned respect and patience from their shows and have gained confidence in themselves through the horses,” she said. “This is the main reason why my husband, Chris, supports them riding. Developing self‑esteem and self image in little girls is crucial.”

Charity trail ride raises more than $7,500

Charity trail ride raises more than $7,500
by LeeAnn Sharpe

Participants in the first ever “Ride for the Walk” charity trail ride raised more than $7,500 for breast cancer research.

The trail ride at Granite Mountain on Oct. 21 was a living tribute to Robin Hilditch who died of cancer on April 6. Proceeds from the ride will benefit the upcoming 3-Day 60-mile walk for The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Arizona Team Corazon will be walking those miles Nov. 3-5.

“This started as a tribute to my friend Robin and then everyone came to me with stories about their loved ones who have battled cancer,” said Cortland Parks, the ride’s organizer.



“My good friend Holly Restifo was already planning to participate in the 3-Day Walk in support of her sister Kathy who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. That’s when we decided to work together and donate the funds from the Ride to her team pledges.”

Team Corazon, which includes Holly Restifo, Vincent Cibrian, Martha Ochoa and Liz Smithhart as walkers and crew, came out to volunteer as check-in crew and lunch servers for the charity ride.

“When I started out doing the 3-Day, I wanted to make a difference in somebody’s life–anybody’s, it didn't matter, as long as I was helping,” said Restifo. “Well, I’ve just recently learned that one of my sisters has breast cancer. I’m not shocked, knowing the facts that I know. But I’m still saddened. I pray that she will make it through this, and with the strength of our family and the prayers of all our friends, I know she will.”

More than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year and more than 40,000 American women and men will die of the disease, according to the Susan G. Komen Web site.

Everything for the charity ride was donated. Cave Creek Outfitters provided use of their ranch, Famous Dave’s BBQ provided the food, and numerous other contributors donated dozens of items for the event’s silent auction.

“The only thing we had to buy were the T-shirts,” Parks said. “So all we collected went to the cause.”

Miss Rodeo Arizona 2006 Elizabeth Scott participated in the ride and spoke to the crowds at the luncheon. She told them of her reign as Miss Rodeo Arizona and her journey to the Miss Rodeo America pageant in November.

Cowgirl Historical Foundation members, wearing pink, bejeweled Western shirts, also rode in the event.


Members of the Scottsdale Jaycees Comancheros and about a dozen cowboys and cowgirls from Mounted Shooters of America lent their support.

The upcoming Breast Cancer 3-Day event is for those who want to join the fight against the disease through fundraising, training, and dedicating an entire weekend to the cause. Participants walk an average of 20 miles per day, starting Nov. 3 at Freestone Park in Gilbert and finish up at Hance Park in Phoenix.

Organizers expect the event will raise millions of dollars which, in addition to medical research, also pays for community outreach programs.

Those who wish to make a pledge through Team Corazon can do so by visiting: www.the3day.org. Click on the donate link and enter Holly Restifo’s name.