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.”