Road report

Dec. 28, 2011 - Another year is almost gone, and as I reflect back, I 
am very thankful for all the blessings of the year. My family members 
are all healthy. Cowboy Rigs is still providing service for people and 
an income for our family and two others. We have been blessed with 
some rain this year, and have hay. We have a barn full of great 
horses. The sun is shining today and it is warm!

Although we did not make the NFR, we had a good year and I am thankful.
Amigo had half an awesome year. I have learned many things that don't 
work with Goose and have learned that persistance pays off. Never, 
never give up, your breakthrough may be just around the corner!

I learned to cherish friends and time with them, because you don't 
know when someone might get called home. One thing I do know, is that 
I will see many of my good friends again in Heaven. I look forward to 
a huge reunion.

I am thankful to my partners, MAXX Sunglasses, Professionals' Choice, 
Cowboy Rigs, Total Health Enhancement, Martin Saddlery, and EquiPride. 
Some of these friends are new, and some have been with me several 
years. I encourage all of you to check out these companies and their 
products. I believe in them and I use them.


Dec. 3, 2011 - The Wrangler Nationals Finals Rodeo is underway and if you like excitement you better tune in and see the Women of Professional Rodeo race it out for big bucks every night. Congrats to my hauling pard, Jeanne Anderson, has pulled two checks the first two gos. Seven girls have now hit barrels, so if you are clean you win an average check.

I love rodeo, yes, first I love to compete, but I am a HUGE fan also and it doesn't get any better that this. The WPRA is MAXXed out with excitement!

I'm headed to Vegas tomorrow. Come and see me at the WPRA booth at Cowboy Christmas. Thursday at noon I'll be signing autographs at the Professionals Choice booth at Cowboy Christmas also.

Nov. 30, 2011 - Well, Jeanne and the other top 15 are in Las Vegas getting ready to compete for you the fans. Until you have been there, you cannot imagine how much work the next two weeks is for them. I wish them all good luck, and I know it will be good watching.

Saturday I had the priviledge of working with the Ottawa County Horse Club in Miami, OK. The kids gave me a work out. It was raining and cold outside but we were dry and warm inside the NEO College Arena. We worked hard on fundamentals and worked on the barrel pattern. It is always fun for me to give back to the sport I love and the youngsters ignite a spark in me. I realize that I really do LOVE horses and running barrels. God has truly blessed me to allow me to do this full-time. Here are the Top 12 WPRA Barrel Racers from the
Prairie circuit.

 

Thanks to the SWOSU Rodeo Team for hosting the Circuit Finals this year, and to the team for getting the ground ready for us before and during the barrel race.

Nov. 21, 2011 - I was proud of Amigo at Dallas. We had to run twice each night, and he gave me his all each time. We ended our season on a high note, winning the final round and third in average. A slight mistake on my part cost us a lot more, tipping a barrel in round 2.  Amigo is getting some well-deserved time off.

Meanwhile, Goose and I have started over. We are coming to a better understanding of each other and what is actually happening during our runs. It's going to take several more intense sessions and much repitition, but we will have our championship form back soon.

Not making the NFR this year has been a good thing. It has forced me to stop and reevaluate many things, and given me time to work on them.

Thanksgiving is coming soon, and I am most thankful to Jesus for loving me enough to die so that I could have a relationship with him. 
I am also very thankful for my husband and son who love me and support me, as well as the rest of my family. My prayers go out to all the families who have loved ones that have gone on to Heaven. I am grateful for every day I have with those I love. Special thanks to Jan Vreys for the photo.

Sept. 27,2011 - Well, its over. We fought a good fight, but came up 
short. Congrats to Tammy Fischer who qualified in the 15th slot for 
the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. She and the other ol' man, 
Roundpen (Amigo's counterpart is also 16), will be heading to Vegas.

The most exciting news is that Jeanne made it, and Jane Melby will be  
going to her first NFR, as will Brittany Fleck. These three gals have 
had great years. Brenda Mays (our other hauling pard) has made it 
again towards the top of the list.

Thanks to everyone who was pulling for me, I appreciate you more than 
you'll ever know. We are going to use this fall to give Amigo a well 
deserved rest, and for Goose, break time is over.

I have to say that I was disappointed for awhile, but let's put it in 
perspective, it's just a rodeo. There are a lot more things in life 
more important like friends and family. Please keep all the families 
who have lost young people this year in your prayers.

Sept. 13, 2011 - Well, it's put up or shut up time. We have two weeks 
left in the season, and I'm in an all-out dogfight. Competition is 
tight. There are a dozen or so of us fighting the bottom slots to go 
to the National Finals Rodeo.That's what makes rodeo so great, you go 
all year and it still comes down to the end.

Pendleton is going on now, and several of those girls have posted good 
times. Congrats to Nicole Deason, who caught a ride with us earlier to 
Pretty Prairie, who is leading after slack. We run at Abilene (Tx) 
Wed, El Paso in slack Thurs night, and Albuquerque on Friday. Next 
week we traverse Texas. Tuesday we run in Pasadena (Houston), Wed in 
Texarkana, Thur slack in Amarillo, Friday slack in New Braunfels, 
hopefully, Harrison Ark Saturday, and Anadarko on Sunday.

I started out the year about as bad as you could, winning only $600 
before April. To average things out, I plan on finishing as strongly 
as I started out poorly. (Does that make sense?) Anyway, Amigo is 
running good and I am trusting God that I ride him well enough to win. 
I promise you there is no quit in me, I won't go down without a fight! 
Thanks to all of you who support me, cheer for me and pray for me. You 
really don't know how much that means to me. See you down the road.

Aug. 8, 2011 – Boy this last month has flown by. We have competed in 
20+ rodeos across eight states in the last month. Seems like we just
drive, run, sleep, drive, run, sleep, run, drive…Don’t really ever know what day it is, just where we are headed.
Amigo smoked a run in the finals at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho. Thanks to the film crew of the WPRA Today Show (on RFD on Wednesdays and Sundays), you can watch the run.
We are currently in Dodge City, then we get to go home for a couple of days. It is definitely hotter here than up north!

July 21, 2011 – Rodeo people are the greatest in the world.
The rodeo committee at Pretty Prairie, Ks, tops my list right now! We limped into
PP at 45 mph (which is really tough on me) at 3:30 am for slack
Wednesday morning. After slack, several of the rodeo committee men
helped me figure out what was wrong with the truck, tried to find parts
and a place to fix it, etc. One of the air hoses blew a hole, and we had
to order a new hose from Chicago which were shipped to Pratt, Ks
(another friend/roper picked them up Thursday on his way to Cheyenne).
The guys at PP, with a little cowboy ingenuity, spliced the hose, so we
could drive the truck and make it on to Woodward. Thanks so much! God
sends us angels everyday dressed in Wranglers, so don’t forget to
thank Him and pray blessings on those who go out of their way to help others!

Marty came to Pretty Prairie, and Jeanne went onto Manhattan and
Hardtner with her husband, Rick. Marty and I are headed back to Cheyenne
so he can rope in the morning. I am making the short round at Nampa, ID,
so I will head west Friday to run there Saturday. Marty ropes at
Deadwood on Tuesday, so I’ll go up there to watch him. We don’t
run there till Thursday morning, then it’s a fast drive to Burwell, Ne
for the perf that night.

Amigo did so good our first run at Cheyenne! We split 4/5 with a 17.66,
a 17.50 won the round. That puts us in the Saturday perf on 7/30.  We
are running well, our timing is back and finally feel like we are where
we should be! Rodeo – it’s a marathon. Some times you just have
to ride through the bad times, have faith in God and what He is doing and keep
on going.

July 8, 2011

Well, the 4th run is over. Jeanne and I didn?t go to four rodeos and had to turn out of two others.  Jeanne won Belle Fourche handily, and I got a check. Greeley was good to me again. 
Amigo placed in first round, third in second go and fourth in average.

We lost a dear friend, Randy Lindsey, on Saturday, 7/2. God used Randy to heal people and horses for many years. He used his God-given abilities to their fullest, and he leaves a big hole in many people's hearts. I was very blessed to have known him, and I will strive to live my life more like he did, in the service of others. A memorial scholarship fund has been set up through the International Association of Equine Osteopaths. www.theiaeo.org.

Amigo collicked at 9 Tuesday night and we spent all night and the next day at the vet in Greeley. At 5:30 am, they thought we were going to have to operate, but GOD. By 6:30, he seemed to finally be getting better. Big thanks go to all the people at Countryside Vet for their care and concern. Also, I can't say enough about good friends who stand beside you. Jeanne and Brandie and Shawn Halls; you are the best.

Now Jeanne and I are headed to Vernal, Ut for slack after tonight. We run at Laramie tomorrow night after in slack also. Then back to Brandie's to rest for a couple of days before the real July marathon.

June 5 - Rodeo season has hit, although I have been rodeoing from home, we competed 5 days in 4 states this week.

Ground conditions were so different each night. Ft. Smith, AR, has sandy ground, but it is hard just a few inches down. Hugo, OK, also has sand, but it digs out and gets deep. Bennington, KS, which got 3.5 inches of rain Wednesday, is also sand which is great for absorbing the water. Not many other pens would have been is as good of shape with that much water. Unfortunately, the left barrel had a hardpan and was very slick. Strong City was hard under several inches of dry, loose dirt. Licking, MO, which usually is muddy, was hard this year with no rain.

It takes a special horse to be able to figure out how to protect themselves and still run competitively on all different kinds of ground. One missed step can end a career, or at least cost thousands of dollars in vet bills and missed competitive opportunities. This is what sets rodeo horses apart from the divisional barrel horses.

We barrel racers often say "if they'd have done this or that to the ground, it would be better." Hindsight is often 20/20. Many committees ask us, how was the ground? Which is great. Then, just as often, I've heard them say, we'll have it good by Saturday night. We appreciate your efforts to make it better, and that's good for the 10 girls up Saturday night, but what about the other 50 or 100 that entered? Use that hindsight next year, and start working on the ground a week or so out, so that it is safe and consistant for everyone. We know it is hard work and we applaud your efforts.

We are partners: Rodeo committees and contestants.  We. barrel racers provide the highly skilled athletes, and you, rodeo committees, provide the safe, consistant ground conditions and together, we'll provide a fast-paced horse race that excites the fans!!

May 14, 2011 - We are driving to Mineral Wells, weather gorgeous. 
Heather Wilson is with Mom and me. She is driving while I type, doing a great job, she is. We left Wednesday night and drove in the rain to Ada. Water standing on the arena when we got there, but storms were over. (Last year, we run from a tornado, so all was good.) Slack was Thursday morning. The arena wet wet, but sandy so it was OK. Amigo ran good, was winning third after slack. Heather was winning 6th. We took off for Bridgeport to run in the slack there. Three hours later we pulled in to find all the parking taken by steer ropers.  We backed in a hole and waited our turn.

The ground was good at Bridgeport, but it is deep and sandy. We were 50th so it was deep. I ran Goose. I guess I got excited that I ran him all the way to the first (long ways) and had him just where I wanted him (this left business plays with my mind!) that I didn't keep after him enough in the deep stuff and we hit the first leaving it.

We loaded up and left looking for a less-crowded place to stay. Called my horseshoer and he could work me in at 7 the next morning. So we drove 4 hours to Marshall. The bonus was that we could get our horses chiropractored too. We then loaded up and drove to Crockett. Perfect timing, a couple of barrel racers were just leaving and we got their stalls.

Didn't go so well in the arena. Heather said it was my fault. I hit the second,and she ran after me and hit the second also. So tonight, I am going to do good, so she can do good also!

Note to self, when Texas towns have loops, take them; even if it is shorter to go thru town. Texas has a habit of building their courthouses in the middle of the road, so you have to go around the square; which is not as easy as it sounds pulling a 30-foot trailer!

See ya down the road.

April 25 - Wooohooo! We ended up winning Corpus Christi! I'm so proud of Amigo. I think he is finally feeling like his "young" self again. 
It was a tight race at Corpus. We ran a .01 and .28 won the 15th hole. 
Thank you Jesus! It paid $5,000 to win it. That will at least get us started for the year. I told Jeanne and Brenda, jokingly, that I'd given them all the headstart I was giving them. Now I was coming after them!

The BBR Finals are in OK City this week. I'll be running Thursday morning in Barn 6, and Saturday afternoon in the Coliseum. The gang from EquiPride will have a booth, so come by and talk to them about their great supplement. I'll be there, probably about noon on Thursday, and again Saturday evening.

April 20, 2011
Well it was a quick trip down to Corpus Cristi. Most people go there to vacation. They are celebrating Buc (short for Buccaneer) Days right now, and the pro rodeo is the center of that celebration. Jeanne, Tana Renick and I (accompanied by Mom) drove all day Monday. Ran in slack yesterday morning and drove home. I'm so excited, Amigo had a good run. Good enough to be leading it when we left! Good things come to those who trust in the Lord and keep on keepin on. (Tana's
translation) Amigo is feeling so good. I love my new saddle, a Crown C by Martin Saddlery. It fits him so good and is allowing him more movement. Thanks Tracy and Brian!

April 15, 2011 - It rained last night, and then turned cold. At least it feels cold considering it has been high 70s and 80s the last few days. I put the sheets back on the horses, and will need the heavy blankets tonight. I have been wanting to put those up, but we haven't been to Guymon yet!

If you haven't given your West Niles booster shots, now is the time.

On my tour of the Boys Ranch, Carla took me upstairs in the Chapel to show me a "special" classroom. It was cool. Needless to say, we had fun! Thanks again to MAXX Sunglasses for introducing me to the Boys Ranch. Check out www.calfarley.org.