You just drove 208 miles one way to a rodeo to watch your daughter run a 14 second run? Are you nuts? I am sure that is what many non-rodeo person would say or think. Rodeo is a sport you have to know it by doing it or know and follow someone that does. There is a drive that these athletes have, and yes they are athletes, rodeo is a sport. Some start very young, barely walking and they are in a saddle, running ponies and growing up in a saddle. They train and practice and compete just like any other athlete, only they do so with a horse. The horse is fed, cared for, conditioned, trained, and exercised. All of these things are an expense they pay for. Horse and rider spend hours together forming a bond and becoming almost one. They know what the horse is going to do before he does it. They know when their horse is on top of his game, also know when he is not.
They are determined to reach their goal, the goal they set for themselves. Maybe to improve a little each run, to get a young horse to the next level, to make a little faster time, a clean run, a winning run, to win a check, to make short-go, to make finals, to win a buckle, to win a saddle, to go pro, to make the NFR, to be a world champion. No matter how big or how small, they all have a goal in mind and they push to reach it. There is a sense of pride in showing off your horse and what he has accomplished. There is dedication, hard work, blood, sweat and tears that go into the hours of practice. There is responsibility, skill and determination.
There is a sense of satisfaction when it all comes together. You and your horse are a team that moves together in sync. The run is flawless, fine tuned and precise. That is when you cross the finish line and know that it was enough to place. You can feel it when it is a good one, enough to be in the money. You know because it went exactly like it should. It is confirmed by the announcer and his enthusiasm as he announces the time and it was a fast one, or even better the new fastest time. To win a rodeo is a feeling like no other and it doesn't come often or easily. You hold on to that moment, that feeling and work to do it again. Those runs are hard to come by, some get those moments often and others get a taste of it enough to keep them pushing for more. There are so many things that must go right and yet so many more that can go wrong. A little too wide, a stumble, too long a rein, too short a rein, a shift of weight, a wrong lead, a turn too short, rough ground, shut down too soon, a lost stirrup, bad ground and more.
It's easy to run around a barrel, however to do so with correctness is difficult. Barrel racing is all about hundredth's of a second. You can have 10 girls within a tenth of a second, time is everything and that is why the slightest error costs you. A thousandth of a second can be the difference in pulling a check or going home without.
I cannot remember the last time Jayden went a full week without riding a horse. She spends so much time in the saddle training, riding, and fine tuning her horses. There are days she would rather stay in, watch a movie and relax. There are days she would rather curl in a ball and sleep because she is so tired and sore from a rodeo. She rides an average of 3 to 4 days a week. She wants to do her best and she wants her horses to feel their best and perform their best. She struggles when she is around the ISU girls that let their horse sit all winter and pull them out the week of a rodeo to ride for the first time, then make their first run at a big college rodeo. It pains her to see the horses get run hard and put away wet. She also cringes when an inexperienced rider enters a college rodeo because it looks like fun and wants to make their first rodeo run at a college rodeo. On the other end there are some girls who winning comes so easily, too easy. They place at every rodeo no matter how big and often win the whole rodeo. It almost becomes expected for them. Jayden puts her heart and soul into the sport and wants to do well, wants to reach her goals. For some reason it is so hard for her. It hasn't been easy by any means. She has had to work very hard. The horses she has are not automatic and they aren't consistent or predictable. Every run is a challenge. I am her biggest fan, her little brother is a close second. I love to watch her run even though it makes my stomach turn filled with nervous butterflies. I cheer her on and support her as best I can. I try to encourage her after those tough runs and cheer with joy on the good runs. I pray before every run. My prayer is first for her safety, keep her safe on that horse and keep her horse safe. Then I pray for a clean run and finally for a run she can be proud of. She takes the bad runs so hard. She is big about it, never cries and sucks it up and is just more determined to fix it for the next time.
The next time you watch the barrel racing, think about all that goes into one 14 second run.
They are determined to reach their goal, the goal they set for themselves. Maybe to improve a little each run, to get a young horse to the next level, to make a little faster time, a clean run, a winning run, to win a check, to make short-go, to make finals, to win a buckle, to win a saddle, to go pro, to make the NFR, to be a world champion. No matter how big or how small, they all have a goal in mind and they push to reach it. There is a sense of pride in showing off your horse and what he has accomplished. There is dedication, hard work, blood, sweat and tears that go into the hours of practice. There is responsibility, skill and determination.
There is a sense of satisfaction when it all comes together. You and your horse are a team that moves together in sync. The run is flawless, fine tuned and precise. That is when you cross the finish line and know that it was enough to place. You can feel it when it is a good one, enough to be in the money. You know because it went exactly like it should. It is confirmed by the announcer and his enthusiasm as he announces the time and it was a fast one, or even better the new fastest time. To win a rodeo is a feeling like no other and it doesn't come often or easily. You hold on to that moment, that feeling and work to do it again. Those runs are hard to come by, some get those moments often and others get a taste of it enough to keep them pushing for more. There are so many things that must go right and yet so many more that can go wrong. A little too wide, a stumble, too long a rein, too short a rein, a shift of weight, a wrong lead, a turn too short, rough ground, shut down too soon, a lost stirrup, bad ground and more.
It's easy to run around a barrel, however to do so with correctness is difficult. Barrel racing is all about hundredth's of a second. You can have 10 girls within a tenth of a second, time is everything and that is why the slightest error costs you. A thousandth of a second can be the difference in pulling a check or going home without.
I cannot remember the last time Jayden went a full week without riding a horse. She spends so much time in the saddle training, riding, and fine tuning her horses. There are days she would rather stay in, watch a movie and relax. There are days she would rather curl in a ball and sleep because she is so tired and sore from a rodeo. She rides an average of 3 to 4 days a week. She wants to do her best and she wants her horses to feel their best and perform their best. She struggles when she is around the ISU girls that let their horse sit all winter and pull them out the week of a rodeo to ride for the first time, then make their first run at a big college rodeo. It pains her to see the horses get run hard and put away wet. She also cringes when an inexperienced rider enters a college rodeo because it looks like fun and wants to make their first rodeo run at a college rodeo. On the other end there are some girls who winning comes so easily, too easy. They place at every rodeo no matter how big and often win the whole rodeo. It almost becomes expected for them. Jayden puts her heart and soul into the sport and wants to do well, wants to reach her goals. For some reason it is so hard for her. It hasn't been easy by any means. She has had to work very hard. The horses she has are not automatic and they aren't consistent or predictable. Every run is a challenge. I am her biggest fan, her little brother is a close second. I love to watch her run even though it makes my stomach turn filled with nervous butterflies. I cheer her on and support her as best I can. I try to encourage her after those tough runs and cheer with joy on the good runs. I pray before every run. My prayer is first for her safety, keep her safe on that horse and keep her horse safe. Then I pray for a clean run and finally for a run she can be proud of. She takes the bad runs so hard. She is big about it, never cries and sucks it up and is just more determined to fix it for the next time.
The next time you watch the barrel racing, think about all that goes into one 14 second run.
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