The strong get tougher

When you go through a losing spell, there seems to be nothing harder, more consuming then the feeling of disappointment.  It can encompass your world, evaporate your confidence, and make you wish to never walk in an arena again.  Walking back to the trailer, head down, trying to determine 'Was it me? Was it my horse?'  We start analyzing every detail and manage to talk hours about a run that was only 18 seconds long.  Regaining your stride together takes a good combination of training, riding, and mental preparation. The winnings will start rolling in once consistency of good positive habits are established.  Note that when I say 'positive' I'm referring to anything that will make you or your horse better competitors.  I work hard to learn how to be better and do better, to be the very best possible version of myself, and although I may fall here and there, I keep trying.  That's 'Cowgirl' to me.

If you have rode with me recently, you have heard me spout off about conquering your mental game.  It's not just about 'Think Positive.' Sure I can think positive, the sun will come up tomorrow, I will get it the next time, blah blah,much like traditional motivational posters you find in a school gym.  The sport of barrel racing isn't just about ourselves as an individual; we have an equine partner that encompasses more than 3/4 of our brains.  Add multiple horses or futurity horses and the amount of focus points adds up. Which reminds to mention I'm pretty excited for my little red corvette and plan on sending off entries for the 2014 Sand Cup Futurity!!

Keeping myself focused in the mind and body enables me to make the correct reaction quickly if my horse gets out of position.  I have yet to perfect my approach every run.  Usually on my first barrel with Stella it takes a few runs on the same size course to be able to get it right, and I'm working on becoming more consistent with this.  She has turned me into an honest rider.  It's annoyingly wonderful and has me completely consumed with feeling my muscles react and actually accomplish what my brain says to.  So many times I would swear I picked my hand up, and so many times the video showed me not doing what I swore I did, or thought about doing.  Or knowing I used my inside leg only to find out my foot was inches off.  This is when I started focusing on good positive habits.  I began to ride every horse, make every turn, exactly how I wanted in my head.  I strengthened my body and positioned myself correct in every turn so when I walked in an the arena, under pressure, my body would react with well-balanced muscle memory.   For years I've been working on what my mind was thinking, and even longer to make this mind and body connection.  Now that I am seeing the results, it makes me eager to go even further.

Going through a tough time in the arena is never fun, but if you are willing to learn and work hard, success can be achieved.  There are always lessons to be learned and within every athlete lies multiple steps and stages.  Training, competitions, diet, traveling, diet while traveling, are just a fraction of the responsibilities we have to master and there are always new and better ideas.  If you legitimately love to learn or teach, then I want to ride with you.  I am the girl who took summer school during college, because I wanted to.  The knowledge I gained riding various horses and riding with numerous others;  some even in other fields such as dressage, cutting, jumping, etc., have been the leading tools in my own personal success. Being able to share this with fellow barrel racers and helping them succeed never gets old.

There is something to be said about those barrel racers who last around the industry through their old ages.  They have learned to make winners and ride winners.  The strongest in talent and mental toughness combined makes for beautiful watching.  And I love watching beautiful runs.

Take some time to learn your mind, teach yourself to relax and keeping focus on 3 barrels, you, your horse.  

She works hard for the money

When life is complicated, its good to let off some of the load. I have a bad habit of running too fast to keep up with life, stressing over financing, turning away from opportunities because I won't risk the thought of not clearing the book at the end of a weekend. It can take away the joy in simple pleasures, like having my husband and baby eat lunch at work with me, or feeling a colt work great for the first time. These weeks are tough on this girl. We work long hours in wacky weather, I wreak like a diesel mechanic (no offense) for days, I miss my family and home from 5am to 9pm, and I can't even set my ass in a saddle. 

There are days that I know how much the simple act of just walking around on a nice horse is true happiness. All of a sudden my mind clears and the stress just disappears and its me and her hanging out.  Stella knows me, and I can feel her. Its a true form of building a strong relationship, knowing and trusting each other through ups and downs and everything in between. I said to someone this week after Steve and Kesler arrived, "Now if I just had my horse...."

Good luck to everyone his weekend at the Greg Olsen. Hope everything goes as planned and we will be able to attend the PacWest and BBR American Qualifier race next weekend :)

I am now officially the designated driver of two new "Ride Smart" students.

A few years ago I would have just been getting over a good hangover, it was always a good time so it had to be a good one.  And this....is a good hangover.  I may had been the only one having fun running barrels on New Years Eve, hell I was proud to be doing it.  Loved it.  Didn't love the cold though, and when I saw my photo from the novice class Tuesday night, I thought I was drunk and didn't know it.  Seeing as how I don't drink hardly at all, my attempt to try to set a barrel on Big Mac must of been the last little "can-do" attitude I could muster out.  In reality, I felt like a mom when I heard the voice in my head, "what are you stupid?"

Needless to say the barrel went down but I stayed on, so I win another day.

What a barrel race these past two days.  Run2Win's Rockin' In The New Year Race was a huge success for the Northern California associations.  630 or so Open riders, and at leasst 800 overall runs this weekend, great ground, great stalls, (Oh hey Sharra, are there any stalls available now??) AMAZING announcer, (I'm partial), staff who will work their asses off, (Jack told me he didn't have one to work off).  Mandy has done a great job busting the Rolling Hills Casino in the butt getting that facility prepared for this and she stuck around till the bitter end to collect that pretty buckle Stan the Man won.  When you mix talent and work, it makes for success.  Love it.  Drives me.

Speaking of success, did anyone see that little red rocket Tuesday night? Holy cow that dude can move for being about as big as my dog.  I had so much fun that night on him I made sure I was ready to fix some corrections Wednesday night and that little speed racer still picked up 1st in the 2d futurity side pot.  Which by the way, yayyy for a futurity program close to home!!  It made staying home from Arizona a little easier.  And made making plans to get down there for the Pac West Race and BBR American Qualifier, more of a reality for me.  Thank you Stella.  Thank you Mom for keeping the boy so I could concentrate on the horses.  Thank you Karly, Deanna, and Elizabeth for helping me with the hurd.  Thank you Kesler for being so cute.  Thank you Steve for talking to your woman and telling her what she needed to hear, Woman=Stella, she loves him.  Like literally loves him.  I usually ask him to blanket her, because she bites me and tries to kick me.  I love her.

And a great big thanks to James Gradney for putting some rims on Stella's hind end to help her stay on her ass without slipping.  Lameaway for being their to help her muscle soreness.  Cathy Ruda for treating her as if she were your own, well maybe better then at times.  On Monday, Stella's gaskin was big and as hard as a rock.  She wasn't off, and at least 10 of us all saw the same thing.  I dropped her off that night, took her girl pills, and a butt load of grain.  And she outran even my ass on the first barrel come Wednesday.  I love her.

The kicker is, I talked about arena resolutions, and resolutions, and I met some of my own.  I have been focusing on my hand placement every day, on every horse, in every drill, since Chowchilla.  And damn it felt good seeing some results.  I wasn't perfect, my shin reminds me of that, but I saw a great start to a better habit.  And I wanted to start writing more, look at me now.

A little fun grammatical usage of the word 'And' at the beginning of a sentence, for no more then 4 in a row, always makes me want to raise an eyebrow in a matter of fact sort of way.

I may be more proud of the two girls mom and I had been working with, and the horses carrying our brand.  Karley Pedley and Buzzie won their first big check, entered their first "BIG" barrel race, heck she tried to throw her saddle on when we pulled up Tuesday.  I said, "Oh, you may want to put that back, we are gonna be a while."  Great kid, who just wants to be a barrel racer.  Do you, remember those days?  I do, try to grab it every once in awhile its enlightening.  Elizabeth Browning has been coming over riding her little gelding, and Sunday at the Run2Win Headquarters she had her get on Georgia for a spin.  Elizabeth and Georgia ran two, clean, consistent and very nice 16.0s.  Lady and Candace Zappetini placed 6th Tuesday night in the 1d, and Dally and Kristel Ising with their beautiful 15.5 Wednesday, Ryon and Sasha for their 3d win in the Novice Tuesday and a big improvement on the first the second day.  Good job ladies.

I hope everyone had a fun, safe, --Mom--, New Years and put a step forward for a great year.  Hello 2014, ya ready?

BCR Stella Bella
Rolling Hills Casino & Run2Win
15.139 Fast time of weekend.
Click here to watch BCR Stella Bella and Jandee Smart's winning run.