Negativity…….How Do You Deal?

 

 

-“A squirrel is just a rat with a fancier outfit”
                -carrie bradshaw, Sex and The City
 
Any Sex and The City fans out there? Uh, I love, love, love, Sex and The City!! I own the entire DVD set and the first movie. I am waiting for the second to come out on DVD. (of course I saw it in the theatre, WHOO HOO!)
 
Ok, this entry isn’t about Carrie Bradshaw and her kickass girlfriends…it is actually about Negative people. Negativity seems to be a hot topic right now. My girlfriends and I have talked about it a lot this season and how negativity can effect your life and your runs.
 
I don’t think there is one person on earth that hasn’t dealt with negative comments from others. It is almost inevitable to have someone around you that will be spewing negative comments at some point. We can’t control other people (Wouldn’t it be nice if we could at times?? haha!) but we absolutely can control how those comments affect our day to day life.
 
The rodeo family is a different world sometimes. Lets face it, it is a COMPETITION! If we weren’t competitive people then we wouldn’t spend hours in the arena practicing, or hours watching videos of ourselves trying to get better. Rodeo is hard and it is a major commitment.  In the arena, we are all competing with each other but, what makes us a bit different, is that when we leave that arena, most of the time we are friends and family with the people we JUST competed against.  I love that camaraderie and the familiarities of hanging at the trailer and talking about our runs or rides.
 
Of course, lets get real,  every person you come in contact with in the arena is not your friend. Some are rats dressed like squirrels! You know who I am talking about……..they look nice and seem nice but they love to throw those jabs with that cutesy smile. UGGHH………makes you want to slap somebody! Of course, you can do what my grandmother would always say, “kill them with kindness my dear”.  As much as I HATED to hear this as a child, lets face it….grandmothers are normally right and when dealing with people that seem to get a thrill in trying to make you feel bad…….it is good to just smile and walk way.
 
Although, some are not nice enough to disguise themselves as squirrels. You know the ones. They proudly walk around as a RAT!! They hide behind nothing and have no problem saying when you screw up, how bad your ride was, how horrible you ride or how stupid you look…….Let me tell you how I deal with these people…I DON’T!!!!!! Be choosy about your life!!! Remember, it is YOUR life. I have definitely cut people out of my life because of their drama and negativity. I made a stance years ago that I wasnt’ going to allow it around me and I haven’t. What that meant for me was culling some friends and family and by damn I did. I have cut some ties with some family members and some friends. Some people may think that is extreme, but for MY life, it is what makes sense. 🙂 Find what works for you!!
 
I also think that in order to deal well with others, you have to work on yourself. I try to do this every day and I know it is hard but I think it is a must to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and anyone else in your life.  When you know who you are then it is harder for negative comments to affect you. If you KNOW that you want to get healthy and lose weight and someone around you is saying to you “no you can’t” then you just say in your mind “yes, I CAN!” Remember who you are and don’t let that person bring you down!
 
These are just some ways that I get through the negative comments. Of course a corona and a lime seems to fix a lot, too, and for some reason makes me be able to handle more. Is it just me or does Corona have that effect on your as well?
 
How do you deal with negativity?

Until Next Time!

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From Marketing Executive to Rodeo Star- Tana Poppino

Raised on a ranch in southeast Colorado, Tana Poppino has spent her entire life around horses. That love and a competitive nature drew her to the world of rodeo at an early age.  She participated in the amateur rodeo ranks throughout high school and college but pursued a career at Grand River Dam Authority in their media and communications department which she enjoyed for 20+ years.

Tana worked for the GRDA in Vinita, Oklahoma, which is a state-owned public power producer. They operate 2 coal-fired generating plants, and three hydro plants which produced electricity for about 15 cities and towns in Oklahoma, as well as rural electric cooperatives. She worked for 20+ years in the Media/Marketing Department producing corporate videos, annual reports, company brochures/media and corporate photography. Tana also worked with many cities and civic organizations on their marketing efforts and although she enjoyed her job she never called it her career passion.

The draw of the rodeo always beckoned for Tana to participate more regularly than the weekend competitions that she continued to pursue in her spare time. The ultimate goal on the rodeo circuit for a Barrel Racer is to find that special horse that could compete at the top professional level. In 1999, Tana thought found him, a bay 4-yr-old gelding, whose official name was Perrymans Star, but she called him Amigo.

Competing with the Big Girls

Tana took her time training and seasoning him for three years, and Amigo continued to prove himself a winner. In 2003, Tana took the big step and entered the winter pro rodeos, sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, to see how she would do against the “big girls”. Although their first run wasn’t good, Tana and Amigo came back and won the second round at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. For the next three years, she continued to work her marketing job and tried to rodeo on the side using accumulated leave, comp time, and unpaid leave. (read more about Tana)

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Friday is FINALLY Here!

Good Morning OTRR Peeps!
 
We made it to Friday, everybody has to love Friday’s!!! Lots of stuff is going on here in the Bluegrass as we get ready for the opening day of the World Equestrian Games. I have to drive past the Horse Park on my way to work every morning and to see the changes has been very cool. I havent’ been IN the Park yet but can’t wait to see it! I hear it is almost unrecognizable.
 
This morning the air was warm, it is already 72 degrees and it supposed to be a 90 by this afternoon. This weather is unseasonably hot but I will take it, I am not a winter fan AT ALL. I will say that I am a bit ready for Fall. Even though Fall brings Winter, I do LOVE Fall. There is something about the cool crisp air, the colorful leaves on the ground and all the fun activities that come with this time of year that just makes Fall fun! In our neck of the woods we have the Fall Keeneland meet starting, festivals almost every weekend and of course UK Football and we can’t forget Quarter Horse Congress. It is such a fun time of year! Of course the biggest thing is that Starbucks has the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s back……HELLO…those are to die for! It is time to put the tank tops up and pull out the hoodies and fleeces…oh how I love my sweatshirts! Fall brings back running  indoors, cooking chili at your horse trailer at overnight barrel races with buddies and signing up for the winter barrel racing series. Just thinking about all those events and fun times makes me so excited. Of course like I said…………it is going to be 90 degrees today….but there is still a twinge of Fall…I can smell it..it’s on it’s way. I can’t wait!!!!!
 
As for THIS weekend, I will just be hauling my horses to practice and hanging out with Corey and Anne. I am missing the MVP show which I HATE but my ponies just aren’t ready. So to all my friends heading up to Ohio today…….GOOD LUCK and HAVE TONS OF FUN!!!!!!!!!

Me and Dually at MVP Turn N Burn last October

Ky Horse Farm in the Fall

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Inspiration Wednesday

Ladies! If this doesn’t make you want to call in sick to work and go chase some cans………nothing will!!

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Silent Partner by Karen Jones: A MUST READ for any horse lover!!

Introducing SILENT PARTNER………….Set in Lexington, Kentucky, the story takes the reader on a journey through the trials and tribulations of recovering alcoholic, Jack Ramsden, a thoroughbred horse trainer who has a special young horse in his barn. Savant, a three year old colt, is about to become the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, a fact that has given Jack new hope to turn his life around.

Jack’s life takes a surprise turn when he literally runs into a former lover, Katy Alexander. Katy is a feisty, smart, and good hearted woman with a strong determination to keep Jack at a distance. Jack finds himself totally smitten with Katy, and is equally as determined to make amends for having dumped her twenty odd years earlier, for Josephine Jackson, an ill tempered Texas heiress. Josephine made his life miserable for seventeen long years before she threw him out, and he returned to Kentucky with his best friend, Nate Washington, to pick up the pieces of his life. Nate, a Vietnam veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, has stood by Jack through all of the ups and downs of his life. He is the only person who will tell Jack what he needs to hear, regardless of whether Jack wants to hear it or not. Their daily life in Jack’s small training operation is punctuated by the foul mouth of an African Gray parrot, along with a lazy German Shepherd, and a stray black cat that has an obsession with the bird.

Savant’s owner, Sid Blackstone, is a high roller with a big problem. He has mortgaged his Texas car empire and has entangled himself with some unsavory loan sharks, unbeknownst to his wife Bunny. A former Las Vegas showgirl, Bunny is clueless about Sid’s problems and enthralled with horse racing, which she knows virtually nothing about. When Sid disappears Bunny is thrown together with Jack to try to unravel the mystery behind the horse’s true ownership, a task that is complicated by the sudden attention of a handsome gangster named Louis Giovanni.

Together, with Katy and her best friends, Todd and Lauren Hendrickson, Jack, Nate, and Bunny attempt to keep Savant running, find out who really owns him, solve a murder, and find out what happened to Sid Blackstone. The story is full of plot twists, heartfelt friendships, good guys, bad guys, and a very cool horse. This book will make you laugh, draw a tear or two, and keep you guessing.

The book is now available on Amazon.com at here!!

*I was very lucky to read this book when it was still just a manuscript and trust me it is a  MUST READ!! You won’t be disappointed!

To learn more about Karen Jones and her novel, please visit: http://silentpartneronline.com/

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Taking a Mental Break….

Anne and Roanie

Well this season hasn’t been exactly what I had envisioned, but are they ever? I had a lot of goals and didn’t reach many of them, but sometimes you just have to roll with it and take what you can get. I have probably worked harder this season than any other, but I do know that eventually it will pay off. I have to stay positive and know that I am doing the grunt work now and eventually it will all come together. I think the part of waiting for it to all come together is the hardest part. You get small glimpses of it and you think “this is it” and then something knocks you back down and you are back to the grunt work. However it only makes ya stronger! I have realized though that sometimes you just have to take a mental break. I think these are very important. About 2 weeks ago, after a shitty practice and trying hard not to be frustrated I finally said “okay, time to step away” I am a very persistent person and sometimes this can get in the way of logic. I can easily admit that I get upset when I don’t reach my goals. I can easily turn into a psycho! I noticed this a few weeks ago and finally said to myself “you have nothing to prove, you have a nice horse and you need to take a break”

So that is what I did! I took a break! I hauled my horses the 4 hours back home, which was supposed to be that weekend where “it all came together” and it was the weekend where “it was still falling apart”. The good thing is I got in the truck on Sunday and felt relieved. I felt happy and free, that is when I knew a break was really what was needed. I am so thankful that I realized that and stepped back. I decided to take the pressure off, bring the fun back, and just enjoy what I had set out to do and that was HAVE FUN with my horses. No matter what it needs to be fun.  I don’t make my living doing this and I should always try to enjoy it to the fullest which is totally who I am. I just let this season get to me mentally and was able to see that and walk away for a few weeks.

It has been 2 weeks since I stepped back and now I can see clearly and I am ready to get back out there again. It really doesn’t matter the length of the break but I really feel that breaks are important in every aspect of competition. We all need them and so do our animals. I feel like a new person now and have found my energy again and can’t wait to get back to working my horse. I know that he needed the break as well and we will come back stronger.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Cindy Gayle (Dena Kirkpatrick website)

“A set back is just a setup for a comeback”

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Respected horseman Harvey Northcott dies

The rodeo community lost one of its senior stock contractors on Wednesday with the death of Harvey Northcott.

The 73-year-old Caroline horseman, highly respected among those who raise bucking horses and bulls, died in the Red Deer hospital after a six-month battle with cancer.

“He was an icon in the rodeo business in Canada for many years, a man of his word, very honest and fair; he’ll be missed no question about it,” said Keith Marrington, the Calgary Stampede’s senior rodeo manager.

Northcott ran his outfit of 160 horses and 70 bulls on 1,600 acres of land four miles north of Caroline and supplied stock to about 15 rodeos a year.

During a span of 10 years in the late 1980s and early ’90s, he assembled one of the strongest pen of bucking bulls ever put together.

Six of them won Canadian championships – Panda in 1985, Copenhagen Payment in 1988 and 1989, Redip in 1992, Trick or Treat in 1994 and 1995, Kodiak in 1996 and Short Fuse in 1997.

Another, Convoy, won the title in 1979 and Funky Chicken captured the award in 2002.

But, the cornerstone of his bucking herd was the stallion Wyatt Earp, the Canadian and National Finals Rodeo champion in 1997 and 1998. His bloodlines are highly prominent through many of today’s bucking horse herds.

The stud was the sire of the Stampede’s six-time world and Canadian champion Grated Coconut and will be inducted into Canada’s pro rodeo hall of fame next month.

There was a proposal this summer to add the proud Northcott himself to the list of inductees, but he and the family, aware of his poor health, refused to accept the honor for obvious reasons.

But, there will be a time in the not too distant future when the hall will remember him and fellow stock contractors Stan Weatherly, who died earlier this summer, and the late Verne Franklin.

All three took bucking stock to the first Canadian Finals Rodeo at Edmonton in 1974. A representative of the National Finals Rodeo in the U.S., attended that CFR looking to bolster the stock lineup for the NFR.

He convinced Northcott, Weatherly and Franklin to bring their horses and bulls to the world championships, then at Oklahoma City, in 1975.

Northcott, who rode bareback horses and bulls and bulldogged steers in the 1950s and ’60s, winning championships in the Foothills Cowboys’ Association, was known as a cowboy’s cowboy.

“Not all stock contractors were competing cowboys and that’s not the end of the world by any means,” said High River horseman Wayne Vold. “But those who were could talk the cowboy language a little better.

“And Harvey could definitely talk, understand and interpret the cowboy language.”

Often with humorous results!

Northcott was looking for a well traveled, well versed rodeo announcer one day and put a call into Randy Corley, who does about 40 rodeos a year out of the U.S. northwest.

“How much would you need?” Northcott asked.

“It would be (X) amount of dollars and an airplane (meaning a return ticket),” Corley responded.

“Well,” huffed Northcott, “you must have a lot of planes.”

The superstar of his Caroline herd is now the bay gelding Get Smart that Vold describes as “arguably one of the best horses on the planet.”

The eight-year-old son of Wyatt Earp was named the top saddle bronc at last year’s CFR and this summer’s Calgary Stampede and is in the running for bronc of the year.

Northcott was in the press box last month when Nebraska’s Cort Scheer covered the outlaw at Strathmore for 89.5 points, the highest score of the year in Canada.

“That’s an awesome horse, son of a gun,” the 24-year-old whistled. “That’s the best I’ve been on this year. In fact, he’s the best horse I’ve seen all year long.” (read more)

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Sara Lee Anderson O’Connor: Former Queen Rides in her Last Parade

Sara Lee Anderson

(photo credit)

By MIKE JOHNSTON senior writer

ELLENSBURG—It’s not often that someone can fit into the same clothes she wore as a young adult 61 years ago.

But that’s just what the 1949 rodeo queen, Sara Lee Anderson O’Connor, 79, did in this year’s Ellensburg Rodeo Parade.

O’Connor, now from the Port Angeles area, said the white, doe-skin leather Western outfit is in perfect condition, “just like the day I first wore it in 1949.”

“When I got it out to get ready to come to Ellensburg, I thought, ‘I sure hope I can squeeze into it,'” O’Connor said. “And you know, I could still get into it. Oh, it was just a little tight around the waist, but otherwise it fit perfectly. I just inhaled a bit deeper.”

She’s been on horseback in the parade as past rodeo royalty five or six times since her reign, yet wearing her queen’s outfit in the Sept. 4 parade marked a special event in her life: it was the last time she plans to ride a horse in the parade.

“I called it my last ride,” O’Connor said last week. “It was time to hang up my hat.”

She stressed she’ll still come to the rodeo, which she called “one of the best in the nation.”…(read more)

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Spencer Turner…There were actually 2 rainbows over the arena

Allendale, Missouri puts on a rodeo that I have been to several times over the years. This year I decided to go back.  Brandy’s daughter, Jillian, went with me which was fun. The rodeo is usually a pretty good one and gets lots of contestants. It kind of out in the middle of nowhere in North Missouri, and there isn’t a lot to do around there so the crowd is usually big.  Grand River Rodeo Company out of Grand River, Iowa brings the stock.

I was little weary about the weather on the way up there, it was pretty dark and looked like it could storm. As we pulled in the lightning was getting pretty bad. I went and found the day sheets and saw that I had a horse drawn that they called Slingblade. I had been on him before a few years prior and won a rodeo. He is pretty hard to get by. He has a couple different trips, one is pretty wild and western and the other is a little better when he goes down the pen but he has a lot of swoops and moves.

The rain started in before the rodeo began which wasn’t to bad, it was the lighting that was bad.  They decided to post pone the show for awhile.  I wasn’t too thrilled about getting on that horse in the mud and rain, I was kind of hoping they would cancel the rodeo due to lightning.  They decided to continue with the show in the rain, the first part of the show it was raining, then it let up and there were actually two rainbows over the arena. This reminded me of how lucky I was to be able to do what I love to do, no matter what the weather or what horse I had drawn, but to be out there riding bucking horses and being blessed. I totally changed my attitude about getting on Slingblade. It came time for bronc riding and I was ready to have some fun, rain or shine, dirt or mud.  He is kind of nervous in the chute so I made sure I got in and nodded as quickly as I could. He always leaves the chute hard and fast so I was going to make sure I had a good solid mark out. He left fast and I was pleased with my mark out, he then jumped down the pen with the ducks and dives and swoops. I was riding him OK I thought. I was having trouble setting my feet and beating him to the ground, I was a bit behind. When the buzzer sounded I got off on the pickup man, fairly pleased with how it all went. I wanted to ride him better but was satisfied. My score of 74 was good enough for a 3rd place money.  The rain picked up and made it hard for us to get home, we actually had to pull over for awhile. It was a good night in all, it was a definitely a reminder of how blessed we are, and how I should make the best out of any situation.

Until next time, God Bless, and be safe On The Rodeo Road

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OTRR Talks to Ashley Whyland about Seasoning her Young Horse, Honorabull

Ashley Whyland and Honorabull

Ashley, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with OTRR again. It has been a while since we talked but I know that you have a young horse now and you have been seasoning him this year. Let’s talk a little bit about that process:

First tell us a little bit about Atticus:

His registered name is Honorabull and he is quite the character.  Atticus is one of those horses that are always in your pocket.  He LOVES attention.  He is a very laid back horse, but very codependent.  He either wants to be around a person or another horse at all times.  He is an own son of Bully Bullion out of a Jet of Honor mare.  I bought him from Laura Jane and Jeffrey Durfee.

 How long have you had him?

I have owned him for almost a year.  We bought him around Thanksgiving last year.

How old is he?

5

How far along was he when you got him?

Atticus had been hauled some when I got him, but was still green.  He has some great handle on him and they really had him broke the way I like one, so that has made it easy for me. 

Is this your first summer hauling him?

Yes, I have taken him to a few shows this spring/summer and now that it has started to cool down, we plan on going some more this fall/winter! 

I know that we all set goals for ourselves and our horses at the beginning of the year. Going in to a new year with a new horse, what are some things you want to accomplish?

I plan on taking things real slow with Atticus.  I want a horse to be sound and sane for the next 20 years.  He’s past his futurity year and sealing up his Derby year, so there is no reason for me to be in any hurry.  My goals are for him to be nice and solid going into summer of next year.  I plan to take him to some local rodeos to season him next summer.

Take me through a day at a one day barrel race with Atticus? Tell our fans about exhibitions, your warm up routine, etc..

The past couple of times I’ve run Atticus, I haven’t been able to get an exhibition in so we have run cold turkey.  It’s all about timing with us right now so my second run is always better than my first.  If I’m able to get there in time for exhibitions, I like to trot him through the pattern and let him see what all is in the arena.  Then I cruise him through, basically high loping the pattern not asking for any speed.  His warm up routine is basically like any other horse I have.  Walking for about 5 minutes, long trotting for about 5 minutes and loping for about 5-7 minutes.  After I get him warmed up, I work on his stop and pivoting off his hind end.  Atticus can get a little front-endy, so this helps him really concentrate on using his butt when I ask him.  What I look for is him to really plant his butt in the ground and when I ask him to roll back for him to be really snappy.  When I take Atticus in the alley, I make sure I come in from the right side so that he always catches his right lead going into the barrel.  His first barrel is pretty darn automatic which I think will be a huge plus in the rodeo pen.  He still needs a little help on his second and third barrels, but all in all Atticus knows his job really well.  I think the most important thing with young horses is knowing them.  Spending lots of time around them and knowing how they think, react, what calms them down, what hypes them up, etc. 

Do you run Atticus in different headgear? Did you go through some trials in finding the right headgear? I know that finding the perfect bit/combo/hack can be hard on a new/young horse?

Atticus will pretty much ride in anything.  He’s a light mouthed horse and doesn’t need a whole lot of bit.  However, I have found that a Reinsman Little S hackamore is the best to run him in.  It really helps keep him flatter in his turns.  I try to ride him in a different bit each time I ride at home.  If I need some work on collection, I’ll put him in a draw gag.

Tell me some things that worry you when seasoning a young one as opposed to getting on a horse you have been rodeoing on and knows the ropes?

Atticus takes a lot of the worry out of most situations.  He’s a horse that may get spooked by something or get upset, but he’s not going to have a total meltdown over it.  With young horses, the things you take for granted to walk past at a barrel race or rodeo may be a BIG deal to these colts.  One thing that I have found to work on the younger horses is if they’re acting cautious or spooky of something, I’ll just act like I don’t even notice it and go on.  Nine times out of ten, they’ll walk right on also.  It’s when the rider makes a big deal and tightens their reins/seat that the horses feel they have something to worry about. 

Of course, ground condition is something that comes into play also with the younger ones.  I have yet to take Atticus to any rodeos and he hasn’t been to any horse shows where there has been bad ground, so I have yet to see how he’ll handle.      

 We are going in to the Fall, will you continue to haul Atticus this winter or give him a break?

My plan is to go to one or two shows each month during the winter, weather permitting.  I normally try to keep the horses in shape the best I can without hauling them several times a week, but if the weather doesn’t allow that this year they may get a break until early spring. 

Stay tuned for more with Ashley and Atticus as they continue the seasoning process and start getting out on the rodeo road.

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