Lisa Novak is back….

We are so happy to have WPRA Barrel Racer Lisa Novak back with us to talk to us about seasoning a rodeo horse. If you missed our interviews with Lisa in the past, please check them out here! Lisa has a long list of accomplishments and we welcome her input here on OTRR.. so on to the interview.

Do you haul year round? And if so.. what is your routine for getting them in shape?

It all depends on my goals for the year, the weather and the horses I have coming up.  Usually after Nov.-Dec. I give all my horses some time off.  They all need it and it is very good for them both physically and mentally.  I have a friend with an indoor down the road that I haul to which makes it a little easier.  I also like to ride outside when the snow is deep. It can really work a horse and get them or keep them in shape!  If I decide to haul during the winter I usually only ride one or two horses.  January through March is break time! Then when the snow starts to melt I usually hit the dirt roads and do a lot of long trotting so when April roles around we are ready!

I know warm up routines are different, how do you determine your warm up routine for each horse?

Each horse is different and usually by trial and error and paying close attention to each horse and what they do helps me determine what their warm up routine consists of.  Some horses require a long excessive warm up while others seem to do better fresh..

Speaking of warm up routine are there certain maneuvers that you must do in your warm up, such as rollbacks, reverse arcs, sliding stops?

I like to get my horses responsive and giving all their attention to me.  I don’t like a horse to be “dull” before a run.  Dull meaning dragging on my hands, lack of attention and slow response to my cues.  I like to side pass do roll backs pivots and stop and backing.  Once I feel they are paying attention and are ready I will walk them and just do an occasional test to make sure they are still with me!  I do not like to do sliding stops very much.  You can sore a horse up very quickly when the ground is less than desirable.  Usually warm up pens are on the hard side and I can usually tell that my horse is listening with out “sticking” them in the ground.

What are a few things you look for physically in your young horses when picking out a competition horse? Conformation wise?

First and foremost I look at their breeding and what their parents have done in the arena. It is hard to find a “perfect” horse when it comes to conformation but I would like them to be as close as they can!  It is so hard to determine where I will stop if I like the horse’s ability but has some bothersome defects.  I like short backed horses who really get underneath themselves, a good bone is important and I tend to stay away from a horse who has bad or crooked feet. Not to say that crooked footed horses can’t work, but just that avoiding that may avoid problems in the future.

When working with your younger horses do you focus on lead changes or is that something you let them figure out on their own when you go to the pattern?

When I first start with a young horse I like to stress lead changes. More so for control reasons more than anything.  As they progress I pay attention to how they handle their lead changes and if I notice anything I may slow down and work on it.  Usually I don’t worry too much about it they usually learn as we go.  Sometimes a horse may be hesitant to one direction and that may be an indication of soreness. If I decide it is not soreness I will just continue on with my program.

This is part one of a 4 part series so be sure and check back!!! Dont forget to learn more about Lisa and her program to check out her website.

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Ranch Life 101: guidelines for women

1.  Always load your horse last in the trailer so it is the first one

unloaded.  By the time he’s got his horse unloaded, you will have your cinch pulled and be mounted up ready to go – lessening the chance of him riding off without you with your horse trying to follow while you are still trying to get your foot in the stirrup.

 

2. Never – and I repeat never – ever believe the phrase “We’ll be

right back,” when he has asked you to help him do something out on the ranch. The echoing words, “this will only take a little while” have filtered through generations of ranch wives and still today should invoke sincere distrust in the woman who hears them.

 

3.  Always know there is NO romantic intention when he pleadingly asks you to take a ride in the pickup with him around the ranch while he checks waters and looks at cattle. What that sweet request really means is he wants someone to open the gates.

 

4. He will always expect you to quickly be able to find one stray in a four-section  brush-covered pasture, but he will never be able to find the mayonnaise jar in four-square feet of refrigerator.

 

5.  Count every head of everything you see – cattle especially, but sometimes horses, deer, quail or whatever moves.  Count it in the gate, out the gate or on the horizon. The first time you don’t count is when he will have expected that you did. That blank eyelash-batting look you give him when he asks “How many?” will not be acceptable.

 

6.  Know that you will never be able to ride a horse or drive a pickup to suit him.  Given the choice of jobs, choose throwing the feed off the back of the pickup. If he is on the back and you are driving, the opportunity for constant criticism of speed, ability and your eyesight will be utilized to the full extent. “How in the *@*# could you NOT see that hole?”

 

7.  Never let yourself be on foot in the alley when he is sorting

cattle horseback. When he has shoved 20 head of running, bucking, kicking yearlings at you and then hollers “Hold ’em, hold ’em” at the top of his lungs, don’t think that you really can do it without loss of life or limb . Contrary to what he will lead you to believe, walking back to the house is always an option that has been used throughout time.

 

8.  Don’t expect him to correctly close the snap-on tops on the plastic refrigerator containers, but know he will expect you to always close every gate.  His reasoning, the cows will get out; the food will not.

 

9.  Always praise him when he helps in the kitchen – the very same way he does when you help with the ranch work – or not.

 

10. Know that when you step out of the house you move from the “wife” department to “hired hand” status.  Although the word “hired” indicates there will be a paycheck that you will never see, rest assured you will have job security.  The price is just right.  And most of the time you will be “the best help he has” even if it is because you are the ONLY help he has.
 

                 “Believe in Miracles”

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Brandenburg Equine Therapy Tip of the Month

This time of year a lot of people start getting their horses ready for the 2011 season.  Many of those horses have been turned out for the winter, what tip can you give to help these horses stay healthy and injury free? 
 
I cannot stress enough how important it is for riders to get their horses in shape before they go to a barrel race.    Like any athlete if you try to perform without first getting in shape, you cannot perform at your best and  you greatly increase the odds of sustaining an injury.    Ten days of riding is not enough.    Your horse may run great the first time out,  but he will not have the physical stamina to do many runs and will quickly fall apart.    If your horse is not in shape, stay home!   Remember there will be another barrel race next weekend.     One race is not worth the chance of being out for most of the season.

Stay tuned fo monthly tips from Troy Brandenbug!!

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Equine Dentistry Tip of the Month….

 

Megan Knight of Knight Performance Equine Dentistry says:

January is a great time to be thinking about your dentistry work because the show season is fast approaching and you want to make sure your ahead of the game! Having your horse prepped for success is the surefire way to having a great season. Preparation is the key to giving your horse the winning edge. So call your dentist and get ready for the best season you could have!

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Tana Poppino…. We are in Denver

Jan. 17, 2010 – We are in Denver. Ran our first one today. I ran a 15.36
which is placing 6th right now. Didn’t have a great third barrel. Amigo
started to step in and I had to pick him up and move him over which kept us
from hitting it, so I am thankful. Jeanne had a good run but caught the
first leaving it.

 I’m scheduled to meet with a bunch of school kids in the morning, I keep
trying to talk Jeanne into going with me, but she is resisting.

 On our way up to Denver, we stopped in Monument and met all the great
people who work at MAXX Sunglasses. I am so pleased to be partnering with
such a wonderful group of people. They just became the official sunglasses
of Major League Baseball. The glasses are high definition and very
lightweight, great to ride in and they really cut the glare!

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Spencer Turner.. Face first in a huge puddle.

Hello Rodeo Fans,

I’m a little behind on my updates but just got 2 more for 2010.  After Oak Grove I entered Kearney, Missouri. This is usually the last rodeo of the season for the United Rodeo Association so I entered it to have a little bit more of an edge going into the URA finals.  When I got to Kearney I realized it was going to be like the last few rodeos I had been too, muddy muddy muddy.  We had to park a half mile from the rodeo arena and ride in a Gator to get there.  The arena was a muddy mess with standing water.  It was an afternoon perf so at least the sun was out trying to help matters.  The horse I drew was a big bay horse from the Grand River Rodeo Company out of Grand River, Iowa.  I had seen the horse at some of their rodeos in the back pens but had never seen anybody get on him.  A buddy of mine had him drew a couple weeks proir and turned him out because the general consensus of all the guys he asked was that the horse was no good.  He supposedly run off and didn’t buck, so my buddy didn’t waste his time and left and went home.  Well knowing this, I wasn’t to motivated to get on the horse.  On the other hand I had a couple thoughts that were in my favor, it was muddy and deep so if he did run off he couldn’t do it very fast.  Sometimes horses buck different in the mud. They are unsure of their footing and don’t cover much ground. I also had the idea to lower the halter on his nose to maybe tuck his head up under himself causing him to buck without running off.

Well it was time to load the broncs and saddle them.  They run the big guy in the chutes and he most definitely took up all of the chutes, leaving me with not much room to work with. I pulled my saddle and climbed in, anxious to see how this would turn out.  I nodded and he came blowing out.  My mark out felt strong which makes for a good start to a ride.  He definitely noticed the mud and the lower halter. He blew up and started throwing what we call a wild horse fit.  Jumping and kicking and throwing his head, belly rolling and not coving much ground.  My spur ride felt great, I was setting my feet high in the neck.  After a few seconds of this he decided to move on down the arena jumping and kicking, which was fine with me.  I was riding good and felt great. Shortly before the buzzer, he was jumping pretty high and when he came down he slipped in the mud. He didn’t go down but instead, he gathered his footing and had this weird blow up sunfish head throwing thing.  It caught me off guard a little bit and my leg ended up on top of my swell.  When he came down from the jump the buzzer went off so on his way up I decided that since I was out of shape that I would just bail of and land on my feet making for a good show.  Well that was my plan, I actually bailed off and got caught in the stirrup and it flipped me upside down and I landed face first in a huge puddle of standing water.  I was completely covered from head to toe in muddy water and sloppy mud.  The silver belly had I had on quickly became brown.  I was frustrated at first but then played it off and had fun with for the crowd.  The score was good enough for second which I was thrilled about.  The Lord has Blessed me with several wins and lots of placing in 2010.  I haven’t rodeo’d as much or as hard or traveled as far as I have in years past but I still Give the Glory to God for giving me the talents and opportunities and the success. 

The next update will be from the United Rodeo Association Final in Topeka, KS, then bring on the rodeos of 2011 .  Until next time, God Bless and be safe On The Rodeo Road.

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One day at a time..

Well here we are in the middle of winter and I am trying real hard to keep my motivation. I started off this winter with the plan to keep riding and hauling my horses, but it seems that mother nature didn’t agree with that plan, she has been a real pain this winter. However, you just have to do what you can! So, I have been riding when I can ride and that seems to be working, whether it be 3 times a week (on good weeks) or once a week on others. I sometimes start to put pressure on myself this time of year, I already have my planner all laid out of all the shows and rodeos this year, and then I start counting down the days until I need my horse to be in top shape and start freaking out. I have to remind myself, I can only do so much and putting pressure on myself isn’t going to help the situation.

I think it is easy to put pressure on yourself when in all reality it isn’t needed for a situation like this. You can’t help circumstance, you can’t fix the weather and you just have to take it one day at a time.  That has been my motto this winter “one day at a time”

On the other hand, I love seeing all the exciting events coming up in the future and know that when spring does get here there are going to be many good times throughout the rest of the year! I think it is important to be able to see what is ahead of you, that is why I like to plan it all out, even if I don’t attend every event, I can at least look ahead and have something to work toward. I am not a big New Years resolution person, but I do believe in goals for each year and setting goals that are realistic. Setting a goal of “I want to win this rodeo” in my opinion isn’t realistic because anything can happen! However you can set goals that are achievable, such as “I plan to attend 15 rodeos this year, and hope to improve at each one”. That is a goal that you can work toward. Don’t ever set yourself up for something that is out of your reach, you are only hurting yourself in the long run!  

Well I hope everyone is not going to crazy this winter, I know it has been frustrating for me but like I said “one day at a time”!

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

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Unbreakable

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Amber Mostoller….The last few months have been full of changes for me

So the last few months have been full of changes for me.  After the rodeos in September were over, the chances of making the IFR were VERY slim.  I was making money but so was everyone else that was ahead of me.  I had been staying in North Carolina to go to the last few rodeos and was given the opportunity to stay and ride some outside horses for a few people including Jeanette Nelson who owns and operates Triple N Ranch.  Jeanette has had owned some of the top futurity colts over the years and many have gone on to become great rodeo horses.  She also stands two great stud horses both of which are making names for themselves as well: Deep Sixum and JL Turn Ta Fame.  We currently have 5 of her great open horses to ride and sell for her (Heza Grand Sixum, NNN Sixums Top Gun, LL Blind Faith, Famous and Lucky, & Page of Fame)

 The month of October brought the IBRA National Finals in Wilmington, OH as well and I allowed my mom to run JB Absolute aka Abby.  Mom had qualified on her before I bought her and was missing her, so I let her run her all week.  Mom and Abby won the Sponsors/ Directors Race, placed in the $10,000 Guaranteed, won the long go of the Masters, & won the 2-D Open National Championship for over $4,000 in earnings along with a Buckle, Saddle, and other awards 🙂 GOOO MOM!  I headed back South and ran Abby in Williamston, NC to win 3rd!  I decided with all the horses I had to ride to give Abby some time off and quietly advertise her for sale.  I got a call from a friend in Indiana who had been watching Abby closely and wanted to try her.  I headed to Indiana in the middle of December, she tried her, loved her and I headed back South without Abby.  Abby and I have been through alot the last few years and she always seemed to find her way back to me, so it was a very emotional day.  Congratulations Rikki Morse on the purchase of this amazing mare. 

I had an awesome Christmas with my mom, little brother, and other family in Ohio, but had to be back to North Carolina so we could head out to the rodeo December 28th in Memphis, TN.  It was the first IPRA rodeo of the new season and I was running a horse I had only been on one other time.  His name is Justa Easy Routine aka Rudy and is owned by the Kerr Family in Huntersville, NC.  The rodeo was only $400 added but I had to take a horse back that I had been riding for a customer near Memphis so we figured we would be killing two birds with one stone 🙂  Teresa Kerr Tyner, Memphis (my dog), & I headed out the night before to make the 10 hour drive and arrived in time to watch the 10:00am slack Tuesday morning.  The rodeo is held at the Shelby Show Place Arena which is the same arena that we used to hold our IBRA National Finals at from 1999-2004.  (Fun Fact:  It is also the same arena that I purchased “my” Memphis at back in 2003) Teresa and I were both in the performance so it was nice being able to watch all of slack to see how the ground was holding up.  Ground looked to be getting a little deep but I knew that at 16.0 hands Rudy would be able to get through it!  He warmed up really good for me and I was anxious waiting to run.  I rode him a little cautious to the first barrel, but tried to make up for it riding hard to the 2nd…he really shut down for the 2nd barrel and I barely got around it!  We had a good 3rd barrel and ended up running good enough for a 6th place check!  Last hole but we will take it!! 

Next on the schedule…Asheville, NC December 31-January 1st SEBRA Bulls and Barrels which is my last ditch effort to make the SEBRA finals!  Stay tuned!

Quote of the day:  “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

CD in the truck right now:  Luke Kaufman!

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Tana Poppino Checks in from Odessa…..

Jan. 11, 2011 – Jeanne and I are in Odessa watching the team roping. The first round of barrel racing concluded yesterday morning in the slack. Nikke Steffes won the round with a 14.00. The last hole was split with 14.25s. I ran a 14.39 on the bottom of the ground, so I was pleased. The ground is deep and heavy here so towards the top is always better. I’ll be first out in our drag in the morning, so hopefully we’ll lay down a fast run that will get us a check in the average.   The Odessa rodeo takes all barrel racers, so there were almost 200 entries, a great way to start off the new year. Thanks to a great bunch of people who put on a great rodeo year after year. We appreciate the way they take care of the ground for us. Hats off!   We’ll be headed to Denver Thursday. I will be meeting with MAXX Sunglasses Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, I’ll be signing autographs at the Agapebooth and talking to people about EquiPride. If you are at the National Western, come by and say hello. Jeanne and I will be competing Monday,(1/17) in the afternoon and Tuesday afternoon.  

 –Tana Poppino Professional Barrel Racer. WPRA Prairie Circuit Director

-Discover your God-given talents, give your dream to God, work hard, trust Him, and never, never give up.

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