Despite Surgeries, Cowboys Come Back Strong

Reigning world champion bareback rider Bobby Mote returned to competition for the first time this year at the Tucson Rodeo just weeks removed from hernia surgery.

Mote shared a second-place finish with Canadian Dusty LaValley in the final day of competition Sunday at the La Fiesta de los Vaqueros.

“I’m a little sore, but that’s still to be expected. It has only been five weeks since the big surgery,” said Mote, who’s from Oregon.

Tucson’s rodeo also was the first contest of the year for the winner of the bareback riding event.

Kelly Timberman’s horse delivered a difficult ride combined with kicking action to help the Wyoming cowboy win the top prize.

“I had a great horse,” he said of Oakey Robin. “I made a comparable ride and got a good score. The judges liked it.”

Timberman, 35, spent the early part of his year getting ready for the college rodeo season.

He’s an assistant rodeo coach at Wyoming’s Casper College – his alma mater.

Like Mote, a recent surgery also kept Timberman out of the chutes.

“I’ve been getting those kids ready for their season, and on top of that I had a surgery and I’ve been out for six weeks,” he said of his undisclosed procedure. “I just stayed home and got in shape and got ready for the season.”

Timberman’s coaching duties prepare him for his own rodeos….(read more)

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Houston we have a problem….

The Reliant Stadium rodeo at Houston kicks off Tuesday.

The website shows eight-time Canadian saddle bronc riding champion Rod Hay in the lineup.

He’d like to be there with a purse of $1.755 million on the table.

And the organizing committee would like to have him there.

They even show a picture on the website of him holding the buckle and standing in front of the trophy saddle they gave him last year, when he won $54,250.

But Hay won’t be there.

He’s still got problems with the right leg he shattered last year at the mid-June Daines ranch Innisfail rodeo.

“I go in for surgery on March 1 and they’re going to take out the hardware, straighten out the leg and see if they can make it work better,” Hay reported.

There are no projections on when he might ride bucking horses again.

“I have no idea until they go in and see what can and needs to be done,” he responded.

Travelling partner and reigning Canadian champion Dustin Flundra is also listed among those contestants in the Houston lineup for the fifth section that goes March 13 to 15.

But he won’t be there, either.

The Pincher Creek cowboy fractured his left (free arm) elbow at Fort Worth on Feb. 5 and doesn’t expect to connect with a Calgary specialist until next Friday.

The Houston rodeo, which, like the Calgary Stampede isn’t sanctioned by the sports’ head office in Colorado Springs, is an invitational show. (read more)

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The Barrel Racing Blog…

We want to take a moment and give a shout out to our girl Chelsea at the Barrel Racing Blog! If you are not a fan already of her page, you are missing out. She has some great information and does a great job following barrel racing. Be sure and check her out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Check out The Barrel Racing Blog!!

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Check out the last part of our interview with WPRA Barrel Racer Lisa Novak… Seasoning a Rodeo Horse

You dont want to miss Part One and Part two of this interview!!

Is there a certain line of horses you are drawn to? Cow bred? Race bred?

 Most defiantly!!  I love the firewater flit bugs alive cross!  I am an aggressive rider so a worky, turny horse fits my style and that seems to have been a good match for me.  I tend to stay away from race bred horses.  All though you can have a worky type race bred horse it usually doesn’t seem to be the standard that goes with them.  Cow bred horses are nice if they are crossed with the right lines as well but if I had a choice its Fire water Flit and Bugs Alive all the way for me!

When hauling a young horse, what is the most difficult thing you face?

Ground conditions and environment seem to be the biggest hurdles for them in my program.  Some horses never learn to handle all types of ground and some never settle on the road with their surrounding environment.  You just have to learn what to stay away from to make your horses experience and yours easier!

What attributes do you look for in a younger horse that you believe will be a rodeo mount in the future?

I think the biggest attribute is self confidence.  This will get a horse that extra step in and out of the arena.  Along with that I like a horse to be gritty and have a big heart!  Those two combined can make an average athlete a champion!

What signs do you look for in your horses to know they are mentally ready to handle rodeo competition?

Again I go back to self confidence.  As they get more confidence in themselves and their surroundings they become more mentally prepared themselves.  I also like to follow their progress and know that each time we make a run in a rodeo arena something has improved.  As the summer progresses I look for consistency as well.  Inconsistency tells me that they are not ready.  It may be mental or physical so I need to step back and look at the entire picture and see what I need to do to help get my horse to the next level.  I may need to make changes in my warm up or just how soon I get there and allow my horse time to settle.  What ever it may be I need to figure it out so by the end of the year I feel my horse is ready for the new season.

For someone wanting to start their own horse, season them and hopefully head to the rodeos… what is some advice you would give?

Be patient, be prepared, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Patience is a must.  Rushing into it will just cause more problems and make it harder for you to achieve your goals.  Be prepared and make sure you do your homework.  Study at home and work on your weaknesses and polish your strengths.  Then when you get to the barrel race you will be prepared.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Sometimes a problem you are struggling with is easy for another person to see.  I always like to tell my students that they should always be willing to ask for help and listen.  Keep a large file in your mind and put the advice you were given in it.  It may or may not work on the horse you are riding but if it doesn’t just file in your folder because you may need to pull it out sometime down the road!

Big goals for 2011??

Well I have some really nice horse now that I have put a lot of time and preparation into so I am going to haul them pretty hard this year and see where they end up.  I usually sell them when they get to this point because I like to see others do well on my horses and see them be successful. But this year so far I have held off on selling and am looking forward to getting back in the thick of things!

OTRR would like to give a huge THANK YOU for Lisa taking the time to answer our questions!! We always look forward to her being a part of OTRR!

 

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Brandenburg Equine Therapy Tip of the Month…

With all this cold weather that we are having it is most important to make sure that your horse is drinking plenty of water and to COOL him DOWN AFTER you work him. It is not uncommon for the water buckets to ice over and not allowing the horse to drink. He will not drink much if the water is too cold as well. He needs just as much fluids now as he would in the heat and it is very easy for them to get dehydrated. I think its still important to give electrolytes now. Also remember when you work your horse and he is still warm don’t just unsaddle him and put him away. If you unsaddle him and don’t cool him down well he is prone to getting sick as well as tying up. Think of it this way, how would you be after riding and all you did was get off, put a coat on and stand in the barn? Soon you would not be doing so well. Your muscles would start to hurt and it would be hard for you to catch your breath. The cold would get in to your body and you would get sick. You would end up with a lot of lactic acid in the muscle’s very quickly. Once you feel the horses body heat go down and his breathing is steady you can put him away. It could be the difference in your horse staying healthy and running well or getting sick and ending up at your vet.

 

Stay tuned for Troy’s March tip!!

 

For more information about Troy and Brandenburg Equine Therapy click here.

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Some Kind of Tough… Heath Demoss, Zach Dishman and Tana Poppino

Heith DeMoss, a baby-faced saddle bronc rider who could pass for Brad Pitt’s little brother, leans against the wall of a hallway on the west end of the Mississippi Coliseum.

On this night at the Dixie National Rodeo in Jackson, he has drawn a horse that no cowboy has ever conquered for the required eight seconds. “But that’s the kind I usually do real well on – one that bucks hard,” DeMoss says, a likeable confidence oozing from the 5-foot-8, 165-pound native of Crowville, La.

And why shouldn’t it? DeMoss is a three-time participant in the National Finals Rodeo, his sport’s Super Bowl, held each December in Las Vegas.

“Last year I broke my back after my first ride,” he says nonchalantly.

“That’s a tough way to go out of the NFR,” I respond.

“Naw, man, I rode the next day,” he says. “Didn’t do too good, but … ”

“Whoa. You rode with a broken back?”

“Yeah. Can’t say I remember a whole lot about it I was hurtin’ so bad. But I gave it a go.”

This is why I look forward every year to covering the Dixie National. Where else can you interview somebody who one day after breaking his back climbs onto another 1,000-plus pound horse whose instinct is to throw the rider 40 rows into the stands?

And the best stories usually aren’t in the arena, where the public is treated to one faceless cowboy after another trying to make a living. The real life stories are out of the spotlight, in the nooks and cran

nies of this old, cold Coliseum that has served Jackson since 1962.

Stories like Heith DeMoss, who is about to give it another go using the same saddle he has owned since his junior year in high school.

“Bought it off a cowboy in Oil City, La. for $200,” DeMoss says, reaching down and peeling away a piece of its leather covering. “All fiberglass. It’s worth a lot more than I paid for it. And it’s helped win me about $635,000 since I started (professionally) in 2004.”

DeMoss is 25 years old, married and has a 10-year-old son. (read more)

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Fortune smiles on Alberta cowboy.. Dusty LaValley

Utah bareback rider Jessy Davis needed some luck drawing a good bucking horse at the San Antonio rodeo.

He slid up behind Canadian champion Dusty LaValley and started pawing at him in the dressing room of the AT&T Centre, home of the NBA’s Spurs.

“I didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” said a startled LaValley. “He said, laughing and explained he was trying to rub some good luck off me.”

The Canadian couldn’t have hand-picked four better bucking horses to get on in the opening 12-man bracket of the $1.18 million rodeo, the only sanctioned million dollar stop on the American pro rodeo calendar.

LaValley drew horses called Hot Coffee, Real Deal, Alberta Child and Grass Dancer, cashed first once, placed second twice and earned a bracket-best $5,186 to advance to the semifinal round on Feb. 17.

Hot Coffee is a new young horse that has established a big reputation in the early going of the 2011 season and the same thing applies to the Alberta-bred Alberta Child. Real Deal was a world champion in 2005 and Grass Dancer has been a solid draw the last couple of years.

There were two hiccups along the way.

LaValley had to turn out Hot Coffee in the rodeo’s opening performance on Friday night of last week because he was stranded on a plane in Calgary.

“I was flying to Houston and then on to San Antonio,” he explained. “But Texas was socked in with bad weather; they couldn’t land at Houston, San Antonio, Dallas or even Austin. I finally got to my hotel in San Antonio at one in the morning on Saturday.” (read more)

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Billy Etbauer still in the saddle

An uncommon ability helped, as did the support of his two brothers, even though they all competed in the same event — saddle-bronc riding.

“We had a joint bank account, and everything we won went into it,” Billy Etbauer said. “That way, we always had enough money to get down the road and compete in the next rodeo.”

Twenty-three years later, Robert and Dan are retired, but their brother is still riding and competing at the highest level.

Now 48, Billy Etbauer is a five-time world champion and one of the most recognized names on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association tour.

In 2010, he had his streak of 21 consecutive National Finals Rodeo appearances snapped, but he became the first PRCA cowboy to reach $3 million in career earnings in a single event.

The only other cowboy to make that much money was Trevor Brazile, who competes in three events.

“I wish I could come up with that $3 million today and say that I have ‘er in the bank,” Etbauer said. “But I’ve been blessed. I’ve had an awesome career.” (read more)

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Lisa Novak on Seasoning a Rodeo Horse.. Part 2

If you missed part one of this interview, please check it out here.

What are some of the problems you have run into when seasoning a rodeo horse?

Each horse has their own hurdles and fears they have to work through.  Some of the more common ones I have experienced are getting used to the cattle and bulls.  Usually after a month or two on the road they tend to start ignoring them.  Ground is a big issue with younger horses.  Some panic when they get on bad ground and others just learn to take care of themselves.  Some have a hard time running in deep ground and others have troubles on hard ground.  One thing about the great Lakes Circuit…. You can count on having an entire spectrum of ground types!  As a horse continues to be seasoned I notice them becoming more confident in their surroundings and rodeo atmosphere and that’s when I know we are getting close to being ready!  My old Cash horse was more happy on the road in his pen next to the trailer than at home in a stall.  Some horses never settle on the road.  You just have to figure out how to deal with them.

Some horses have quirks, what are some you are willing to put up with? 

If they are a winner I will pretty much put up with anything!  I have been lucky to have very well behaved horses.  Some horses develop quirks because of a pre existing problem.  If you pay close enough attention to them you may be able to stop it before it gets to be a habit by fixing what the root of the problem is.  I have had many cribbers and I can honestly say it has never affected them.  Pawing at the trailer is very annoying in my eyes but I have noticed that the more they stand at the trailer the less they do it.  Each horse has their special little quirks and if you haul more than one together it is a task just to haul them correctly so they will all settle on the road and be happy but with patience and persistence you can usually make everyone happy including yourself!

Mental toughness is so important in the rodeo game.  When seasoning a young horse that isn’t your “trusty old mount” how do u stay mentally tough?

 HA! It’s been years since I have been on that trusty old mount.  For the last 4 years I have been on several different horses and the biggest thing I can say is that you have to suck it up and have faith in your preparation and training.  When it doesn’t work shake it off and forget it because there is always another run in the future!  Young horses thrive off of their riders confidence so if you are insecure about the run you are about to make your horse is also going to be insecure.  You have to teach yourself mental control and confidence in your own abilities.  Experience in the rider will pass on to the inexperienced horse.

When seasoning a “newby”, what are some things you will do to keep them content on the road?

If I know I have an extreme newby in the trailer with me I usually start by taking short trips and not staying overnight.  Usually I haul them when they are youngsters to jackpots and just leave them tied to the trailer all day.  This way they can take in all of their surroundings and learn without having to worry about concentrating on competition as well.  You usually try to start this preparation early so when the day comes to make a serious trip they feel like they are comfortable and ready to haul.  Sometimes it helps to haul their pasture buddy or stall neighbor with when we start out to help them feel more at ease.

To keep a horse in TOP condition and prepare a young horse for the road, how many times a week do you ride?

I try to ride as often as possible.  I do like to give them the day after a show or weekend off so they can recover from the trip.  I don’t like to ride hard every day but I do like to just get on and school.  I will usually only pick one or two days a week to do serious work and concentrate on the barrel pattern most of the other days I like to just do basics and ride through the woods.  This keeps a horses mind fresh and willing.  I think a horse can get burned out quick if their life consists only of work.  I know I would!  Trail rides are a great way to physically work a horse while allowing them to relax and enjoy themselves.  I would take long trotting around the field over loping circles in the arena any day of the week!

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Family that lost bull-riding son, Cody Stephens, suffers again when house burns down

The 9-year-old cried when she saw her house burned to the ground.

All her clothes, all her pretty things, gone.

But Gannyn Gower would have to wait for her mother’s comfort. After Gannyn and her family arrived back at the ranch Saturday from a rodeo, Toni Gower stood in the cold January dusk and looked at the smoldering ruins and could think only of her son.

Cody Stephens had died a year ago at age 23. A rodeo bull rider, his championship buckles and saddles and his mother’s scrapbooks had taken up a prime spot in the 109-year-old ranch house.

“As long as I had those things, I still had a piece of Cody,” Toni Gower said Monday. “They’re all gone now. It was like losing him all over again.”

A story in January last year in The Kansas City Star told about Cody’s crush on a pretty barrel racer named Lindsay Sears, whom he had never actually met because she was older and a world champion and lived in Texas and he was just a young bull rider from Cherryvale, Kan.

But three days before Cody died, Lindsay came to him. She walked into his room at University of Kansas Hospital, and the two talked deep into the night about their love for horses and life on the rodeo circuit. (read more)

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