I’m not sure where the last month has gone, but you know what they say  – Time fly’s when you are having fun!   The first weekend in April I spent in St. John ND with a group of really great barrel racers.   I did a clinic down there and really enjoyed myself.  The group was great to work with and a real sharp bunch.  We saw improvements in everyone. The best part of teaching is the fact I do lots of learning too!

Horse3 in Brandon was another success and I was happy to be part of it doing a session each day.  I had riders in each session this year and I was really happy with how those girls did.  One of the riders came all the way from Dyden Ontario.  I look forward to working with her again when I head out to do a clinic there the first weekend in June.

It doesn’t look like I will be getting the weekly group lessons going this year although interest was great.   Things are busy here and it looks like the weekend clinic format is going to work best.  I’ve set the date for a Brandon, MB clinic.

It will be June 16 & 17, my house, Brandon, MB.  Rain or Shine (indoor available). 
Cost will be $250 and that includes the GST and Lunch both days.  
I am only taking 10 riders.  
$125 deposit will hold your spot, balance due at the clinic.

This clinic is suitable for young horses ready to start on the pattern as well as seasoned horses, or those in that process.  Anyone that wants to improve their barrel racing would benefit.   We will go through the essential moves for barrel horses, work on drills and exercises and relate them to the  pattern.  We will work the pattern at whatever speed your horse can do correctly.  We will work as a group and there will also be one on one instruction.    If the group wishes can also do pole bending.  I will also address the mental aspect of barrel racing and how important it is to your performance.

Give me a call at 204 727 1289 or email michelle@rodeoclassifieds.com if you would like to register.
Box 2 Site 515 Brandon, MB R7A 5Y5 is the address if you would like to mail a deposit.

I was delighted to be asked to participate in the 2012 Edition of Horse 3 – Manitoba’s Largest Equine Educational Event.   I will be doing a 1 hour session each of the three days.  It runs April 13, 14, 15  2012

Last year I didn’t have any riders work with me and this year I would like to work with a few riders as part of my session.   Proceeds go directly to support H3 and you can apply and pay through their office.  I hope to have people who are just starting their horse on barrels and possibly one or two with problem horses.

Click here for a link to the application that would need to be submitted for consideration.  Applications need to be in by March 21.

So far I have two barrel racing clinics scheduled for this spring.

One of the clinics is in Dryden ON June 2 & 3 (details)

I can’t seem to solidify a date for a Manitoba clinic but what I’ve been thinking about doing is having a weekly group lesson with a 6 week commitment.  I think it would be great for people with young horses.  We could get together to give them exposure, but also teach them a few things then go home and work on it.   Please email me if you would be interested in this.  It would be held at my home one day a week.

It has been a long time in the making.  I had this “Big Fat Idea” years and years and years ago….. my friends have been hearing about it for an embarrassingly long time.

www.BarrelRacingDrills.com, a site that has over 80 drills plus bonus drills and videos (I’ve lost count the actual number!) is up and running.  It has evolved from the original idea of an e-book to an easy to navigate website.  The website will allow for so much future growth.

It has been live since the afternoon of Tuesday January 24 and I’m excited to say it’s already a success.  I’ve been getting emails with people thanking me for this great resource.  What a rewarding experience.  To think I needed a push from my friends to “jump” (to announce it was live)!   I hope it will be – a “go to” resource for barrel racers.  A place to find solutions to your barrel horse problems – all in once place.    I will also still be continuing with the Barrel Racing Tips page on Facebook and the Free Barrel Racing Tips website where I post tips from professional barrel racers all in one place.  It has been a great resource for barrel racing tips and training for the last few years.   Its getting more and more traffic every month.

Here is a preview of what a page looks like when you are logged in:

Check it out yourself!  www.BarrelRacingDrills.com

When I was a kid, this is what I thought 2012 would be like.

Its a new year with new adventures ahead. I find myself excited for the year 2012. While we aren’t flying around in little space ships like the Jetsons, we do have some pretty cool technology at our fingertips I didn’t imagine when I was a kid.    I feel like great things are going to happen in 2012 for our family and for our friends.  I’m excited for 2012!

Our first big adventure of the year starts next Friday when we head South to Arizona to do some riding. We leave 10 horses, 2 dogs and 6 cats here for Murray’s Grandparents and parents to look after. I wouldn’t be sad if we didn’t come home to 6 cats – just sayin’

We are all driving this year (Grady and I flew last year). We will haul 4 horses with us in our trailer. Our friends Corrie and Dwayne already left with our stock trailer and one of our horses. Danger Bay is already on her way and we will take Glory, Laila, Gringo and Juice. We have a camper trailer there that sits on Joe Lucas’s yard at Maricopa. We really enjoy it there and we get a lot done with our horses.

Glory is doing really well (she had her pastern fused in June). I am finding that she is traveling more elevated, using her hind end better and stopping better than ever. Murray has noticed she stands really good to shoe and her front feet look better than ever.  I just put back shoes on her this week since she has been barefoot on the hinds. We think that this may be from being more sound she is traveling more balanced which in the long run is improving her feet. Hopefully by the end of our time in AZ I will be able to run her at a jackpot. I still have some legging up to do.

What’s the Itsy Bitsy Spider got to do with this post? Well, I’ve been singing a lot of kids songs and nursery rhymes lately being a Mom and all. I got to thinking about the Itsy Bisty Spider…. he’s a pretty resilient spider, much like some barrel racers I know. He may have been washed out the water spout, but when the sun came out he was sure to climb back up a again. When training horses there are lots of ups and downs, lots of rain, lots of sunshine.

I’m going to remember to keep things light – When the sun shines….climb back up the spout!

Rather than force ourselves to get into one of the corny movies on our dish on Saturday night, we decided to watch Secretariat (again). Its a feel good movie and it never disappoints.

There were a few quotes that stuck in my mind and had me thinking about barrel racing and my horses.

Let him run his race ~ Chris Chenery in the movie Secretariat

“Let him run his race” makes me think of Jet and how he likes to think he’s the boss. Really, I guess he is. He appreciates it if I trust him and trust he is going to do his best for that day. I have to let him run his race….. I think this is important to young horses too when we are bringing them along on the pattern and developing their confidence. I was to guide them as their leader, but still “let them run their race”.

“It’s not whether they think we won. It’s whether we think we won”. ~Chris Chenery in Secretariat

This quote makes me think of the ups and downs in barrel racing. It had me thinking of my young horses and how it really doesn’t matter what the clock says. What matters is that my horse feels like she’s a champion and I feel like we’ve made some progress. Its really important to focus on the positive parts of the barrel run. There’s always going to something to improve on. However, I think its important to focus on those things you did improve on. I want to focus on the little “wins”.

Every quote is open to interpretation and that’s what they had me thinking about anyway.

On another note – I’ve been excited lately. I don’t really get excited. I’ve been working on a barrel racing drills book/website for eons and it is getting sooooo close to being done. I will be getting it reviewed by some barrel racers soon. I’m nervous for that, its kind of putting myself out there. Its going to be great.

Also – Murray and I are going to Las Vegas for the NFR in two weeks. Its our first trip away from our son Grady so hopefully we will be able to handle it. I hope to chronicle some of the trip on my Rodeoclassifieds.com Blog so check that out if it interests you. WE have been to the NFR once before, so I’m hoping knowing the lay of the land will help this time.

It was about 2 weeks ago that I was happy to report Jet and I moved into the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association Finals standing during the last weekend of the year.   We really did have a great year, it was just that a lot of our money was won at single approved CCA rodeos so it didn’t count towards the MRCA standings.

It was just this past weekend that Jet and I competed at the Manitoba Finals Rodeo that was held in conjunction with the Wheat City Stampede.  The finals champion is crowned based on points awarded each of the three rounds and points on the average.  Jet and I won the second round and placed fourth in the third round.  We ended up winning the average and winning the finals championship based on the total of these points.

Michelle and Grady with Jet's MFR Championship Saddle

Going into the finals my “plan” was to have three solid, consistent runs and hope this would pull through for the win.  It worked! There were quite a few new faces and new horses at the finals this year and it proved to be a very competitive finals.  It came down to the last run in the last round.    A few hundredth’s of a second here or a barrel there and the results would have been much different.   Hats off to all the other girls who made it a fun race to watch and participate it.

The pattern at the finals is set on an angle from the gate.  It’s a challenging approach because the ramp we have to come down is not at the same angle as the gate.  When you leave second barrel it almost seems as though you are running back up the wall.  My first run Jet pulled off of second barrel and started to run up to the middle of the pen (where third would normally be).  I got him over to third and got him around it.  Because we went into it out of position it made it difficult for him to turn correctly especially when the ground was not forgiving.  We didn’t get this one on video.    For my second and third runs I came in with a different game plan for second my approach worked.   He finished the barrel and headed straight up to third.   The first barrel is quite tricky and I had to work to keep him straighter longer, but what we did worked.  Watching the videos, he was still pretty short and I could have used another stride up in there before we started the turn.   Always something to work on I guess and it all worked out anyway.

Sunday morning we were awarded a beautiful trophy saddle sponsored by Irvine Tack and Trailers from Alberta (free shipping Canada wide).   I’d like to thank them for their support of barrel racing in Manitoba.  It is greatly appreciated.   I’d also like to thank the rodeo committees that had MRCA rodeos throughout the year, the MRCA and its board of directors for working to keep the MRCA alive and for producing the Wheat City Stampede.

I’d like to thank my family and friends for their support throughout the year.  Grady is a great traveler and loves to go to rodeos, but Murray and I are very thankful he was able to visit family sometimes when we went to rodeos.

Having a child certainly makes rodeoing different.  It definitely makes getting to the rodeos a bit of a production, but once we are there we love and appreciate every minute.  We are so blessed to be out there having fun and doing what we love.   It wasn’t that long ago when barrel racing get me worked up and I was a wreck trying to get around 3 barrels.  I’m not going to lie, I still have the odd setback, but  having a child has certainly simplified my barrel racing.  I’m sure my horses appreciate my new perspective I have on the whole deal.    It’s just three barrels and horse race – let’s have some fun!

We have a few empty pens around here.  This weekend we  had a send off for two horses that have been with us for several years.  Axle went to his new home in Lethbridge, AB.  I am so excited for this match.  Murray’s good heeling horse Jaws left for his new home in Carivele, SK and we hope he will win his new owner some money at some team ropings next summer.

Thank you friends for your congratulation hugs, handshakes, texts, emails and Facebook messages.   I really appreciate you all and it means a lot.

Here are my runs from the second and third round:

You may also be interested in reading the interview Shayna did for the RodeoClassifieds.com blog. We’ve been interviewing event winners all summer and I’m thrilled to get a chance to be interviewed! Click here.

Grady playing - Fall 2011

Unofficially, Jet and I have qualified for the Manitoba Finals Rodeo Barrel Racing!   I am so excited to have accomplished this goal.  Having a child has definitely made this goad more challenging to accomplish.  On the flip side it makes is that much more exciting.  I haven’t been this excited about reaching this goal since the first time!

We left it to the bitter end having in placed at Wapella to make it in the top 10.  We had a nice run in St. Rose too, but were .02 out of the money.   I am excited for Jet to run at the finals.  He is feeling great and ready to make some awesome runs.

Murray had a great last rodeo weekend too he split 4/5 in Wapella and was third in St. Rose with a 9 second run (in the tie down roping).   He is qualified in the Tie Down roping.

We have sure been blessed with a beautiful fall and I have been making the best of it riding as much as I can.  Jet, Laila, Danger Bay, Axle and Glory are the horses I’m riding now.  Slick is sold and Blue is away getting broke.  Hopefully I can get updated pictures of Axle and Danger Bay soon and start marketing them a little more.   I’m still trying to decide who I’ll take to Arizona this year.

Last week we received the “OK” to start riding and exercising Glory again.  It has been 14 weeks since she underwent  surgery to fuse her 2 pastern bones together.  There was a lot of stall rest and hand walking between then and now so we are both excited to be back in the saddle.  I have combined riding and ponying since we got the go ahead and she is loving it.   She stands more poised now, even in her pen now.  I think she is happy to be back too.

Murray's Heeling Horse "Jaws" For Sale

I have been legging up Axle (LCC Capital Effort) and getting him ready to sell.  He has always been for sale (like the rest of them).  But he has been on leave this summer while I have been rodeoing.    He is started on barrels and heeling.  Anyone looking for a quiet prospect to barrel race, rope, ranch or recreate he is worth a look.   I’ll be getting updated pictures and videos soon.

I will be actively marketing a few horses for sale soon, so if you’ve had your eye on anything now is the time to contact me (before someone else does!).

Murray has listed his good heel horse “JAWS” for sale, you can check out his details on Rodeoclassifieds.com by clicking this LINK to his AD

It’s been dry, dry, dry here lately and we have enjoyed some really warm temperatures.   Its cool and crisp today and we don’t see a temperature over 20 in the forecast.  Was that summer?

We enjoyed a busy weekend this past weekend going to Estevan, then to Carman, then Beausejour, then back to Carman.  I ran at Estevan and Beausejour and Murray also competed at the HRA finals in Carman.  Murray placed in Beausejour and I was just out of the money.  It was a tight race with 1 tenth from 1st to 6th and we were 2 tenths off the fast time.  A straighter line from first to second and we would have been in there. I’m still waiting for official results from Estevan, but word has it I may have gotten in for last hole.   Murray also won the second round at the HRA finals.  Juice worked awesome, it was a great run.  He was 10.1.

While we were away, there was some excitement at home.  Our loose housing/shelter/pole shed burnt to the ground.  Thank goodness our neighbor was returning our post hole digger and saw the fire starting.   He was able to get my mare and foal out of the pen and call the fire department.  By the time they got here they weren’t able to save anything.   Its a real mess and cut out pens down by 4.  Almost all of our horses water out of the drinker that is near the shed so we have had to set up water in different spots.  The fire came out the fence lines is several directions and burnt a fair bit of fence too.   It looks like I may loose my round pen to fence off an area so they can get back at the drinker.

I’ve been using that round pen too!  I have a new horse that I’ve been riding in there.  He is green broke so I’ve been working on our steering in there before we head out to the wide open spaces.  He is a 4 year old Crimewave gelding that is super quiet and really smart so we should be out of there soon   He is a full brother to the bay mare junior barrel racer Nicole Pana runs at CCA rodeos.

Glory has been doing pretty good on her leg, but this week she has had some other problems.   She has had some swelling on one side of her udder.  Kind of a strange deal, but she seems to be coming around and the swelling is going down.  Only a couple more weeks and I will have her checked to see if I can start riding her again.

My Mac N Fame/Anty Sal filly cut her leg so I’ve been doctoring that every day.  It is looking pretty good, but still has a long ways to go.

Blue will be going to get broke soon, that will be fun to see her ride.  She has some pretty smooth moves out in the pasture so hopefully she will be as athletic as her sister Danger Bay.

That’s my horse report and for my son report – Grady is full speed ahead. He still has quite a few tumbles but lets out a grunt, dusts his hands off and a way he goes again.   I’m going to try that too

We’re into the third week of August and I feel like I’ve just nicely settled into summer.  Looking at the rodeo schedule we are really on the downward slope to the end of the season.   Feels like I just started!  I guess that’s what happens when I jump into the season half way through.

I’m pretty happy with how Jet has been running.  I have some improvements to make in the riding department but feel I have a handle on that and will get my act together right quick.    The field is deep and the girls are tough out there.   Wherever I haven’t placed I’ve been just out of the money by a tenth or less.  Little mistakes in my riding and guidance is costing us those couple tenths.   I haven’t been drawing the greatest and have ended up in a few places on the not so fast days so I can’t afford to be making errors.   Jet can place when we are last out in slack so it shouldn’t be an excuse but I had better have my ducks in a row.

8 Weeks after Surgery

Glory is doing really well.  She is allowed to be turned out in a small pen for part of the day now.  She wears bug leg wraps and a bug sheet to keep the flies off but I think she is enjoying her time out there.   We are up to 20 minutes of hand walking as well.  I have to work up 30 minutes over the next 4 weeks.   It is 8 weeks since her surgery and in another 4 she will be checked to see if I can start riding her lightly and start a fitness program to bring her back.     She still has a fair bit of swelling and thickness to her leg but Dr. Bell is happy with her progress.

I’ve been winning the world in my own backyard lately on Laila and Danger Bay.   They have been working barrels at a real good pace and working awesome.  I took them to Andrea Graham’s jackpot last Tuesday and you wouldn’t know we were working that good at home!   Young horses are so humbling.  They actually did pretty good, but I was hoping they would work as good as they do at home.   Danger Bay was a little western in warm up but came back to me and worked decent in her exhibitions.  I tried to speed Laila up a bit and I was a little ahead of myself and so was she.   I’ve got a few things to put back in place this week.    Andrea has the most amazing set up at her place.  She had a standard pattern setup in the arena, plus a little patch with drills set up and she has an awesome track that goes around a hilly field that is sheltered.    My dream place really – hills, sand and trees!    There is another jackpot there this Tuesday the 16th.  7 pm start.  It is a fundraiser jackpot for the Northern Lights Futurity.

Grady has found his legs and I think we can say he is officially walking.  He has been walking for  a while now, but only when he didn’t plan it (he just did it).  Now he’s gotten brave and will do it when he wants.  He was even walking outside on the rough terrain last night.  He was after a rope of course.

This past weekend I placed 7th in Whitewood, 3 tenths off the leader.  Prior to that we placed in Austin and Swan River. This weekend we head to Virden and Grunthal where I hope to take home a larger piece of the pie!