Monthly Archives: November 2009

Chelsea in Egypt on the Great Pyramid of Giza in August 2008.

So, what are your favorite barrel racing jeans and why??

      Stetson! I’m addicted to them, but I ripped my favorite pair pretty badly when I had a horse fall on me at a rodeo a couple months ago. At the Congress, though, I bought a pair of Cowgirl Up jeans, and I’ve never owned them before. They fit awesome and I’m definitely digging them!

When you are out on the road with your ponies, what is something that has to be in the truck with you?

      My dog! I have a little heeler-mix that I don’t go anywhere without. That’s probably a pretty typical barrel racer’s answer, because I know I’ve done an interview with Natalie Overholt (IFR-winner), and she said the same thing. Otherwise, though, I usually don’t go to a rodeo without a bag of Doritos and Hostess chocolate covered donuts. It’s been a tradition since I was a kid.  

And your Favorite barrel racing saddle?

      My Dale Martin saddle is amazing. After riding other saddles at work or not riding for awhile, sitting on my old mare in that saddle feels like coming home. It’s just perfect. I also have an old smooth seat Circle Y that my trainer had custom made for her 20 years ago, and I’ve had it since I was 10. I love it, too!

Favorite rodeo/barrel race?

      I always have and always will love the BullRide Mania at Shartlesville, Penn. It’s held at Mountain Springs Arena and although the ground can vary, the pen is the perfect size and on a sunny day the sand lets the horses really fly. Great barrel racers always show up for the $500 added, and the party afterwards is always the best!

What are your goals for 2010 for your horses/barrel racing and your website?

      2010 is going to be all about moving and changing. My horses, boyfriend and I will be moving southwest (hopefully), and looking for a job in the equine journalism or public relations industry. So, after all of that real-life stuff, I really want my six-year-old to be running 1D. I’m going to take a hit this winter and haul as much as possible to get her seasoned so she’ll be ready for where ever I end up this time next year. As for the site, I am expanding and moving to a WordPress format so I can have different pages, and I am going to be writing some long features on keeping barrel horses healthy and on nailing your first barrel. I would love to get in touch with some more top Ohio and Pennsylvania barrel racers to interview, continuing to provide exposure to some barrel racing athletes that other publications and media outlets might miss.

Thanks so much Chelsea!!!

Don’t forget to visit her at The Barrel Racing Blog!

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Chelsea and Zippos Three Dee in June at NBHA Show

Thank you so much Chelsea for taking the time to sit down with OTRR and tell us about yourself and your website.

Okay,  start from the beginning, where are you from?

         I’m originally from a little town called Apollo, Penn., about 40 minutes east of Pittsburgh. I am currently in school in Athens, Ohio, at Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism.

 Did you grow up with barrel horses? Tell us a bit about your  background.

         That’s a good question. Kind of. I showed jumping ponies rather unsuccessfully from the time I was five until I was nine, and then I got a barrel pony. My parents are not horse people at all but did everything they could to help and got me the best trainer in the world (or so I think), Ginny Bowman. She trained a warn-out pleasure horse and made her into my first barrel horse, and that mare took me to five Congress placings and a lot of great rodeo wins. So, if growing up counts as running peewees, then no, but I did run as a youth. I also showed a little snaffle bit and even did some reining with an old roping horse we had.  

So I understand from your blog, that you have done a LOT of traveling….tell me the most exciting place you have been and why?

         The most exciting place – that’s really tough. My favorite place in the world is definitely South Africa. I spent two months there interning first at a communications firm in East London and then at a magazine in Cape Town. It was heaven on Earth – white sandy beaches, amazing mountains, wildlife and rolling hills. The people were amazing and welcoming, and the food was great. I was so comfortable there, it felt like home. But it’s hard to say that the rain forests of Borneo aren’t exciting, or the Great Pyramids of Giza aren’t the most amazing pieces of human work in the world.

I know on OTRR, we have some barrel racing fans, take this time to tell them about your site….we are a big fan!

         TheBarrelRacingBlog is more than just a general interest barrel racing site. It covers all levels of barrel racing, mainly in the Ohio and Pennsylvania region. It’s a site where you can see coverage of shows and rodeos that you can’t get anywhere else. I try very hard to get a good mix of shows and rodeo coverage (depending upon where I go that weekend with my own horses). I take photos of the ground and videos of runs so barrel racers can decide whether or not they would like to go to that show or rodeo the next time. The website also features extensive, five-part interviews with barrel racers that have something to offer to the regional audience. I’ve interviewed men and women, young and old about their backgrounds, training techniques, arena preferences and more. We also partner with NFR barrel racer Tana Poppino to get great insights from a real pro, and we follow her triumphs as she looks to make the NFR in 2010. 

So How many horses do you have and how many are you currently running? Do you travel a lot during the summer rodeoing/barrel racing?

         If you would have asked me this question last week, the answer would have been very different! I am down to one that is actually running and two that are retired. I’m running a six-year-old sorrel mare that’s actually a solid Appaloosa. Some might cringe at that, but she’s as red as can be with only a blaze, and she’s built so cute! I just decided last week that my 16-year-old black quarter horse mare should retire, but that’s the horse I ran most of the summer.

         I traveled a lot more when I was a teenager. I followed Dave Martin’s BullRide Mania tour and hauled all over the East Coast every week during the summer with that. This summer I stayed pretty much in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland rodeoing, but I’m definitely gone every weekend getting my horses out somewhere. We also hit a lot of ropings with my team roping boyfriend, who right now uses my six-year-old as his heel horse.

Stay tuned……………More to come from Chelsea! This is just Part 1! Please check her out at: The Barrel Racing Blog

From a fellow blogger, barrel racer, and journalist…..you will get to hear from this lovely lady in the morning… stay tuned!!

Grab some coffee, and lets visit with Lisa….

We all know by being out on the road can be intimidating at times, is there one encounter that stands out that was particularly scary?
I have learned early on in my barrel racing career to never get intimidated! As long as I am prepared and my horses are ready I can’t let anything else get in my way! I am always for the best horse winning and when it is my turn I will be there and when it is someone else’s turn I will be the first to congratulate them.  It is not always about winning and I see way too many people get wrapped up in the win and lose perspective on why they are there.  It has to be fun and when it is not then I need to stay home!

How did you get involved to become a director for the GLC? How long have you had this position? 
I have been involved in the WPRA for a very long time and have helped with the awards program since 2000. So when it was time for a new director to step in I felt it was my turn! I have had the director’s position since 2006 and am planning on letting a fresh face take over in 2010.

Give us one humorous story that has happened to you while out on the road?
There are so many!!  But one that does come to mind at this moment is when we were heading to another rodeo one weekend we had gotten a flat tire and were on the side of the road when several trailers full of ropers and bulldoggers stopped to help my husband change one tire! We had an entourage of cowboys on the side of the interstate all giving their opinion on how the one tire should be changed! It was quite entertaining to stand back and listen!

Who is your role model and why?
I have several!! But after the past years in the WPRA  I have gained great respect for Jollee and Dollie Latouret! They are a great example of dedication and commitment. I also respect and look up to my wonderful friend Kim Thomas who has taught me so much in the last few years!

What is your nutrition schedule for your horses while out on the road?
I try and keep it identical to what we do at home. Plus an addition of electrolytes and if needed Horse Bac paste if I have a finicky eater on the road!

Be sure and check out Lisa at http://lisanovak.net/

We will be back with Lisa next week, so stay tuned…