Monthly Archives: July 2010
Calgary Stampede… Day 6
BULLRIDING
It was a birthday to remember.
Already a two-time world champion, J.W. Harris celebrated his 24th year by taking top spot in bullriding at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
The Calgary Stampede rookie spurred out an 87-point ride to edge Brazilian champ Edimundo Gomes in Day 2 of Pool B action on the rodeo infield.
To help get his birthday party started, the Texan took home a fat $5,500 cheque.
Gomes and Australian Jason O’Hearn split second and third with 86-point rides and added $4,000 to their pockets.
Harris sits atop the two-day aggregate standings with $10,000 earned after taking second spot Tuesday. O’Hearn, who won the opening round, is just behind him with $9,500.
BARREL RACING
Savanah Reeves will admit she shouldn’t have run her top horse, Thunder, in the muddy conditions on Tuesday.
Which is why the barrel racer from Dublin, Tex., gave Thunder another chance under the blue skies and — more importantly — a better infield Wednesday.
The second shot paid off.
Reeves, a registered nurse, clocked a 17.59 time to win the day’s round and $5,500 prize.
Joleen Seitz, the 2006 Calgary Stampede champ from Savona, B.C., finished second at 17.78, followed by Mary Burger of Pauls Valley, Okla. (18.15).
SADDLE BRONC
JJ Elshere split top spot three ways in his first go-round.
He scooped up all $5,500 for himself Wednesday in the second afternoon of saddle bronc action for Pool B at the Calgary Stampede.
Elshere’s 85-point spur ride aboard Awesome was one point better than Sam Kelts’ 84 on Holy Hollie.
Kelts took $4,500 for his eight-second effort.
Todd Herzog was one of the three who shared top spot Tuesday and he was in the money again with a third-place, 79.5-point ride atop Raveen.
BAREBACK
Justin McDaniel s back is finally 100%.
He s proving it at the Calgary Stampede.
McDaniel, who won the 2008 World bareback title but went through a horrible 2009 due to a pair of herniated disc which needed surgery in February, has been in action less than a month and already on form.
The 23-year-old from Proum, Okla., scored 85.5 on Holly Time to claim top spot Wednesday to claim the $5,500 prize.
McDaniel is also sitting atop the Pool B standings with $10,000 in the first two days.
Dusty LaValley of Crooked Creek, Alta, finish second with a 83 on Centenial. Davey Shields Jr. of DeWinton, Alta., made the most of a re-ride to score a 81.5 to place third and earn $3,500.
STEER WRESTLING
Stockton Graves was last out on the first day of Pool B action.
The bulldogger set the pace first out of the gate on Day 2.
He wrestled his steer to the infield dirt in 4.1 seconds Wednesday, and despite a lineup of stars at the Calgary Stampede, the time held.
The ground was in much better condition thanks to hours of work by the Stampede rodeo crew and a respite from the rain.
Casey McMillen, who claimed top prize Tuesday, finished second on the day with a 4.2 and sits atop the aggregate leaders with $10,000 to his name.
Hunter Cure, Todd Maughan and Curtis Cassidy split the rest of the prize money with identical 4.6-second times.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
Tuf Cooper s shirt says on the sleeve, I am second.
The fact Jesus is embroidered on the collar will explain why he has that message for all the world to see.
Cooper was No.-1 during Wednesday s tie-down roping action at the Calgary Stamped.
Cooper, the rising star from Decatur, Tex., scored a 6.8 to claim top spot the second day of Pool B action and the $5,500 prize.
Cody Ohl of Hico, Tex., was second at 7.1 to claim $4,500, followed by Marty Becker of Cardston, Alta., who won $3,500.
Posted in Rodeo News
Leave a comment
Barrel racer weathers wet day in Stampede rodeo arena
If anybody was going to complain on Tuesday about the ground conditions of the Calgary Stampede rodeo infield, it would have to be the barrel racers.
While the surface was exceedingly slick from an all day rain, there wasn’t a peep out of any of them.
All were unanimous in one point – nobody wanted to go first. Yet, it is the one event where every contestant wants to run on the top of the ground.
As it was, the random draw picked five-time Canadian champion Deb Renger to lead off and she startled the half-empty stands with a smooth 17.82 second run that wound up third best on the day.
Rana Walter, recently married and now Rana Koopmans, topped the leaderboard with a 17.64, incredibly the fourth fastest time of the week.
“It wasn’t treacherous out there, I didn’t have any trouble with it,” she said. “When Deb had a 17, I knew it would be all right. It was more just miserable with the rain. But, the footing was there for us. (read more and photo credit)
Posted in Rodeo News
Leave a comment
Tana Poppino checks in!
July 12, 2010We rested in Oakley for a couple of days after the rodeo. Jeanne and I bothwon money, and we found an awesome pizza place! From there, we went toVernal where Jeanne smoked a run and won the rodeo.
The next night we ranin slack at Laramie. I ran Goose both places and he is still not working.We had a vet watch us run and he thought his stifles might be sore. Heagreed to see us on Sunday down in Greeley. Yes, Goose’s stifles were sore which we are taking care of. I thought I’djust have the vet go over Amigo too, just for maintenance. Unfortunately,we found that his slight limp on the front was more than a bruised foot.He’ll be off for the next 3 months to let his suspensory ligament heal. Itwas a good thing I had him checked. Amigo has such a big heart and tries sohard, he would have kept running till we did permanent damage. Praise Godthat we found it. I’m sitting in Cheyenne at the airport. I’m flying home and let both horsesrest this week. Good friends are truly a blessing, and I thank God for mywonderful friends who are taking care of both me and my horses.
– Tana PoppinoProfessional Barrel RacerBig Cabin, OK918-244-9401
Discover your God-given talents, give your dream to God, work hard, trustHim, and never, never give up.
Posted in Tana Poppino
Leave a comment
SeaBuck Complete Review and a discount to OTRR Fans!!
Blue Moon and Dually
I was given the opportunity to add SeaBuck Complete to my feeding program over a month ago. I wanted to share with the OTRR readers what I thought of this product. I feel that my horses already get outstanding care, but I am always open to anything that will help them. I know that each of them is different and they all have individual needs, so I try to treat each horses needs separate.
I chose to put my horse Dually on Seabuck. Dually is an 11 year old gelding that I barrel race on. Many of you have read my post about Dually on OTRR. This entire year has been a roller coaster with him. I have tried many different things in trying to make him feel better and perform, we have come across many obstacles, with hock and stifle issues and him just not feeling well over all. He has been off physically as well as mentally. When I was approached to give SeaBuck a try I was told that this product offers overall benefits to the health and wellness of the Horse. Well, ask yourself…..isn’t that what we are all looking for? I know that we all want our horses to stay healthy and feel their best…that is the ULTIMATE goal, and sometimes it is very hard to reach. So I said I would give it a try. I work in the equine health industry and I am very aware of a LOT of equine supplements and pharmaceuticals. I know that there are GREAT products out there and that there are good and mediocre products as well. I also know from my experience that each product can affect each horse differently. From the results that I have seen I would put this product in to the GREAT category.
Noticeable benefits so far: My horse has more controlled energy. You can just see it in his behavior that he feels better. He runs and gallops in the field and has a spirit to him that he has been missing for a while. His coat also feels and looks GREAT and to me, that really shows that he is feeling well from the inside out. Dually will hopefully be going back to the arena soon and I can see how these differences will come in to play when I run him.
SeaBuck has graciously offered a discount to the OTRR readers, so each of you can try this product for yourself!
If you to www.seabuck.com and type in the coupon code SBCS2010 at checkout, each customer will get a 25% discount on a gallon purchase. You can also call in to 866-593-9446 and get the same discount if they mention the code.
Thanks so much to SeaBuck for this great opportunity!! If any of you readers already use SeaBuck, let me know your thoughts!
Peace Out,
Blue Moon
Tana Poppino… Part 3…Funny stories to on the road care.
Be sure and check out Part One and Two
Tana what rodeo experience means the most to you?
There are many wonderful memories, but winning Calgary stands out. Outrunning three world and Canadian champions in front of thousands of fans was like a dream. When they handed me the $100K check, it was almost surreal, but the cheers of the crowd were real! On the inside, I heard a still, small voice say, “I can bless you more exceedingly abundantly more than you can imagine.” Wow, what a day!
When you first arrive at a rodeo and unload your horses what is the first thing you do mentally to prepare?
I go check out the arena and the barrel pattern.
What product is a must have when hauling your horses? Do you use magnetic blankets, poultice, soft ride boots? What is your go to product when loading your horses?
I use whatever necessary to keep my guys feeling good—magnetic blankets, boots, ice machine, soft-ride boots for concrete, Doc Antle’s rub concoction, electro-magnetic blanket, etc. Amigo and Goose get EquiPride every day to make sure they get the nutrition they need. I don’t leave home without my NutraWound, cause you never know when you might need it. My trailer has an air ride system on it from Cowboy Rigs, I think that’s a big part of the reason Amigo has lasted so long.
Do you have a beginning and end to each season, or does it all just roll together for you? Is there ever a moment where you say “I am not going this year”?
Odessa starts each year, and the NFR should end each year!
I’ve not ever had that thought, but everything depends on how my horses are feeling.
Give us one funny experience that happened at a rodeo that you still laugh about today?
The first time I went to Reno, I found out that we had to go downtown and park in a casino parking lot instead of staying at the rodeo grounds. At 6 am, there was a knock on my door, and when I cracked it; Jeanne (Anderson) was standing in the parking lot with clothes, tack and feed piled all around her and she had the most apologetic look on her face, when she asked if she could pleeease put her stuff in my trailer. Behind her in the parking lot, there was a homeless man with all his stuff piled around him, too. It struck me so funny that I just shut the door and started laughing. Mom asked me who it was, and I said it was just a homeless person. Her ride had just dumped her out and left her. We still laugh about it. That’s how our partnership started.
Posted in Rodeo Interviews, Tana Poppino
Leave a comment
Please go to this link and vote NO!! Calf roping at the Calgary Stampede: Should it be banned?
A British animal rights group has joined a Vancouver Humane Society campaign against calf roping at the Calgary Stampede.
The League Against Cruel Sports, based in Surrey, England, is urging its supporters to write to the Canadian High Commission to voice their opposition to the rodeo event. The group is also asking U.K. travel companies to stop promoting tours to the Calgary Stampede.
Rodeos have been banned in Britain since 1934.
Earlier this week, the Vancouver Humane Society published a $15,000 full-page ad in the Calgary Herald condemning calf roping.
The ad, which appeared in the newspaper’s sports section in the days leading up to the Stampede, shows a calf on its side while a cowboy tries to tie its legs with a rope. The text asks: “That’s entertainment?”
The Stampede’s organizers say they take a “disciplined approach to animal care,” and that the Calgary Humane Society and the province’s SPCA monitor the activities on-site each year. Both organizations are empowered to enforce Alberta’s Animal Protection Act.
The Calgary Humane Society says it’s “fundamentally opposed” to rodeo events such as calf roping, but “has found it can best protect the interests of the animals involved by working with organizations that put on such events,” according the group’s website.
Should calf roping be banned from the Calgary Stampede? Tell us why or why not. Take our poll below. (click here to VOTE)
Posted in Rodeo News
4 Comments
What keeps you motivated??
Guinness and Roanie
Hello All… Guinness here… Lets talk motivation…
What keeps you motivated??
I think anyone involved in rodeo, athletics, horses, competition of any kind, or just day to day activities, you ask yourself “what keeps me motivated” There are so many different answers to that question, none of them incorrect in my opinion. Motivation is something we all need at times and we all lack at times.
I find that this season is one that hasn’t turned out at all like I envisioned. Has that happened to any of you? I found myself in January thinking about all the great jackpots I would take my younger horse to this year, and then by fall be hitting some small amateur rodeos on him and all would be great. That hasn’t happened at all, because my mind always runs a little faster than my horse. He will get there and I am sure of that, but I have watched the season slip by without getting to really run my horse and be competitive. So once things don’t pan out the way you want them too… sometimes the motivation leaves. I get fed up, aggravated and not happy with how my year has played out. However, that is when you really have to get your mind right and dig deep and find the real motivation that you need. Motivation is necessary when things aren’t going as planned. When you are on top of the world, it is much easier to get up and go, but when your season hasn’t turned out the way you wanted it to, it is harder and it takes a toll on you mentally. When this happens to you.. What motivates you?
Well for me it is many things, but most of all, I know that if I sit at home, throw in the towel and say forget it, I am not going to get any further along. I will start next season out right where I threw in the towel and that ISNT where I want to be. I think about if I sat out now and said “forget it”, everything I have worked so hard for would have been a waste of time!
I also find a lot of motivation in my friends, they are constantly there to push me if I am not happy with the day! They want to see me do well as I do them. So I really feel like you have to surround yourself with a great network of people.
One other thing I find that is completely necessary is having a positive attitude and mindset. If you cant see it, you cant be it! I honestly believe that and I vision everyday what I want my end result to be and I continue to work hard toward it.
It is funny though when you think about the season and how things are never really how you had them planned in your head. My season hasn’t been what I thought it would be, but it has had some great surprises over the summer. One being a great friend of mine has pushed/forced/drug/beaten me to run her great mare, (haha, just kidding) and it has been a blast! So.. we entered at a rodeo next week! So sometimes things do turn around and work out! If you can see it, you can be it!!
Calgary Stampede: Stellar lineup of human stars to battle super rodeo stock
There are 120 cowboys and barrel racers on the Calgary Stampede major event roster and the championships they’ve accumulated over the year are nothing short of astounding.
Nineteen world champions and proud owners of 41 gold buckles; 23 Canadian champions embracing 43 gold and silver buckles; 23 Calgary Stampede champions, who have collected 27 highly coveted bronze trophies.
Only five have never competed at a Wrangler National or Canadian Finals Rodeo.
It is, without question, the strongest lineup ever put together for a regular-season rodeo.
Then there are the bucking horses and bulls and timed-event horses, littered with world and Canadian champions.
And finally, the cattle, fast calves and well handled steers that will test rodeo’s record books for times.
Calgary has sufficient resources to put on the Stampede with its own bucking stock.
But the rodeo committee has chosen to bring in the cream of the crop from 14 other contractors, including four from the U.S.
That alone excites the cowboys.
“They want to make it a riding contest because they got the best cowboys in the world,” said Texan Isaac Diaz, who last week won the saddle bronc riding at the Ponoka Stampede.
“That way, they get the real winners; everybody has a shot to win first. And the guys who do will make the fewest mistakes.
“The lineup of bucking horses is unreal. When I competed at my first Calgary Stampede in 2008, I thought the pens of horses each day were more even that what they are at the National Finals Rodeo, and that’s not a joke.
“I’m excited; I can’t wait to get there.”
The newest stock contractor to join the fold is John Growney and his outfit from Red Bluff, Calif.
He’ll have the strawberry roan mare Moulin Rouge in his truck, the horse that carried two-time Canadian champion Dusty LaValley to a split of first at the Wrangler Tour rodeo in Reno, Nev., a couple of weeks ago.
When it comes to the timed events, there’s nothing more attractive to watch than a smoothly executed calf roping run.
Marty Jones, then from Hobbs, N.M., set the Stampede arena record of 6.5 seconds in 1993. Professional rodeo’s poster boy, Trevor Brazile, matched it last year.
It could be erased over the next 10 days.
Raymond Havens, an Airdrie area rancher, is again supplying the calves and he confirmed many of them were used at Ponoka.
Despite a long run into the arena after the cowboy nods his head, there were a dozen times under eight seconds, with past Canadian champion Marty Becker the fastest at 7.1.
With the quick setup in the Calgary infield, they’ll be in that six-second range again this week.
The 20 ropers range in age from 20 to 46. Texan Tuf Cooper is the kid; popular Oklahoman Mike Johnson, the 2004 Calgary champion, is 46.
That plus-40 age group also includes eight-time world champion Fred Whitfield, looking for his fourth Calgary bronze.
The 42-year-old Texan is back in contention after missing last year’s NFR.
He’s sixth in the world standings with nearly $60,000 and he said he expected to be in that position when he started out the year.
“I haven’t won a whole lot lately,” he admitted, “but the rest of the summer is in front of us.”
He’ll bring his 17-year-old sorrel Gator with him, the same horse that carried him to $112,500 at the 2007 Stampede.
“He’s perfect for the setup, lets me rope ‘em and tie ‘em fast.”
Eight of the invitees are in their 20s.
“I’m a lot older,” Whitfield acknowledged, “but my wisdom still helps me beat ‘em.
“I’m still pretty athletic and I still think I can compete with them.
“It’s all in your mind. If you don’t think you can beat somebody, you can’t. I still feel in my mind I can win the world again.
“There are a lot of young guys coming up and it’s getting tougher to win, but we’ll see what happens.”
He also said he’s committed to at least one more year on the trail.
“I’m locked into some endorsement contracts, so I’m going to fulfil those obligations before I start thinking about retirement.” (read more)
Posted in Rodeo News
Leave a comment
Spencer Turner….Do you speak French??
Hello On The Rodeo Road Fans!
Rodeos across the Country and Canada are in full swing now, so I thought I would share one of my favorite rodeo stories with you. A few years ago back in 2006, I had a friend call me and ask me if I wanted to go to St. Tite, Quebec, Canada. I had heard a little bit about this rodeo but didnt know too much about it other than it was a huge IPRA rodeo. St. Tite is about two and a half hours North East of Montreal, Quebec (which is was a good 24 hours from where I was living in Nebraska at the time). I agreed to go with a couple buddies and was looking forward to a new rodeo.
I was not an IPRA member at the time but still entered and went anyways. For some reason none of the 3 of us (or at least they didnt share the info with me, cause it totally slipped my mind) in the truck realized that we were going to the French-Canadian part of Canada. We were headed through Montreal and I noticed I couldnt read half the signs then it dawned on me where we were headed. I had never been to that part of Canada nor had I ever been around anybody from there at that time. The first time we stopped to eat was an experience. We decided to stop at Mc Donalds for the fact that we knew what they served. From what I understand Montreal is about half English and half French speaking. This helped when it came to ordering but still was a bit confusing. The farther North we went the less and less English signs we saw. We knew it was going to be a challenge.
We had a cabin on a lake rented to stay in for the 10 days we were going to be at the festival. Trying to find the cabin was a bit hard. The lady giving us the directions spoke very broken English and was hard to understand. We drove around until we found what we though was the driveway to the cabin.We were out in the middle of nowhere with nothing around for several miles except for woods. The path was very narrow and lead way back in to the wooded hills. We drove at least a couple miles back into the woods through the hills until we came on a house/cabin. It looked fairly rough and half abandoned. Buddy got out and was checking things out. We all had a very uneasy feeling, it was like a scene out of a movie, it was very overcast and raining and just weird. Buddy is up by the cabin, he turns around and has this blank look on his face. He starts walking fast back to the Jeep and gets in and demands we leave. So we ask, and he says that he was standing on the porch of the cabin and looked up into the woods and there was somebody standing there looking back at him. There was no vechiles around at all so now were all a bit nervous about a guy in the woods (we have all seen those movies haha) I started easing my Jeep back down the path that was barely wider than my Jeep. All of a sudden this beat up truck comes flying down the path behind us. We all agreed that I should just gas it and get out of the woods as fast as I can. The path was rough and rocky and I was darn glad I had a Jeep, the old truck kept gaining on us. We were back in the woods a very long ways and it seemed to take forever to get out of there (maybe it was the fact we were being chased) We finally were coming up on the start of the path and a narrow gravel road, we were all pretty amped up by now cause the truck was right on us. I slid the Jeep on to the gravel road and proceeded to try and outrun the truck. The truck followed us right on my tail for a couple miles trying to pass us (and stop us). I did a decent job of not letting him hit me and avoiding him. We were flying down this one lane gravel road trying to get away and then the truck dove off into the ditch and into a field and passed us and came back through the ditch and slid his truck to a stop sideways in the road blocking the road. I slid the Jeep to a stop and all three of us jumped out (we had already agreed that between the three of us we could take however many guys were in the truck, Aaron was fresh out of the Airforce and just back from Iraq, Buddy can handle himself and I can darn sure handle myself, so we figured we had the edge haha). So we jump out and of the Jeep and this fairly large guy comes running around his truck yelling and screaming in French and pretty upset and obviously not happy with us.We didnt speak French and he didnt speak English which made for a very tense situation for several several minutes After several minutes of yelling, the guy finally realized we werent from there and that were where lost and didnt mean any harm. So with us speaking English and him speaking French we resolved the situation somehow. And we even showed the guy the address of the cabin we were looking for and he pointed us to where we need to be and even drew us a map. (we were WAY off, like 30 minutes off from where we needed to be). Our cabin was just outside of town on a lake with several surrounding cabins near us. It was a pretty good adreline rush being lost and then being chased through the woods and then being chased and trying to be run off the road then to have a confrontation with a large French speaking man and trying to get things calm before they got way out of hand. Just one of the many stories from the rodeo road. Check back to read more from the rodeo in St. Tite and how we got a crash course in French and pictures from the two years I have been there.
Thanks and God Bless!
Posted in Spencer Turner
1 Comment
Getting to know Tana Poppino…. Part two
If you missed Part One of this interview you can find it here.
Do you still get nervous before each rodeo? What is your routine before you run down the alley?
Nerves or adrenaline, whatever you call it, yeah. That’s the thrill of competing—putting all your hard work on the line and letting it all hang out.
My warmup routine differs with each horse. Right before the barrel race though I do follow the same routine: I get off, clean their feet, check their Professional’s Choice boots, check the bridle/tie-down, tighten my saddle, put my rubber bands on, then I try to take a deep breath, relax, think through my run one more time, then I relax and keep my horse relaxed. When the girl in front of my goes, I start making my way to the alley, so I’m ready when called.
Some girls perfer to haul with hauling partners and some perfer to haul alone? Which do you like? If you prefer to haul wtih partners, who do you enjoy hauling with?
Economics dictate hauling with someone. Jeanne Anderson and I have traveled together for several years, much longer than any of the team roping teams have roped together! Brenda Mays (and Brandie Halls) usually joins us for a couple of weeks in the summer. My mom goes with me when I have to travel by myself, usually in the spring and fall when she’s off work. She says that she is a professional passenger, but, of course, she is so much more to me!
What is one of the most frustrating aspects of rodeo?
1. Keeping your horse healthy and sound. 2. Keeping your truck and trailer sound and running down the road.
Biggest highlights so far this year?
Winning Guymon on Amigo. In 2008, we did surgery to take a chip out of his ankle (that had been there a while), and because of the damage, they didn’t give me a very bright prognosis. He is healthier now and feels better at 15 than he ever has; and topping the field of 160+ racers at Guymon confirmed that. (Last year I broke my ankle so he didn’t really have a chance to show what he could do.)
How do you stay fit out on the road, do you have a workout regimen? Do you try and eat healthy?
I don’t workout, I should. I do try to stretch. We walk so much that I figure that’s good enough. I am trying to eat healthier, and take vitamins. As I get older, I realize how important that really is.
Posted in Rodeo Interviews, Tana Poppino
Leave a comment
