In The Arena

This past Friday night On The Rodeo Road went behind the scenes at the Professional Roughstock Series event in Lexington, KY held at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Professional Roughstock Series showcased some of the toughest in the rough stock industry with a line up of 2011 World Champion Kaycee Field, Taos Muncy, PBR Bull Rider Cody Ford and many more. We did get to grab Cody real quick before the event and talk to him about what keeps him motivated when he is out on the road and any advice he would give a rookie wanting to hit the road.  

One of the highlights of the night was Mike “Scooter” Smith. Mike is an outstanding rodeo clown and if you ever get a chance to see him live…DO IT!! He will keep you entertained all night.

 

Overall, this was a good event and I think fun was had by all. Hats off the PRS for putting on a great event with good stock and great cowboys! Kudos!

Thanks PRS!!

Anne and Leigh

OTRR will be at the Professional Roughstock Series tonight in Lexington Kentucky at the new Alltech Arena! This event showcases some of rodeos premiere roughstock riders! Combined in a two night performance this event will feature more than 2 dozen World Finals qualifiers and 5 different current and former PRCA and IPRA World Champions. The list includes 14 time IPRA World Champion and Ohio Native Shawn Minor, two time defending world champion Taos Muncy, and 2011 defending World Champion Bareback Rider Kaycee Field.  Each night 12 cowboys from each riding event will have one chance to cover their stock, the top 4 in each event will advance to the shoot out round! Look for a great night filled with top cowboys, top bucking stock, and lots of lights and action in the new Alltech Arena!

Check out the standings for the PRS here.  If you cant attend the event, no worries, you can watch it on their website! Be sure and check out the live feed!

Check back here for more highlights from this Premiere Event!

Throughout the season which rodeo is your favorite to attend (besides the NFR)?

That’s a tough one, I can’t pick just one, there are so many that I enjoy.

2012 is here, what is your game plan for staying mentally prepared for your season?

Mentally prepared is an attitude for me, you don’t have to toot your horn, but a guy needs to be confident, and whatever I do that concerns my profession, make sure that I do it on purpose

Before you ride what is your routine for getting physically and mentally prepared to get on?

I like to warm up and joke around, till it’s my turn, at this point it’s a repeat process, meaning it’s still one horse at a time and me.

When you are not rodeoing, what are you busy doing?

I wish I could say relaxing lol, but am usually working. I build cabinets, and do several remodel projects in my down time.

What are your favorite hobbies?

Fishing and I would like to start roping again.

What advice would you give to a young man with a dream of making the NFR one day?

Never give up, and make it a way of life. Dont settle for 16th, because it’s a mindset.

Question: 

I have been having an issue with getting my horse to actually settle into the stop.  He tends to want to stop abruptly and not really gather up his hind end as much as I think he should and melt into it.  I feel this is showing in his barrel pattern as well.  He works perfectly, hip in, shoulder up, inside leg under him during slow work, but when sped up to a lope/run he has a tendency to start the turn too soon and peg on his front end, which in turn bounces me up.  I do know that I can work harder to hustle him more up into his turn, but the bouncy turn makes it harder for me to recover and be with him to ask him harder as well.  Any tips for getting one to settle or melt into the stop?  Also exercises to keep the ratey horse moving forward up into the turn and not setting up too soon?

Jackie: 

I train a natural rate technique that I find really helpful for keeping a horse on their hind end and works on both ratey and free running horses.  I should start by saying that the main thing that I believe in as a trainer is that you have to work a horse EXACTLY the way you want them to run.  I do not believe you can work a horse slow at home one way and expect them to run a different way.  For example,  if you work a horse in a 10 foot circle around the barrel at home you can not expect them to run in a 4 foot circle for a tight turn at a barrel race.  I work my horses close to the barrels all the time, right exactly where I want them to go when I run.  This constant repetition helps them know exactly what I expect at all times and they learn to be comfortable close to the barrel and learn where to put their feet.  Sounds like your horse is having trouble with body position because of a speed control problem.  My natural rate method goes something like this.  When you drive a car and you go up to make a turn don’t you apply the brake to slow down before making the turn?  Like wise you must down shift and slow down going into a turn so that you can make the turn tight and smooth.  So when I work a horse I always make them down shift 1 speed lower when we get to the rate point by sitting down and asking for collection.  Meaning if I lope up to the barrel when I sit and prepare myself as the rider for the turn I expect my horse to rate and slow to a trot.  Then, I expect him to hold that collection threw the turn and stay in a trot until my leg comes by the barrel leaving it.  At the point when my leg comes by the barrel is where I expect my horse to push off really hard and hit the gas again so this is where my horse picks up a lope again.  My practicing a simple natural rate pattern and teaching your horse exactly where to slow down and hit the brake and rate and exactly where to hit the gas again and speed up you will get him to relax in the turn and place his feet correctly and it will make the turn smooth and fast!  This works for a ratey horse by reinforcing exactly where you want them to rate so that it isn’t too soon.  It will also help a free runner with the constant reinforcement.  This method uses positive reinforcement and that is something a horse can understand and makes it easy to replicate!!!

I read that in 2005 you thought about retiring from rodeo, why and what changed your mind?

I was stuck rodeoing at a level which I didn’t enjoy, it was becoming work, My friend Justin had just bought his permit & asked if I’d stick it out one more year, I ended up having a good year, was in the top 15 right ip till the end of 2005

How do you feel about your 2011 season? Highs and lows of the season?

2011 was a rough year inside & outside of the arena, I battled injury all year . Since I don’t care to go into it, my life was like a sad country song lol. I fought through it and I am riding better than ever now

What are your goals for 2012?

Ultimately a gold buckle, any other goal would be a half hearted effort on my part

What is your game plan for staying mentally prepared for this year?

Winning, it’s the key to that, & makes everything else fall in order.

Since you have been on so many horses, which one stands out in your mind as your favorite horse, and why?

Spring Fling of Flying Fives, on my opinion was the greatest horse that I had the honor of getting on, she won Bucking Horse of the Year titles in both events, and wow, loved it!

Stay tuned……

It is important to keep a great mental game when out competing, how do you stay mentally strong?

 That’s an easy one. That’s just part of the lifestyle if you want to be successful. You need to expect to win. Maybe not go to the bank till they write the checks, but part of my plan is winning

 Bareback riding can be very hard on a cowboy’s body, how do you stay fit?

Exercise when you can, eat right & be thankful for the Justin Boots sports medicine team

Since you are no rookie to the National Finals Rodeo, tell us how you kept yourself feeling good and in good shape for ten rounds?

The key to that is being healthy & injury free, if you can be blessed enough to achieve that. Nodding your face 10 times at that level is a joy

What did you find the hardest about the NFR?

Lol, going to bed every night

Who are your traveling partners?

Day in & day out it’s Justin McDaniel, we’ve rodeod together for ten years, we’ve had some other guys , the years that Jared Smith & Steven Peebles went with us we had a lot of fun. This last summer Tanner Aus got in with us, it’s fun to watch those young guys get a taste of success at this level

Stay tuned………….more coming from DV!

Question: 

I have a great horse that has a great pattern on him but for some reason I am having a hard time getting him to RUN. This horse can fly but I think we went slow for too long and I am afraid that he isn’t understanding to RUN!  HA! Any suggestions on how to get this horse running into the pen and through the barrels. I have breezed him in a field and he has no issue running out in the open, but doesn’t seem to make that connection in the arena. He is a very ratey horse and is currently running a second off and I know I can get more. Any tips??

Jackie: 

I am strong believer that speed comes from confidence.  That means confidence in the horse AND confidence in you as a rider.  Sounds like ‘slow’ is your comfort zone and you have also made it his as you said ‘I have gone slow too long.’  It is time to find a new comfort zone at a higher speed and that take time of pushing the envelope with each run a little more and more until you both get comfortable with it and that is how you gain confidence.  When the confidence comes the speed will seem natural.  Most barrel horses have to ‘learn’ to run and lots of people don’t think about that.  We train our horses in a start and stop pattern. They never really learn how to run and stretch out in a barrel pattern.  If you have breezed him out in a field that is a good start, but it takes more than once for a horse to learn to drop their head and really stretch out and learn to run.  I suggest breezing him once a week for a month out in the field, with the goal being for him to get faster every time.  After a month you need to move you weekly ‘breeze’ to the arena.  This will help you in 2 ways:  1^st it will help him free up in the environment that he needs to more speed in…the arena and 2^nd it helps with the acceleration and collection needed in the pattern.  When you breeze in the arena you want to sprint down the long sides of the arena, lean forward and kick and really ask for speed.  As you near the end of the arena, sit up straight and down in your saddle and lift your hands and ask for some collection to safely make the corner.  Then accelerate on the other side again.  Do three or four laps this way alternating acceleration and collection.  This mimics the two main pieces of barrel racing the sprint between the barrel (the acceleration) and the rate and turn (the collection).  More than anything know that each horse seasons at a different speed and some horses require more time and more ‘teaching’ to reach their maximum potential so keep working at it!!

DV, tell me how you got involved in Rodeo, did you come from a rodeo family?

My first rodeo was in Blanding UT, I begged my dad to go. He was working on a ranch there at the time.   I really only remember getting on the little ponies & the calves, I was the only one who could stay on the calves that day. It was several years later, that I got started in Oklahoma youth rodeo.

What made you decide to ride bareback horses?

I remember sitting in my Grandpas living room when I was 15 and seeing my 1st broadcast of the NFR. I decided that day that I wanted to be a bareback rider. And I guess it stuck, I was greatly influenced by one of my heroes & friends, Bruce Ford did an interview that day & won the round, and I was sold on BB riding from that day

Rodeo is a hard lifestyle, what do you consider the hardest part of being out on the road?

Ten years ago I would have a different answer to that. Today it’s the travel, staying at a health level where you can still be competitive at this level. While sitting in a vehicle for countless hours gets to tough.

Rodeo can also be very rewarding, what do you consider the most rewarding aspect of Rodeo?

The great friends & rodeo family that I have. And getting to see our awesome country on a daily basis

Your career has been phenomenal so far; please tell us about some of your career highlights?

There are so many, that are very memorable, in the arena I would have to say winning the round at the Thomas & Mack, Winning Reno, Cody. Winning St. Paul & Mollalla OR on the same day within an hour’s time was a lot of fun. Made for a happy Fourth of July.

Stay tuned, we have lots more to come from DV!