Rodeo Wives

At long last I have gotten myself back on track and am returning to OTRR once again. I hate to think about how long it took me to get this post written, but looking on the bright side I guess that means that there is plenty for me to update on! In fact I hardly know where to begin….

Photo credit to www.megfish.com

First and foremost (since it’s not really breaking news anymore, but extremely exciting non the less) Luke won his third world championship in 2011. Hooray!! It was a long year with a lot of ups and downs (fortunately a lot more ups than downs) and, as always, it all came down to the wire out in Vegas at the WNFR. WAY down to the wire. Like the 10th round!
 All total we end up being out there a full two weeks. And two weeks in Vegas begins to feel like two months pretty quick! Luke keeps a pretty packed schedule the whole time; between meetings, multiple daily autograph signings, horses, various other obligations, and heading to the rodeo about 3 hours before performance time, there isn’t much left over. He kind of has a routine, where he tries to get all the things he has to do out of the way early in the day so he has time to eat and maybe rest before heading out. We try to sneak in some time with him when we can, and stay out of his hair when we need to. Needless to say, our Vegas experience has changed drastically after having kids. It’s a lot of late nights and big days and certainly takes its toll on everyone. It’s tiring for me, so I can only imagine what it feels like to a 1 1/2 & 3 year old! But at the same time is such an incredible experience and so ridiculously exciting that you can’t complain. It doesn’t matter how many years Luke makes the finals, that first performance has an electric feel to it that is hard to explain. Cade absolutely LOVES watching the rodeo. He would sit through every minute of every single performance and never complain. Jameson…. not so much! In fact I should probably apologize to the people that sat in front of us for all the toys and popcorn and baby boots they took to the back of the head that week! I often think about all the months and miles spent just trying to make it there, and am always thankful to be back again.

Luke ended up having a really great finals; placing in 9 of the 10 rounds, and winning 2 rounds. The only round he really had trouble in was the 8th… and don’t think that didn’t almost give me a heart attack! It was the perfect reminder, in what had been a pretty calm and uneventful week, that things can go from great to really bad in a split second. Not that I needed the reminder, thank you very much! Luckily, despite a rather shakey run where he struggled to get his steer caught and thrown (and made his longest run of the week by far at 6.8) he stayed solid in the average which is absolutely paramount. It made the race all that much tighter heading into the last two rounds though and had me sweating bullets.  It was no longer about just being consistent, it was also about winning good in the rounds. Luke came back the next night (round 9) and split the round win with a 3.6 run; exactly what he had needed to do. For me that was probably one of the most exciting nights of the week.

I have to say that one of the things that has always amazed me about Luke, since we first met, is his ability to handle and perform under pressure. I won’t lie, I am not one of those people! I can guarantee that 100% of the time I am more nervous watching than Luke is competing. I think this is also one of the qualities that makes him so successful. He is consistently calm, collected, confident, and prepared. I think for people looking to be competitive in this industry that being mentally tough, is just as important as physical practice. Having been on that side of things myself at one time, my mental game was one thing I struggled with most and probably held me back in a lot of situations. I am not saying that Luke never struggles or fights his head but he maintains perspective, and doesn’t get caught up in it for long. These qualities are even more important in a high pressure situation like the finals obviously.
Going into the 10th round it was a race that was basically narrowed to 3 guys; Luke, Shawn Greenfield, and Jason Miller. Both of which are really outstanding bulldoggers, and Jason is one of Luke’s closest friends. In fact every guy in the top 15 is the best of the best and are there because of their talent and ability to win. Luke got to go last since he was sitting first going into that final round … trust me it never took so long to watch 14 guys bulldog! All three guys had a very legitimate shot at winning the average which plays a huge part in winning a world tittle. Both Jason and Shawn ended up breaking the barrier that last night, which left me a little stunned. Things like that happen every day in rodeo, and to every cowboy out there, but you never wish or anticipate for it to happen. I have to admit for a minute I panicked a little wondering what Luke would do now that the pressure he performs so well under was, well,  gone. All he had to do was make a clean run; the same thing he does day in and day out at home. He could afford to take a safe start and not rush his run, which is an unheard of luxury at the NFR! It took two lifetimes for him to nod his head and when he did and I saw the start he took I thought for a split second “oh my gosh… what happens if all 3 of them break out!!” (after 8 years of marriage, you would think I would know that playing it safe isn’t really Luke’s thing!). He didn’t make his fastest run of the week but placed in that last go-round, and won his second WNFR average tittle as well as securing his third World tittle that night. We were absolutely over the moon, and I am so so proud of him and all he has accomplished. Oh, and Jameson slept through the entire thing.

I have to absolutely give credit to every other guy there; they are immensely talented and deserve all the success they have found. Everyone of those guys works hard and sacrifices a lot to be able to compete at that level. Many of them have families that they have to spend a lot of time away from, and those families also work really hard to support these cowboys out chasing their dreams. I respect and admire each and everyone of them. I never feel like Luke deserves it any more than anyone else, each one of them works hard and pays their dues.
I also have to mention that Luke gives a huge amount of credit to Gunner, the horse he rode there, for a lot of his success. Gunner is owned by Jesse Peterson, and Luke has an incredible track record on him (he also rode him to his first world tittle in 2004). There were other great horses at the finals of course, but Gunner is pretty special and amazes me with his athleticism & consistency. We are very lucky to have him in our lives. All of these things are perfect examples of something that I believe, which is you do not make it to the top in rodeo by yourself; it takes support, help, guidance, encouragement, and generosity of countless people. We certainly have many, many people to thank; not only for these things, but also just for sharing such great memories and all the enthusiasm and joy others have showed Luke for his accomplishments. To have guys that you compete against all year long, show genuine happiness at your success is a really special thing, and makes me proud to have people like that to call friends.

As for 2012, things have stared out pretty slow. Luke has only been to 3 rodeos so far and hasn’t won a whole bunch. He has spent more time home this year thus far than I think he ever has half way through February. You know I could really get used to this! I can’t adequately express how much I appreciate the extra miles he racks up making special trips home. To see the way the boys faces light up when they see him walk in incomparable. He puts just as much effort into being an exceptional father and husband as he does a bulldogger, and that makes me really proud. I think that as the boys get a bit older we are both finding that it makes it harder for him to be gone like he has in past. It presents new sacrifices and challenges for each of us and all we can really do is take it day by day. I for one, am very excited to see where 2012 takes us!

Our 2011 Rodeo Year has wrapped up!!  With only circuit finals left for Alex we are looking forward to lots of family time this Fall at the homestead!!

This year was much crazier than past years since we added our daughter, Sophie Anne, to the mix.  Looking back over the last six months I am amazed at how easy motherhood turned out to be for me, at least this far.  The biggest trial so far has been parenting with a rodeo cowboy, sometimes with states in between us.  There were many times I felt like a single mother, a lot of nights spent with Alex on the road away from us.  I really can’t complain too much, for the most part it was harder for Alex to be away from his family than it was for me to be taking care of our daughter’s daily needs by myself.  Sophie Anne has, this far, been such an easy baby.   It has been wonderful that I am a stay at home mother, this gives us the opportunity to travel between home, Utah, and wherever Alex was at the time.  I can’t even imagine if both Alex and I competed in rodeos!  I have to give credit to those families that have both parents trying to make it as a rodeo cowboy/cowgirl.  For me, I think it is probably much easier for one of the parents to be more grounded, a stay at home parent.  I do not envy those families that spend the majority of their year out on the road as a family, living out of a trailer.  Before parenthood that was me, I went everywhere with Alex, and I did love every minute of it!  However, put a baby in the mix and for our family, we are probably more sane than we would be if Sophie Anne and I were constant travel partners for Alex! 

It has been a hectic last few weeks!  With a good 2nd place finish at Ellensburg WA.,  Alex jumped up in the Million Dollar Tour standings and was able to go compete in Puyallup WA. for the playoffs , he also jumped in the Columbia River Circuit standings.  Puyallup didn’t go as well as we had hoped, but a following rodeo gave Alex a small lead in the C.R.C., heading him into circuit finals in first place. 

Sophie Anne and I hit the road and met up with Alex in Pendleton.   Sophie Anne got to experience her first “Round Up”!  It is fun to take her to some of the World Famous Rodeos!

We are really excited for Fall and Winter and all of the Holidays.  Although Alex 2011 rodeo season has wrapped up, like many of you other rodeo families know, the 2012 season will be starting soon.  I am interested to see where some of the rodeos go for the 2012 season, and what changes will be made in the PRCA.  As for us,  plans for traveling partners, rodeo schedules, and when Sophie Anne and I plan to meet up with Alex on the road are well under way.  Of course, the plans will probably change a million times between now and then…….rodeo life can be so unpredictable!  You’ve got to LOVE IT!!!

Geesh, where did July go?! I know I sound like a broken record but yet again another busy busy month! Luke was in and out for a couple days after the 4th and then the boys and I made the trip up to Salinas to see him, which was a really great time. Cade is in heaven anytime there are that many cowboys in one place, and it it so amazing just to watch him go be ‘one of the guys’. The second half of July was fairly slow for Luke; he won a little up at Calgary, and also won pretty good at Nampa, ID, but I think that was about it …. I hope so at least because it would be embarrassing if I had forgotten something! There were some big rodeos this month, like Salinas and Cheyenne but Luke didn’t fair too well at either. Spyderman is slowly but surely on the mend and will hopefully be back in tip top shape for the final big rodeo run of the year up in the Northwest. I’m happy to report that everyone else seems to be healing up quite nicely as well!

But, you know, we aren’t just all baby boys and bulldoggers around here. Nope! There have been some pretty exciting additions to barrel horse side of our equine family this year as well, plus some more on the way. One of my favorite mares, whom is affectionately referred to as Lola, was sort of out of a job when we decided to have Jameson; so what better thing to do than for she and I to be pregnant at the same time (but thank goodness I was pregnant as long as she was)!

Lindsay and Lola Denver Stock Show

She has Special Effort on the top side, and Bugs Alive in 75 on the bottom, on her papers and we were fortunate enough to have had the chance to breed her to the late and absolutely amazing, Dash Ta Fame. She had a stud colt this spring, and he makes my toes tingle! I’m obviously totally biased but he’s a pretty special little guy. We call him Harvey (aka The Famous Harvey Wallbanger), and let me tell you, he just can’t grow up fast enough. I am positively itching to get my hands on him. We have now bred her back, and are expecting a fancy little Frenchman’s Guy foal late next spring.

Lola and Harvey

My dad also has a pretty nice little stable of young horses, roughly  between 2-5 years old, including a pretty cool little Streak of Fling futurity filly. I have a younger sister that runs barrels as well, and we joke all the time that there is going to be quite the rumble between the two of us over these horses when the time comes! Wanna take bets now?

July was very special because Jameson’s very first birthday was on the 15th. The boys and I went out to Prescott  to celebrate and spend some time with my family. We had a great party that was Seussically inspired, and of course great friends that came out to help celebrate.

My mom, all three of my beautiful sisters, and one VERY patient brother in law (who let me take over his house, and staple things to his ceiling) all pitched in to pull it together. I am constantly grateful for all the people I have in my life that do whatever they can to help when Luke is on the road.

 I am sure I would be a half crazy mess if it wasn’t for the love and graciousness of all these special people.  Of course there will be a whole lot more great pictures from Jamie’s party on the Facebook fan page for Bluebird Cotillion…. Which, as I write that, reminds me; the business underwent a bit of a name upgrade as you can see, in an effort to avoid any confusion in the future about who is who! With two parties on the books for August and some other really amazing opportunities coming our way, sounds like another busy month is upon us!

All Party Photos  Courtesy of Amanda Greenway Photography

Me, Sophie Anne, Alex, and our haze horse TJ at this year’s Spanish Fork Rodeo.

It’s crazy to think back to five years ago when Alex and I met. Besides both of us being human, I’m not sure we had much in common. Alex had lived away from his parents for a few years, had attended a community college in Walla Walla, WA.  He spent a couple of years living in Idaho, amateur and professionally rodeod, and was pretty happily set in his lifestyle of being an on the road cowboy.  As for me, I’d lived with my parents my entire life, had commuted to Provo, UT for Cosmetology school, and had stayed right there in my home county working three separate jobs, and playing city league sports.  Let’s just put it this way, after meeting Alex life for me changed dramatically!

We spent the first six months of our relationship texting and talking over the phone.  We had some outrageous cell phone bills!  We  were able to meet in person a couple of times in those first six months.  Once January rolled around we decided the relationship was worth pursuing more.  After that I started taking time off from my three jobs and flying out to whatever rodeo Alex was performing in at that time.  I eventually quit my jobs and relocated to Bend Oregon.  That was probably the biggest adjustment into Alex’s life for me.  Leaving behind my home town and my family.  However, Alex has always been so supportive of me going back and visiting my family, A LOT, that I really can’t complain.  Other than that we just needed time to adjust our personalities to be able to survive each other!  But then I’d say that goes for any couple trying to make it in this world!

I’ll never forget my first rodeo experience with Alex!  I met up with him in San Antonio, TX, the rodeo there is such a different type of production then my home town rodeo.  I was absolutely amazed!  To this day the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo remains one of my favorite rodeos to attend.  I remember being so excited, yet so out of place at the same time.  The rodeo world, like I’ve said before, is like one big family and it took me a while to be comfortable in it.  Once I got the hang of being a cowboy’s girlfriend, and later on a rodeo wife, I have come to enjoy the rodeo lifestyle and people a lot!
 
Everything I thought I knew about rodeo was either wrong or totally an understatement.  The rodeo lifestyle is pretty crazy at times.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to stay unemployed and travel with Alex.  The road trips have been far, long, tireing, and sometimes not a lot of down time in between.  I’ve got to drive all over, and I literally mean DRIVE ALL OVER, the Western United States, and got to see many wonderful beautiful places.  Not many people I know would complain about that!   As far as adjusting into Alex’s lifestyle, well that wasn’t hard, in many ways it was like taking a vacation, a long vacation.  Once we were married it got a little bit harder, dealing with home stuff like bills etc. from on the road.  But, like always where there is a will there is a way, and we’ve done what we could to keep Alex on the road rodeoing. 
 
Our new adventure is adjusting to the rodeo life with a baby!  Sophie Anne and I have went to all of the  July Utah rodeos we could get to to see Alex.  I do believe our little Sophie Anne is starting to enjoy the rodeos more and more, she now even wakes up to watch some of the performances!  Besides rodeos us girls have just been hanging out in Utah, soaking up all of the time we can with my family! Counting down until all of the North West rodeos this Fall.  Hopefully, we’ll soon get to experience some rodeo hauls as a family!

I can’t say there are many complaints about our rodeo life.  It does get hard at times, when we can’t be together as a family, but sometimes that is just life.  Overall I don’t think Alex or I would change a thing, and honestly why would we things have been pretty sweet since we met!

Well, June turned out to be such a busy month for us that I seemed to have missed it all together! It started out with one party, and ended with another … everyone loves a party right?! June 7th was Cade’s 3rd birthday; we had a huge party and such fun! Then on the 26th there was a post wedding brunch held at a gorgeous private ranch in Santa Ynez, styled and organized by Bluebird Productions … yours truly!

Photo Courtesy of Meg Fish Photography

It hosted over 160 guests, which made it the biggest party I have been solely responsible for, to date! The Hostess wanted it to have a western feel with a Mexican flair as those things hold a special significance to her and her family; and that I could do! I have to say that events of that scale can be a bit intimidating, but all things considered it went off amazingly well!  Of course it wasn’t without few bumps (some nights I still wake up in a sweat over the flowers..) but in the end I was so pleased with the final product. Thank goodness for my wonderful friends and mother who worked so hard helping me execute, which was no easy feat! We did all; from installation, to hand painted signs, custom built and branded wood boxes, horseshoe favors for every guest, all the flowers, and a lot of the food. Whew, I just got tired again thinking about it! I also felt very lucky to have been given the chance to be a part of such a beautiful, and special occasion as this.

Starting Bluebird Productions, has really been an amazing opportunity for me. Throwing parties, and helping others with them, has always been something I found a lot of joy in doing. I think I come by it honestly, I can still remember the parties my mom had for as kids; nothing short of amazing, and both my sisters have quite the knack themselves! So, to be provided with the chance to do so in a professional capacity now, has me feeling really blessed. There is a lot of pressure to deliver, knowing that each event I work on is a really special occasion to my client and that I am taking on the responsibility to convey all their happiness and make it memorable. I feel like I’m up to that challenge though, and it’s a dream come true to have found a viable way to express my creativity!

I have a website under construction, bluebirdeventstyling.com , and there should be a corresponding blog up in the next few weeks where you can keep up to date on all things Bluebird! I am also getting things rolling on our Facebook page; you can go here to “like” it to see lots more pictures from this and future parties! Now all I need is 7 extra hours in the day…

Wedding Photos Courtesy of Photography by Jeremy

June was also a pretty great month for Luke on the rodeo side of things. He won checks at Santa Maria, Central Point, Window Rock, Innisfail, and Reno. As you also saw from Heather Jo’s blog, he was fortunate enough to have won the Shootout they put on up there. I would like to thank them for all of the hard work they did to put on such a great event, I’m sure it’s a huge undertaking and I heard all great things about it! He won a very cool gun belt … maybe I can get him to pose for a picture (hehe!)
As June was winding down and the guys were all gearing up for their big run over the 4th, I hate to say it but things took a bit of a nose dive… Of course I had just said in my last entry how thankful we had been feeling for everyone’s health and good fortune, well I must have forgot to knock on wood cause it didn’t last long! First off, Spyderman just started having one problem after another which maddeningly was a total mystery. This threw a HUGE kink into Luke’s travel plans as he has been Luke’s main mount all year, and they had entered rodeos counting on him to be there. Sadly, they had to leave him at home so that our great vets could figure out just what was wrong. We still aren’t really sure, though things are looking up.

Then, not one, but two, of Luke’s traveling partners got hurt! Stan Branco partially tore his bicep and was told at Reno he would be out for 10 days. Luckily it wasn’t longer, but such a bummer to have to miss out on the big week they had anticipated. Poor Les Shepperson, broke his shin and damaged his knee at Reno, which has him sidelined for 6 weeks I believe. I just felt so bad for them both as they had both been having such a great year. Throw in a whole TON of truck trouble, a poor flag call at Reno, and I think Luke was wondering when lightening was going to strike.

It’s times like these when I think Luke’s amazing attitude really comes into play. If it had been me, I probably would have wanted to throw in the towel, but not Luke! He let it bother him for about 5 minutes and then he threw his energy into making a new game plan! It’s this resilience, and positive mind set that he maintains pretty much all the time. I admire it so much, and he has really taught me a thing or two about what it means to make the most of any situation. Just another reason to love him!

It makes me very, very happy to be able to report that despite all the chaos and last minute switch-a-roos he encountered, he pulled off a very good 4th of July rodeo run. He was able to win Greeley, and place at Livingston, St. Paul, and Cody. He says he thinks he won somewhere around $16,000 for the week. He pretty much always thinks he could have done better, but I’m very proud of him. Prorodeo.com standings show that he has just over $73,000 won for the year now. I have to mention also, that if it hadn’t been for Les and Stan sticking it out with Luke and pitching in he wouldn’t have made it through the week. Despite being hurt and unable to compete themselves they both drove rigs, got horses where they needed to be, and Luke rode Les’ two horses just about everywhere he went. I know Luke really appreciated it, and he is very lucky to have friends like that.

As Luke heads off to Calgary and beyond in the next few weeks, the boys and I will be going to Prescott (AZ) to spend some time with my family and celebrate Jameson’s 1st birthday!! Here’s to a month of big rodeos and big days! And hopefully much healthier cowboys! I’m going to knock on wood right now….

We successfully made it through another round of the Central Oregon Bulldogging Shootout!  It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work too.  I told Alex the night of the jackpot, when everything was winding done, that I was done, no more, I’d had enough!  It gets a little hectic and crazy for us that are behind the scenes, I literally about lost my mind.  Well so much for me being done with it, we are already brainstorming ideas for next year’s “Shootout”! 

 Heather Jo and the adorable Sophie Anne

 We were so happy with the way the “Shootout” turned out this year.  We had 32 contestants including Luke Branquinho this year’s champion, a few other NFR qualifiers, and lots of other great bulldoggers.  Our spectating crowd grew from last year’s and was probably much more rowdy too!  It was a lot of fun!  We were excited to have $3,100.00 added money, bringing the total money pot to around $9,000.00.  Which in turn makes a great pay out to the cowboys.  We all know that this time of year can be super expensive on the road, which makes winning at our jackpot a nice little bit of extra cash to get through the busy rodeo summer.  I have to give a shout out to all of our great sponsors.  The “Shootout” simply couldn’t exist with out them, just to name our top sponsors one more time, Robertson Ranch, John L. Scott Realty, Terry Kay Repair, and Pendleton Whisky!

Our “Shootout” was made up of two go-rounds, one 8-10 man short-go(winner takes all of $500.00), and of course the average.  First go-round winners were: 1st Luke Branquinho, 2nd Blake Knowles, 3rd Casey McMillen, and 4th Les Shepperson.  Second go-round winners were: 1st Travis Carnine, 2nd Brad McGilchrist, 3rd Dane Hanna, and 4th Blake Knowles.  The short-go round winner was Stan Branco.  Average winners were, 1st Luke Branquinho, 2nd Blake Knowles, 3rd Dane Hanna, and 4th Stan Branco, making our 2011 Central Oregon Bulldogging Shootout Champion Luke Branquinho!

A couple of the cowboys waiting for their turn to bulldogg at the “Shootout”.  Luke Branquinho the 2011 Central Oregon Bullodgging Shootout Champion is 2nd from the left. Photograph taken by Pilar Ash Photography

We also took advantage of our event in order to help raise money for Russ Weitl.  Cookies For Russ |http://cookies4russ.com/  It was a great opportunity for Alex and I, along with other cowboys and rodeo fans to give back to someone in need.  We were so thrilled with how our sponsors stepped up donating items to auction off on Russ’s behalf.  We were astounded by the generosity of the bidders, and were very excited to send off a check to Cookies for Russ for around $3,400.00.  It is so amazing how great the rodeo family and rodeo lovers can be!  Thanks again to all of you that attended our “Shootout” and opened up your hearts and pocket books for a bulldogger in need!  Once again, I am so overwhelmed with how amazing people can be!

Alex bulldogging with Casey McMillen as the hazer. Photograph taken by Pilar Ash Photography

After all the “Shootout” stuff, Alex, Sophie Anne, and I enjoyed a great weekend there in Central Oregon with both sides of our family.  My family came up from Utah to help with the “Shootout” and, of course, attend one of the greatest little rodeos in Sisters Oregon.  It was a lot of fun!
 
Then Miss Sophie Anne and I packed up and headed down to Utah with my parents.  WOW, I knew I’d be packing more with having a baby, but I had NO IDEA how much more.  I have to give it to all of you rodeo mom’s out there that lug around almost your entire house with you on the rodeo trail, just to take care of your kids.  Because, I swear I packed everything but the kitchen sink!    So far Utah has been a blast, I love spending time with all of my family, and it has been fun introducing Sophie Anne to all of them.  Our little miss Sophie Anne is coming up on 3 months old, and growing like a weed!  She is doing so good!  It’s the most amazing thing to be a parent and I think Alex and I love it more and more every day.  It’s been hard, so far, being away from Alex.  I’m sure he misses his li’l baby girl a lot, and maybe misses me a little too!  But, with as crazy as summer rodeoing gets, I’m glad to be a little more grounded by staying put in Utah.
 
As for Alex, well his rodeo plans got quite the bump in them.  One of his traveling partners for the summer, Casey McMillen, ended up getting a bad knee injury during the Sisters Oregon rodeo, and is out for a few months.  We hope for him to have a speedy recovery!  Although, that was one big hiccup in Alex’s rodeo plans he has adjusted and is still hitting the rodeo trail as hard as he can.  It has basically just started for him so not much to report on.  He placed at North Platte, NE, but was a little out of the money in Pleasant Grove UT.  His next rodeo is Reno, NV, hopefully he’ll throw down some good times for some money there.  Sophie Anne and I were able to attend Pleasant Grove while Alex was there and steal him away for the weekend.  It was great to get to celebrate his first Father’s Day with him!  You never know when rodeos will hit on “special days” so when you actually get to celebrate one with your cowboy it’s almost a miracle!  NOTE: Sophie Anne’s birth!! =)
 
As for the rest of the summer, well we’ll see what goes on.  We will be super busy with Alex on the road, and me and Sophie Anne sitting in the stands at all of the many Utah rodeos!! Once again I’d like to wish Alex, as well as all of the other cowboys, luck and safety through out this summer on the rodeo road!

If you missed our introduction of Lindsay please check it out here!

Well here we are, already at the end of May, which to me always seems kind of like the calm before the storm when it comes to rodeo life! The first, almost 6 months of the year are fairly slow as far as the number of rodeos Luke enters. Up until June 1st he goes to roughly 25 rodeos; the winter rodeos tend to be far from home for us, and long, drawn out events, that keep him away from home a lot. A lot of the winter rodeos offer big pay days if a guy can cash in, but it can be a long winter if you’re in a slump! The end of spring Luke gets to spend a lot more time at home since the rodeos are out our way; mostly just being gone for long weekend trips, and home during the week. Which of course is very nice for all of us! I always look forward to this time of year as it gives us a chance to be a somewhat of a  ‘normal’ family. But I also know it means that things are about to get REAL busy…..

Luke will go to between 70-75 rodeos a year (75 are allowed to count toward the world’s standings), so you can do the math there I’m sure! It means somewhere around 50 rodeos are packed into the next 4 months, before the season ends on September 30th. So while in the winter they would spend sometimes a week or more waiting around at one rodeo, in the fast paced summer months they will sometimes be at two (or more!) rodeos in one day. It’s not unusual for them to be at rodeos in different states (or countries for that matter) in one day. They often drive all night, have multiple rigs going, and fly to get to everywhere they have to be. And that right there is why I spend summer at home with the boys!

I feel very fortunate to be able to report that Luke has had a really great year so far. He is currently ranked number one in the world standings with just over $43,000 won. Going into the summer this really doesn’t mean a whole lot though… gosh even going into the 10th round of the Finals it doesn’t mean much (just ask him!). Rodeo is fickle and things can change at the drop of a hat, and there are a lot of really talented guys going down the road. Luke didn’t really have any major wins this year but he managed to win money at nearly 75% of the rodeos he entered, which is pretty amazing to me. This will also be the first full year in a long time that Luke will be his own horse at the majority of the rodeos. We got his black horse, Spyderman, last April and he has been pretty impressive thus far. A huge thank you to my Dad, who was the one that made Spyderman coming into our lives possible; it has been a huge factor in Luke’s success and we are really grateful! Luke’s traveling partners, Les Shepperson and Stan Branco, have both ridden Spyderman at some of the rodeos, and Luke has ridden Les’s great horse, Dillion, a few places also.  They are both off to a great start this year as well, and I hope they can all keep it up. It’s just so nice to see!

Here at home things are busy as always; we are gearing up for Cade’s 3rd birthday on June 7th, with a big extravaganza on the 5th. It has become tradition to have his party on the last Sunday of the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo because it always falls on, or right around, his birthday.  It’s is one the closest rodeos we have to being ‘hometown’. That means lots of cowboys to help celebrate… just the way Cade likes it! Jameson is growing up so fast, he’ll be one in July, and boy is he busy! I have just started up an event styling business, and summer is prime party season as well. I have a huge event coming up the end of June, and a few others in the works for this summer already also. Throw in two little boys, a husband who is about to embark on a three month rodeo whirl-wind, the launch of my business, and part time day job, and I’d say we are prepared for things to hit a fever pitch around here this summer!

We are very blessed that we have so many people around to pitch in, and that Luke and the horses have stayed happy and healthy this winter. It’s never lost on us that those aren’t things you can take for granted! With the recent outbreak of the EHV-1 virus, we are trying to be especially careful and are just watching closely to see where that goes. If we needed to, in order to keep the horses healthy, we would keep them home. As it is, Luke isn’t hauling them anywhere unnecessary, is limiting the other horses they come in contact with, and is temping them twice a day. Those horses are how he makes a living and he works hard to keep them in tip top shape; they’re a special part of our family. As of now, we haven’t heard of any PRCA rodeos being cancelled or postponed because of it, but we are definitely keeping up to date on all the latest news. I’m hoping for good luck, and good health for everyone else hauling horses down the rodeo road this summer!

Lindsay

*If you missed our introduction of Heather Jo please check it out here.

Life has been crazy here at the Robertson household.  After welcoming Sophie Anne to our family we’ve not only been transitioning into parenthood, but Alex has also been hitting the rodeo road a little.

Alex had planned his Spring rodeo schedule around my due date.  In fact, if anyone asked him when I was due it was always “after Clovis”, not an actual date! I’ve always found it quite funny how cowboys and cowgirls tend to mark their calendars by rodeos and not actual dates!  Which leaves me confused, since I still have not cemented in my mind when every rodeo is actually held, I’ve at least got the months down, kind of!  So after Sophie Anne arrived early, Alex headed off to Red Bluff, CA the following weekend, and then Clovis, CA the next, since he had entered them both prior to us having our baby.  Luckily, both rodeos were only weekend trips for Alex and his crew.  Unfortunately Alex’s Winter/Spring rodeoing didn’t go as good as we wanted, but we are looking forward to the Summer rodeos.

Alex has switched into a new traveling group for the Summer, hoping a little change will get the “winning” ball rolling.  With his new group he will also have access to riding some different bulldogging horses.  Sometimes, as many of you rodeo folks know, in any event, the mount your using can make all of the difference with your performance.

With Alex’s new traveling group being larger, and fuel prices higher, Sophie Anne and I wont be hitting the road with him much this Summer.  Luckily, since I am originally from Utah and my parents still live there, we will be spending the Summer there.  Which will be great since there are so many great Utah rodeos during the Summer!  So Sophie Anne and I will travel to rodeos close by my parent’s house to support Alex.  It will be fun, but also interesting to be bringing along our new daughter!

Our Spring, well entire first part of the year,  is very full with getting ready for our annual jackpot that we hold here at Alex’s parent’s ranch, Robertson Ranch.  Alex Sr. and Fran are awesome and let Alex and I use the ranch to put on “The Central Oregon Bulldogging Shootout”! A lot of work goes into the jackpot each year, especially because we not only try to bring in the top cowboys to compete, but also try to sell the event as a “spectator’s event”.

For most of April and May we’ve been knee deep in gathering and finalizing sponsors for the event.  Also, working on advertising the jackpot to the cowboys, as well as the public.  We are currently in the process of printing out T-shirts for contestants and to sell to the crowd that show up to enjoy the event.  It’s been pretty busy between our new baby, Alex’s ranch work, and trying to finish off any other business for the jackpot that we can before the date of the event.  Luckily, we have help from family and a few local PRCA cowboys.  We are really exited for the sponsors we have rounded up, some of the big ones being, Robertson Ranch (of course), John L. Scott Realty, Pendleton Whisky, and Terry Kay Repair.

A little information on the jackpot…. We hold the jackpot the Wednesday right before the Sister’s OR Rodeo each year.  This year the date falls on Wed. June 8th.

Although we love hosting/putting on the jackpot it is A LOT of work, especially with a new baby!

As far as on a personal note, Alex and I are loving being parents.  Sophie Anne has been the best baby in the World.  Parenthood is exactly what we expected, and at the same time far from.  It is crazy how time flies by, Sophie Anne is over a month old already and growing so fast, we are just trying to enjoy and take in every minute of it.  I am very happy that it is a slow time of the year for Alex and his rodeoing, so he can be home more with his family while Sophie Anne is still a “newborn”. 

We are looking forward to the Summer, Alex rodeoing, and me and Sophie Anne spending time in Utah with my family.  The Summer has so many great rodeos, I am excited to attend as many as me and Sophie Anne can!  Good luck to all of the cowboys and cowgirls through the Summer!

Alex’s highlights of rodeo career:

1998 Oregon High School Rodeo State Champion
Joined NPRA in 1999, rodeoed as an Amateur on and off since ’99, won countless amateur rodeos
2000 bought permit for PRCA
2000 won Coulee City WA
2000 won  St. Paul OR
2001 joined PRCA as member
2002 won Sublimity OR
2004 won Coalville WA
2004 Columbia River Circuit Finals Average Champion
2005 DNCFR qualifier
2005 won Farm City Pro Rodeo, Hermiston OR
2006 won Sublimity OR
2009 won Poway CA
2010 won Prineville OR
2010 won Springville CA
2010 won Salinas CA
2010 won 2 rounds at the All American Finals in Waco TX
7 time Columbia River Circuit Finals qualifier

Heather Jo, tell us how you became a rodeo wife and if you were involved in rodeo before you married Alex?

Alex and I met at my local gym in Nephi, Utah in July 2006. He was in town for our Ute Stampede Rodeo. He and his traveling partners came in for a morning workout. Lucky for him I was working that morning! Alex and I started texting and calling each other not to long after that. In 2007 I moved to Bend, Oregon, where he lived, and in November 2008 we were married. The extent of rodeos in my life before meeting Alex was attending the Ute Stampede yearly, and that was it.

How many miles do you and Alex log a year?

The best answer for this question would be, TOO MANY!

How often do you go to the rodeos and do you stay more local or make the long hauls as well?

Alex and I try to stay together as much as possible. The last couple of years he has rodeoed hard, so has been gone A LOT. Unless I have things going on at home or in Utah, I typically am on the road with Alex. We are expecting our first child this coming April, so next year I’m sure will be different. Less traveling for me, but me and the baby will still try to get to as many rodeos as possible.

ETA: Heather Jo and Alex welcomed Sophie Anne Robertson on April 8th.

What does it take to get the rig ready to leave?

It can be a lot or a little, depending on the length of the trip. It basically is like getting ready to go camping. Clean the trailer, pack the bedding, clothes, and all of the other essentials. The hardest is probably when we hit the road for a couple months at a time, it feels like we pack the entire house. Then, of course, there is all the stuff that Alex takes care of. Loading the hay, grain, shavings, horse tack, and checking the trailer’s water and propane. It can all be a headache.

What stresses do you have being a rodeo wife?

I think I stressed a lot more when I was newer to the rodeo world. Now it’s just normal life to me. But, I am a big worrier, sometimes the guys will go days with little sleep and cover thousands of miles. I probably stress the most then.

Tell us what your life is like while Alex is out on the Rodeo Road?

I am pretty lucky! If Alex is on the road and I’m not with him, I usually am on a quick trip home to take care of some things, or I am in Utah visiting with my family. Then back on the road with him! The few times I have stayed behind when he has hit the road it can get hard. We are lucky we live in the time with so many ways to communicate, cell phones, emails, etc, it’s easier to be together when really apart. I remind myself, when I am home and he is on the road, that he’s on a business trip, many families deal with that inside and outside of the rodeo world. You just learn to cope, and countdown till either he gets home, or I fly out to meet him somewhere.

How does life change when Alex doesn’t perform well?

Alex and I just try to take it one rodeo at a time. In Steer Wrestling there are so many things that can go wrong that are out of Alex’s control. We just focus on improving what’s in his control, and taking that to the next rodeo. Every athlete deals with losses, you just go on!

What is your role as the motivator or do you both motivate each other?

I think we both motivate each other to stay positive no matter what. My biggest job is to support Alex through his good and bad performances.

Being a rodeo wife, what are some of the new adventures you have faced in this lifestyle?

Rodeoing is totally different from a 9-5 job, even for the families of the cowboys. We travel all over the states looking for the next check to win, and have a lot of fun doing it. Every rodeo is a new adventure. Some of the best rodeos are places that most people wouldn’t pick out on a map to take a vacation to, we are lucky to get to go experience them.

Tell me a pet peeve you have about your role as the rodeo wife?

Videotaping!!! In my life, the wife’s first duty at a rodeo is videoing the runs. I’ve taped almost every time I’ve been to a rodeo with Alex since we met. It is pretty important for him and his traveling partners to be able to watch, critique, and learn from their performances. It might be a good thing to keep me from being nervous when it’s Alex’s turn, but, half of the time I couldn’t tell you what Alex’s time was two seconds after he gets up off the dirt from throwing down his steer.

Luke’s Bio: 

Born: Sept. 17, 1980 (Santa Maria, CA)
Residence: Los Alamos, CA
Joined PRCA: 2000
World Titles Won: 2 (2004, 2008)
Wrangler NFR Qualifications: 9 (2001-04, 2006-11)
Tour Finale Titles: 3 (Pace Chute-out: 2004; Summer Tour Finale (Omaha) 2008-09)
Tour Finale Qualifications: 17
Pace Chute-out: 2002, 2004, 2006
Caldwell Round: 2007-08 Puyallup Round: 2007-09 Omaha Tour Finale: 2002, 2004, 2007-09
Championship: 2004, 2006-08
Career Earnings: $1,558,269
PRCA Overall and Steer wrestling Resistol Rookie of the Year, 2000.
2 times Dodge National Circuit Finals Champion 2009-2010

Lindsay, tell us how you became a rodeo wife and if you were involved in rodeo before you married Luke?
I have been involved in rodeo my whole life; I grew up going to Jr., high school, college, and then professional rodeos. I left college in 2003 in order to pro rodeo full time, and it was that spring that some mutual friends I was staying with at the time introduced me and Luke. We met at the Turlock, Ca rodeo and started dating later that fall. Exactly one year, to the weekend we met, we were engaged and married in November 2004. Time flys!

How many miles do you and Luke log a year?

Since having kids, I don’t travel much with Luke anymore. We will fly some places and meet up with him, and maybe travel with him for a week or two. Luckily, in the spring a lot of his rodeos are out here in CA. so he is home in between, or we can go for the weekend with him. The majority of his traveling is done with a trailer full of guys, so you can imagine that there isn’t much room left over! Luke estimates that he logs easily close to 70,000 miles a year driving, plus probably another 60k flying.

How often do you go to the rodeos and do you stay more local or make the long hauls as well?

It seems like there are a few particular rodeos we try to go to with him every year. Some of the bigger ones, or times when he knows he will be in one spot for a few days. Then when the rodeos are closer to home, like I had said, we will go for the weekend. I try to get out to Arizona to see my family when I can, so we try to plan those visits around times when there are rodeos out there; like Tucson, and of course Prescott where my I was born and raised.

What does it take to get the rig ready to leave?

Well, because we don’t travel with him full time, there isn’t much I have to do to get him ready to go! He spends the week or so before he leaves getting everything cleaned out and stocked up; things he needs for his horses, his clothes, groceries, etc. If anything I will just run around town and pick up whatever he needs.

What stresses do you have being a rodeo wife?

I feel like I have pretty much the same stresses as any other wife, and mother. You are always going to worry about your family, and it’s no different for me. It can be stressful sometimes trying to meet every ones needs, I have two little boys who need a mom, miss their daddy, and have a ton of energy! Luke needs a wife who is behind him 100% too.

Fortunately Luke’s event isn’t one of the more dangerous ones, and of course I always pray he stays healthy but if he were going to get hurt chances are it won’t be life threatening, like say, a bullrider…. I probably couldn’t do that! I worry most about all the traveling he does, that is the most dangerous part of his job.

Tell us what your life is like while Luke is out on the Rodeo Road?

Busy! My life is very busy! We have a son, Cade who is 2 1/2, and a 6 month old, Jameson. Any parent knows how much work is involved in raising kids, so when Luke is gone, it is that times two. It can become trying at times, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed if I begin to think of it in terms of another whole rodeo year, or how many months left until he is home again; so I remind myself to take it one day at a time and that keeps me feeling like I can do it.

It can be a juggling act sometimes, I work a couple days a week and my days are usually pretty long but I feel like I do what every other parent does, and that is to make sure you are doing everything you can for your children. Of course there is a lot of sacrifice at comes with having a husband that rodeos full time, but when I stop and think about what Luke has to give up being gone _____of the year, it puts it in perspective for me. He sacrifices a lot to be able to support us the way he does, he is the one who doesn’t get to put the kids to bed every night, and he is the one who doesn’t get to hear all the cute things they say every day. We make a good team because he probably couldn’t do what I do, and there is no way I could do what he does. It can be hard missing him so much, but we have a strong relationship, and we always find a way to make it work because ultimately our family is what is most important to both of us. I am really blessed to have a husband that works as hard for his family as mine does.

How does life change when Luke doesn’t perform well?

You know, luckily, not a whole lot. Having sponsors like he does helps, so we aren’t completely dependent on what he wins or doesn’t, and we are so fortunate that there haven’t been many times where he has gone too long without winning. I would say that actually the biggest challenge when he is going through a dry spell is the mental aspect of it; making sure that he doesn’t let him get him down and get stuck in that rut because that is easy to let that happen. It’s a long year and you can be your worst enemy if you start playing those mind games on yourself. I’ve been there! I’m his biggest fan and I try to remind him of just how great I think he is when things get like that.

What is your role as the motivator or do you both motivate each other?

I do think we motivate each other, but Luke is also a highly self-motivated person which I think is part of his success! I also think a lot of Luke’s motivation comes from his desire to support his family. I think more than motivation I just try to encourage and support him in his decisions and the every day grind of it all. It’s important that he know how proud we are of him for what he is doing, and I don’t mean because of what he wins. It motivates me also just to see what he is out there accomplishing; seeing someone living their dreams is a huge motivation for me to try my hardest to do the same.

Being a rodeo wife, what are some of the new adventures you have faced in this lifestyle?

Everyday is an adventure around here! Seriously though, I guess mostly you just have to learn to be very independent, and creative in getting tasks done when you’re at home and your husband is on the road as much as mine. You don’t realize how many things you don’t really know how to do on your own until you have to! Like putting the babies crib together 8 months pregnant, moving alone, and trying to travel long distances with two babies to go see your husband….. definitely adventurous!!

Tell me a pet peeve you have about being a rodeo wife?

This is a hard one for me; I don’t know that I really have a pet peeve about being a rodeo wife. I guess maybe just the people I run into that don’t know or understand the lifestyle we live and they make judgments about our situation not really knowing. I can’t say I blame them though, I can see how it would sound a little crazy to someone who didn’t know anything about it. In fact that is one thing that I think has helped make our marriage a success; that I was raised around rodeo and did it myself, so I know what it’s like when your out there and how much work it takes.

We have two boys Cade who is 2 1/2 and Jameson who is 6 months. They are amazing, Luke and Cade absolutely adore each other of course! Jameson was due July 8th (only the busiest time of year!) so Luke spent the last half of June and half of July flying in and out after every rodeo. Jameson finally came on July 15th and about 4 hours after he was born Luke had to leave to be at Salinas slack and then Calgary the next day.

Be sure and check back to hear more from Rodeo Wife Lindsay Branquinho!!