Rodeo Updates
Tracey Goodman… The run that broke my heart..
Tracey Goodman at Fort Smith
Philadelphia, Ms. PRCA July 25
Well, well, well…this is the rodeo that will go down in the history books as “The run that broke my heart”. It can be considered my 2nd favorite rodeo, being a close second to Memphis. The past two years we have ran here he has placed. First year we brought home a 3rd place check and the 2nd year we were 2nd. He absolutely LOVES this pen, the ground, the crowd, everything about it. The weather was getting a little scary to us as it was raining and lightning and even though it rained a good bit, it didn’t hurt the ground at all. It maybe even made it a little better than it was the night before. Biscuit stood in the trailer so he could dry out some. We did our normal little “pre-game” routine, saddled and warmed up. It’s can chasing time now!! When they cranked up the music, I had to step off of him to keep him somewhat quiet. He gets to “dancing” a little too early and he needs to save up his energy! As he is running circles around me, they are getting closer and closer to us. So I find a few horses that are tied to the fence at the end of the run out, squeeze him in between them and a trailer and get on. It’s normally an act of Congress to get back on him after he is so fired up. Even someone holding him doesn’t help! I get on and head to make a run. I was feeling so good about this run. The times were stacking up on each other and the lead had already changed in our perf from the night before. He walks towards the arena quietly, then starts his crow hopping as we get closer and then he leaps, all four feet off the ground and takes off. I sent him in the arena harder than usual. He got past the 1st a good bit but was really working hard. He rolls back on the 1st as if he knows he has to make up some time. Leaving it, he barely catches it with his hip! I had moved my leg to try to avoid hitting it but it didn’t matter. The rest of the run was beautiful. I was heartbroken but there is always next time!
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Tracey Goodman…. Rodeo on a baseball field.
Tracey Goodman at Fort Smith
Caraway, Ar. IPRA. July 3rd.
This was the first time we have ever been to this “arena”. Although you can’t really call it an arena seeing as how it’s on a baseball diamond! 
You can look at it like this…the 1st and 2nd barrel is running OVER the pitchers mound! The ground was good considering this is the same place where the boys slide into home plate. A 14.9 was winning it from the night before by Heather Moore. Biscuit had been on top of his game at Searcy, Ar.’s great Lucky Dog Barrel Race the day before. Friday at Searcy we pulled 5th in the 1D out 260 horses and my mare had ran good too. We were all feeling good, a little worn out but ready to rock and roll. As soon as we got to the rodeo, I saddled up and headed up to the pen because we had to park a long ways from there. A nice little warm up and taking it easy, they call our name. Biscuit does his same little “dance” where he scares most of the spectators and then I send him down the alley way to do his job. He laid down a really nice run that ended in us placing 3rd with a 15.1. I was very pleased with the whole weekend! It’s so nice to be able to step up on a horse that I feel confident he is gonna work for me every trip!
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Tana Poppino…Rodeo Life can be a Roller Coaster
July 27, 2010 – Rodeo, like life, can be like a roller coaster. Up one
day and down the next. Everything looked great on the 4th. Then the bottom
fell out. A good friend of ours was killed in a car wreck, and a trip to
the vet revealed that Amigo needs the rest of the summer off. The only good
news was that we found that Goose’s stifles were sore, so we treated
those, and he needed several days off. I flew home for the funeral.
Horses are one thing, and they are a very important part of my life and
job, but losing a good man is another thing. Whitney Marlon was my
husband’s right-hand man at Cowboy Rigs, a good friend, and most
importantly, a husband and father of four. He will be greatly missed.
I flew back to Cheyenne where my good friends, Brandie and Shawn Halls,
have been graciously taking care of my horses. I jumped in the trailer with
Jeanne and Brenda Mays and headed out to Nampa. I worked Goose when we got
there and he worked great. Maybe things were back on track.
The next morning, Goose took the wind out of my sails and ducked the second
barrel. We drove all day to Cheyenne where we ran twice the next day in
slack. He ducked again the first run. Our other run was really ugly. No
time to lose, we drove back to Salt Lake and Spanish Fork. Back to the
practice pen for me and Goose. Things seemed to be better.
We ran in the perf at Salt Lake where Goose jumped the second barrel. The
bright spot, I figured was that I managed to keep him on the right side of
the barrel. At least that’s what I told myself. No time to worry, we
jumped in the truck and raced to Spanish Fork to run in the slack after the
perf. Making it just in time, Brenda and Jeanne were placing. Our run was
better, but not up to par.
The last few days, Jeanne and Brandie have been helping me get my act back
together. Life, no matter what goes on, comes back to good friends and how
much they mean to us.
Great friends don’t let you stay down, they pick you up, dust you
off, kick you in the butt, and help you get back on track. I thank God for
putting awesome friends in my life.
It’s off to Deadwood to watch Marty, my husband, rope. It will be
nice to get to spend a couple of days with him. It gets lonely on the road
when you are away from your family.
Tana Poppino
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Spencer Turner.. Checks in with a Rodeo Update.
Hello Rodeo Fans!
Date, Rodeo Name and Location
Last Friday I went to a rodeo in Ottawa, KS
Which horse did you draw?
I drew a horse branded H9
Stock Contractor?
The contractor in Ottawa was Grand River Rodeo Company out of Grand River, Iowa
How was your horse in the chute?
Well I knew he wasn’t going to be good, after guys asked me what I had drawn, they all made sure to tell me to tie him in…
So I took their advice and tied him in the chute, he didn’t give me too much trouble, but he did test the rope a little.
Did you learn about the horse before hand?
I have seen the horse over the years but have never been on him nor have I really paid attention to him a lot. It’s been awhile since I have been to any Grand River Rodeos. I made some calls to a buddy who I know has been on him, and he told me what to expect and what kind of rein to give him. He said that he has a couple of trips, one is outstanding and bucks good around a big circle to the right, the other isn’t good and is around to the left.
Tell us about your ride, did you feel strong, did the horse perform the way you thought it would?
The horse did rear out of the chute and kind of hit me on the gate post, then he went back into the chute and bucked a couple times, then ran me down the gate. After all that, he bucked OK, for a couple jumps, until he came to the fence. I felt good on him, considering I haven’t been on a bronc in awhile. After he came off the fence he wasn’t that good. He covered a lot of ground and was long and fast and didn’t buck, it was more of a run buck. I did spur him pretty good though, considering he wasn’t bucking that good. Before the rodeo I was going through my gear (which I haven’t done since I rode last, a couple months ago) and I realized that I hadn’t repaired my spur since the last bronc ride where the horse threw a fit in the box and smashed my boot and bent my spur into a pretzel. I made some calls to guys I knew where at the rodeo who where Farriers, who I might have their horseshoeing tools, like hammer and anvil, which I could fix my spur. I had no luck with that. While I was making calls, my buddy Roy reached into his gear bag and said “well I have these new ones if you want to try them”. They were a different style bronc spur with a different shape. A friend of ours makes them, and a couple of the top PRCA cowboys have been riding them. Roy has had them for a couple weeks but hadn’t rode them yet cause he wasn’t sure about them. So I didn’t have much choice and I figured, why not. They worked well and I really liked how they felt. When I got home I ordered a pair. They felt good even though the horse wasn’t bucking all that well. He didn’t buck well and I did ask for a reride, but the judges declined. It was extremely hot all day there and the heat index was around 112 degrees, and there wasn’t much wind where we were to cool things down that evening. None of the horses really bucked liked they usually do. Sometimes I don’t understand why things happen but I know that the Lord has plans for everything. I wanted a reride and was declined but I still placed 3rd and won some money. So it all worked out in the end.
Comments about the rodeo? Committee, hospitality, etc.
I have been to this rodeo several times over the years and have done good there. The committee is nice and have provided food for us, and in years past they have given out Jackets or Buckles to the winners.
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Spencer Turner….I just had on one boot
Hello Rodeo Fans!
On June 4th I went to the IPRA rodeo in Altenburg, MO. I have been there a couple of years ago, the committee is really great and have a good hospitality tent for the contestants, the added money is good, and they hand out custom wooden clocks to the event winners which are really nice and unique awards.
I didn’t know what horse I had until I got to the rodeo, but I know that Mark Johnson and Universal Rodeos have good horses and anyone can win on just about any horse or bull they have. I drew up on a horse branded 395 and called Velvet Revolver. None of the cowboys at this rodeo had ever seen this horse buck. I ask Mark and his hired hands and they said that she was a sister to Captain Buck (a bareback horse that has been to Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Vegas and the International Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, and a horse that if the bareback rider rides he usually places or wins). I was excited to hear that. They said she bucks pretty good and takes a little more than average rein.
When they loaded her in the chutes she stood fine while I saddled her, then something got to her and she came unglued in the chute and threw a fit. We got her calmed down and I climbed on. She was leaning on me pretty good but I just kept trying to move her around so I could get my stirrups on my feet. Right before I nodded my head she laid down in the chute. I stayed on her for a little bit hoping she would stand up. I did this for two reasons.. one, I didn’t want to get out and start all over and if she stood up I would be ready and call for the gate.. and the second reason I didn’t get off of her was because she had my foot pinned underneath her and leg pinned against the chute. After a bit of trying to get her to stand up, I gave in and climbed up and off of her, but in this process I had to pull my leg out and my boot stayed pinned underneath her. We got her standing and rolled her up a chute, (all the while I just had on one boot). After we got her rolled up a chute and got her tied in, I went after my boot. She had stepped all over it and had bent my spur. I didnt have time to fix it and just went on with my business. They let her stand for a while and they bucked the rest of the horses and that gave me time to repull my saddle and check thing out after the fit she threw. When it was my turn again, I climbed in and got my stirrups, she was trying to lean again but with the help of fellow cowboys I got her standing straight and called for the gate, She came out real wild and crashed in to the gate. She took a stride or so then blew up and jumped straight in the air real high, kinda western looking. She then kept jumping high like that all the way across the arena. I was spurring her pretty good with the left foot but the right one was having a little problem. When she had that first big blow up jump, It was what we call an empty jump, and that jump got my right foot a little loose in the stirrup, so the whole ride my right stirrup was at the very, very end of my foot (and if a stirrup comes off the foot it is a disqualification). I was still spurring with my right foot but not as good as with m left. The horse was really flinging her head around too. The ride was real western and a crowd pleaser. The horse was getting real high in the air and flinging her head around but wasn’t really kicking out, the judges saw this and it reflected in my score along with my stirrup almost coming off so I only scored a 73. I didn’t win anything, but was pleased with the way I rode for the most part and I had a lot of fun, and as I like to say about things and just life in general..”if you aren’t having fun it’s your own fault”. I Hung out with my buddies at the rodeo until it was over but as soon as it was over I jumped in the jeep and headed north. I had a weekend planned at Church Camp of fishing, camping, family time and Worshiping! Until Next time God Bless and be careful on the rodeo road!
Posted in Rodeo Updates, Spencer Turner
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Spencer Turner…. If Rodeo was like Golf..
Hello Rodeo Fans!
I’m a little behind on the updates, and I apologize for that. Friday May 28th I went to the PRCA Rodeo in Braham, Minnesota. I have been here before and I did good and won some money and really enjoyed the crowd and rodeo, so I was looking forward to heading up there. I had drew up on a horse branded 4E3 and named Edmenton from Barnes Rodeo Company from Cherokee, Iowa.
I made a few calls and found out the scoop on the horse. Wade Sundell told me that he had been on him before a couple times and hadn’t ever got him rode and he didn’t think that he had ever been rode. He said that he took a ton of rein, he said that he took the rein at the cantle of the saddle and it worked fine the last time he got on him, he did get bucked off right at the buzzer but the rein felt good, the horse was just extremely bucky and kept getting stronger as the ride went. In case you don’t know, that is a LOT of rein to give a horse from the start. Most horses take it closer to the swells of the saddle or a little past. Wade mentioned that a lot of cowboys call him and ask him about that horse, and he always tells them that they should take the rein at the cantle. Nobody that has called him has ever taken his advice, and everybody he has talked to has bucked off. That is a lot of rein to give a horse, but the horse must really put his head on the ground and almost in between his front legs, so I thought that I would go ahead and take the rein at the cantle. What’s the worst that could happen, I get bucked off like everybody else haha.
At the rodeo I talked to a few guys about the horse and everybody pretty much agreed that he really really bucked. I did find out that one guy had ridden him, it wasn’t pretty and the guy didn’t spur, and just kinda hung on for 8 seconds. He was kind of a bigger horse for the pen of horses that was there. He acted up a little bit in the chutes so I had Bo Casper tie him in for me. The whole time i was saddling him and waiting my turn, I kept thinking about the rein measurement I was going to give him. I wanted to listen to Wade, but then again I knew that taking the rein at the cantle was a big risk and nobody else seemed to think that I should do it. Well, it is now my turn to go, so I made the executive decision to take the rein at the cantle and take my chances.
As I climb in the chute and put my feet in the stirrups, the horse started leaning on me. I moved him around until he stood up and I could nod my head. When I called for the gate and it flew open the horse put his head on the ground and proceeded to come out of the chute backwards. He got bound up in the front of the chute and was trying to buck but had nowhere to go, he turned out backwards and hit his head on the back of the chute and then hipped himself on the way out, causing him to almost fall down. There really wasn’t much I could do but just hang on while he was doing all of that stuff. After he gathered himself up and started bucking, I then realized that I was pretty much in the wrong place to start a good ride. He was extremely bucky and didn’t give me a chance to catch up. He was kicking way over his head and way past vertical. He was kicking so hard and high that he was almost coming completely over frontwards. Like I said I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was trying to play catch up, and when a horse bucks that hard it makes it difficult to do so. I tried for a few jumps but was just not working. He bucked me off pretty good like. The jump that I got bucked off on, He bucked so hard and high and almost came over frontwards that he had to walk on his front feet to keep from flipping over frontwards I got bucked off so hard, and when I did, My foot hung in the stirrup for just a split second but long enough to jerk me face down in the dirt. The first thing to hit was my nose and then the rest of my face, then my legs and bottom felt like the hit me in the back of the head (of course they didn’t but that’s what it felt like, it felt like I got folded up backwards and face first haha). When I got up, I couldn’t help but laugh cause I had a face full of dirt and my hat was bent straight up in the front. My nose is now a little crooked. I hit hard, I haven’t hit the ground that hard in over a decade. If rodeo was like golf, then I would have had to replace the divot I left with my face haha.
I didn’t really get a fair start on that horse and wish things would have started better but that’s rodeo. Next time I think that I would still give him that much rein. I didn’t really get to see how the rein felt but by the way he was bucking I think that it would be fine. I was a little sore and beat up but I can laugh at it because I know that everything will work out because The Lord has plans for everything and He is in control. And besides its hard not to laugh at a guy with a face full of dirt and a hat bent completely straight up in the front, even if it is me .
Posted in Rodeo Updates, Spencer Turner
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Amber Mostoller….MAY 29-30th * "THAT'S RODEO"
CCRRAAZZYY extra long weekend…where do I start? (HHMM Thinking…Thinking lol) OK So this weekend I had a new traveling partner with me (Susan Cragar) and a new horse in the trailer (Odessa Be Nimble aka Cowgirl). I had been quietly looking for a new horse for Susan since February and when my good friend Jodi Stuenhrenberg called and told me she had decided to sell her good mare Cowgirl, I knew that the possibilities of that match up could be great. I got the details worked out with Jodi and she dropped the mare off at my place the day before I was supposed to leave. Susan and I were entered in Rome, GA & Waco, GA in the same day on May 29th and luckily we found trades to run in the slack at Waco so we could possibly make both of them. I headed to TN Friday so that Susan could make a practice run on Cowgirl and get “aquainted” with her before the big day Saturday. The “practice” run did not go as expected at all and I ended up getting on her and after about 30 minutes of “what in the heck is wrong with you” I decided that it was time to stop for the night and regroup in the morning. After breakfast we went down to the barn to ride and I decided to put a hackamore on Cowgirl and she was immediately a different horse and worked AWESOME. wwhheeewww What a relief…Susan and I got packed and headed down the rodeo road, not before stopping for fuel though and cleaning out the gas station of every junk food made and I hooked Susan up with some “Focus” drink When we got to the rodeo we sweet talked the guys into letting us park up by the entrance so we could get out easily and no be blocked in anywhere where we might get stuck. You could tell from the night before that people had been getting stuck and it looked like it may rain again. When we went up to pay our fees we were pretty entertained by the fence that was dragging behind a 4 wheeler to umm level out the arena (I guess that was the goal there) and we also found out that they had decided to start the rodeo a half hour later than advertised 
NOT GOOD if we were gonna make Waco. So last weekend if you all remember I had tried to become a professional singer lol…well this weekend it was ROCK CLIMBER!! They had one of those rock walls there and I decided to try and climb it. I went up the easy side to practice and then there is a hard side that you can pay $10 to go up and if you make it to the top and hit this little buzzer (which he did not tell me about the little buzzer before I went up the wall) you get $100 back!! So anyway I start up the hard side and was actually very greatful I had just got my nails done b/c I used them to help pry my fingers between the wall and the little nub things they considering hand holds. I made it to the top and jumped for the red thing (the buzzer was located inside of it) and then fell off the wall lol. It was definitley a work out but alot of fun. Who knows professional rock climber may be in my future haha. ANYWAY back to rodeo stuff….Susan and I got saddled up for grand entry and while she was saddling Cowgirl noticed that she was REALLY swollen underneath..she had been bit by something and it looked HORRIBLE. We touched all over it and Cowgirl was not swollen or sore so I had her ride her around to see if affected her at. She looked good in grand entry moving so I said to go for it. It started raining after grand entry (GOODY) and the rodeo just seemed to take forever. I had someone at Waco calling to give me updates and it was pretty apparent that there was NO WAY we were making it over there in time to run. This rodeo was kind of a family affair for Susan as both of her boys Josh (Bareback Rider) and Preston (Calf Roper & Steer Wrestler) were entered. So as we watched the other events we noticed the ground getting VERY slick. Horses were sliding everywhere and I immediatly had a flash back to Chapel Hill the weekend before. Susan and I were down in the running order so luckily we could watch. As the barrels started the ground seemed to be holding really good so we decided to run and I tried to get into my “Eye of the Tiger” running mode Chunky went in HARD and I grabbed him a little soon at the first, so we rubbed it going in and made our pocket on the outside of the barrel. He got over good for the 2nd, turned it hard…and we hipped it coming out…DANG IT…had an awesome 3rd and I let him cruise out. Our time would have been good enough for 2nd place…GGGGRRRR Susan and Cowgirl were next and I was very proud that Susan let her roll from the back of the alley way. This little mare can BOOK IT to the first barrel and turn it the same every trip and she smoked it. She got a tad bit behind her and coming around the backside of the 2nd Cowgirl hesitated a little bit in the mud. She got out of it ok though and had a good 3rd barrel. Although they didn’t draw a check at this one, I was still very excited for the way they were teaming up. It was their first “real” run together and I expect great things from them in the future!!
On a side note…Congratulations to Austyn Holly & Firewater Fix aka Bubba. Austyn bought Bubba from me back in October and they have been a force to be reckoned with ever since…winning both Rome & Waco this weekend!! Keep it up chick! Congrats also out to Mesa Leavitt on Frosty this weekend for placing in the 1-D, winning the 2nd go, placing in the finals, & winning 2nd in the youth of Frosty Peppy Olena aka Frosty in Gifford, IL. Frosty was my moms main horse this past season and was sold to Mesa in March!!
So it was still raining and by the time we got unsaddled and ready to go Waco was all ready over slack and all so we waited around for a shot to get out. People were getting stuck EVERYWHERE and pulled out with the tractor. The first open hole we saw, I kicked it into 4 wheel drive and floored it We made it out and headed back to Tennessee. Preston wasn’t far behind us in his rig, and then Josh got out a little bit later with his crew. On our way home my truck was running great up Monteagle when I heard something go under the hood and I lost all power. It doesn’t matter how many times the guys tell me it was that went wrong I still can’t remember but something to do with the turbo and a hose. The boys got it fixed fairly quickly and we were back on the road….for a few seconds anyway before it did it again. Apparently it just wasn’t tight enough the first time b/c this time after it was fixed it held and we made it back to Tennessee.
We woke up Sunday morning and I was treated to my second home cooked breakfast of the weekend (I could totally get used to this…thinking they need to kick one of the boys out and adopt a daughter - lol) Susan and I decided to go to a horse show on Sunday so she could get the feel of Cowgirl a little more. I remember every time I go to a show why I LOVE rodeos….horse shows take too long and too much can go wrong…for instance they missed my time on both horses I ran and I had to run both horses again…so 4 runs on 2 horses…go me. I jump rode this little dun mare that a guy in Tennessee is trying to sell. I LOVE her..she was very easy and we ended up winning the 2D Susan and I worked on some little fine tuning on Cowgirl and she worked really well for her. We barely beat the rain out of there and headed back to the house. After a VERY long Monday morning we decided to just work horses at the house instead of going to the horse show…the weekend had wore me out and I still had a 3 hour drive home. Cowgirl looked great and I could tell Susan was getting more confident with every ride. They treated me dinner at the Mexican restaraunt down the road and I headed home….one horse lighter in the trailer
Until next weekend
Amber
Quote of the weekend: “To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.
Posted in Amber Mostoller, Rodeo Updates
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Amber Mostoller….May 21-22, 2010 * Chapel Hill, TN & Carthage, MO * ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
What a crazy, long, emotional weekend this was. I left for the Lonestar Rodeo in Chapel Hill, TN on Friday night with Beea back in the trailer and Chunky. I was excited to get to Chapel Hill and look at the pen to see who I would run. After a couple weather updates from friends down that way, I was starting to get concerned as to what the ground would look like when I got there. I drove through rain on the way to Chapel Hill and when I pulled in I saw where trucks had been spinning so I locked the truck in 4 wheel drive and got through the mess to park. The rodeo ended up starting later then advertised which was already putting me behind for heading to the next one. I saddled Chunky for grand entry still unsure of who I would run and was gonna “test” the ground a little bit. He seemed ok during my few loping circles in grand entry but as I watched the bareback and saddle bronc horses I could tell the ground was NOT good. They were sliding all over the places and as the rodeo went on EVERYTHING was having problems on the ground. I knew with Beea’s running style that she was gonna be all or nothing so I stayed on Chunky and decided to watch the first few barrel racers before I made my decision. I was 7th out so would be able to tell by the first few what I wanted to do. Jennifer Dunn was the first girl out and I knew she would be a good one to watch. She has an awesome little horse who normally can stand up on anything. Her horse ran hard at the first and when she went to turn slipped really bad and went down. My heart sank…the next girl turned out…#3 went in and completely pancaked at the 1st barrel….#4…down at the 2nd….#5 turned out…#6 made it through the pattern half way loping but still was sliding….I knew at that point I was not going to take a chance with my horse and was not going to get into a loping contest for a $500 added rodeo. I was completely disgusted, pissed, and now I had to get back on the road to make the 9 hour drive to Carthage, MO in order to be there by 10 in the morning for the Cody Stephens Memorial rodeo. I was already tired and considered crashing a few hours in Tennessee but knew I needed to get on the road. I stopped at a gas station on the way got my NOS energy drinks and followed the detailed directions from one little grey road to the next across TN & MO. Thank you to all my friends who answered their phones in the wee hours of the morning to help keep me awake. By about 5:00am I decided I might take up a new profession of being a professional singer…I decided I would test out my skills by leaving a couple voice messages of me singing to someone who I knew would tell me the truth about my mad skills…haha you know who you are and you should feel very privledged lmao - Anyway after my mini concerts I felt a bit rejuvinated and arrived in Carthage at about 8:30am. I found Cody’s mom as soon as I got there and I was struggling not to cry already. I knew it was gonna be an emotional day. I had not seen his family since the IFR in January and I was very happy that I got to spend the day with them remembering Cody. I got to run both Beea and Chunky and was excited to see how Beea would be after having the last week off. She warmed up GREAT…very relaxed and smooth. Chunky was his old normal self and we were about to experience a new challenge with this arena (a side gate dun dun dun) I ran Beea first and as soon as I went through the gate I could tell she wasnt right. She got very strong and took the bit at the first barrel. I got her around it ok but the whole run was just her pulling through the bit and trying to get away from me I decided after that that maybe she just need to be turned out for alittle bit. She is only 6 and has ALWAYS been such a worker for me in every run that I made on her in that first month…placing me at the All Region Finals against some of the toughest horses in the IPRA as well as other horse shows. I called the owners and made arrangements with them to just get her turned out for a month or so and to get her looked over by a vet to make sure it was nothing physical. Up next was Chunky. I decided my best approach to the side gate was to back him through it so he didnt try running dead at the first barrel from the gate. He was very responsive and let me back him up….however….lol when I tried to turn him to the right he tried to take off. I got him under control and to the middle of the arena facing away from the barrels. When I turned him to go he took off hard and inhaled the first barrel. The ground was a little hard and he stumbled at the 2nd taking an extra step around but came back good. He got a little by the 3rd barrel and ran hard home. We ended up being 1 or 2 holes out of the money but I was very pleased with the way he worked overall. After I got the ponies taken care of I went up to the office to see if I could help with anything. I figured the payout for them and was happy to help. I spent some time with his sisters Ashley and Gannyn. Gannyn had just had her appendix removed that week so she was pretty upset that she couldnt ride but she did win the dummy roping!! Go Gannyn! His sister Ashley also placed in the barrel racing! I had a 10 hour drive home and knew I needed to get on the road….I was gonna try to make it home and was going on about 30 some hours of no sleep. The drive home was long and looking back on everything just made me feel extremely blessed for everything that I have and the opportunitys I have been given to do what I love. Your Life can change in an instance and its very easy to take things for granted.
Quote of the Day:
“Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people that treat you right. Love the ones who don’t just because you can. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance grab it with both hands. If it changes your life…let it. Kiss Slowly….Forgive Quickly. God never said lif…e would be easy, He just promised it would be worth it!”
Just a quick reminder to not forget about the Scwab Collier Benefit
Posted in Amber Mostoller, Rodeo Updates
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Tana Poppino…The highs and lows in Rodeo
May 30th Update…
I’m sitting in my trailer cooling off at the Windy Ryon steer roping. Marty roped this morning, so we drove here (Saginaw, TX) last night after I ran at Claremore.
I was so disappointed with my run last night, I sure let my friends and fans down that came to watch. Goose has been having some issues and my confidence in him is lacking. I tried to help him too much last night and it ended in disaster. The highs and LOWS of rodeo. People often think that when you are in the standings that you don’t go through problems, but that’s not true. Real champions ride on through the low spots and come out the other side. ‑‑
Tomorrow, Brodie ropes at the Barry Burks’ Junior Calf Roping (for the last time) so we are going to watch. I’m entered somewhere every day next week, and the next week I’ll be packing for the summer run so I may not have time to give you any updates, but please think fast thoughts for me! I do appreciate all your support. Happy trails!
Discover your God‑given talents, give your dream to God, work hard, trust Him, and never, never give up.
Tana Poppino
Posted in Rodeo Updates, Tana Poppino
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OTRR Cowgirl Amber Mostoller: Oh SOO Close!!!
May 14-15th * Franklin, TN & Athens, AL
So after Marion, AR I was super pumped about the way Chunky worked and decided to give Beea the following week and weekend off so I had time to get her shoe on and just let her chill for the week. I was up in the performance at Franklin on Thursday and was both excited and nervous to run Chunky there. We do not get in the arena there and it is HUGE…and when I say HUGE I mean HHUUUGGEE especially for an indoor. This is always one of my favorite rodeos though as it is produced by J Bar J and I have been going to there rodeos since I was a baby back when they were IPRA stock contractors. They are now one of the best of the best around anywhere and are known for their AWESOME bareback horses aka The Michigan Monsters I took Streakin Frenchie aka Rica along with me too just to let her see everything and get some hauling underneath her. When I went to warm up Chunky my heart stopped when I realized I had forgotten my reins!! I had switched everything in my trailer when I went to a jackpot the night before and forgot to put my reins back in and all I had were my split reins. Brittany Pozzi was parked right behind me and she graciously let me borrow a pair of reins…THANK YOU BRITTANY :) Chunky warmed up like his normal lazy self and we all waited up by the alley way for intermission to be over and to run. I was 9th out of 10 to go and you can not see anything in the arena b/c the alley way is literally 100 feet long (which I knew could cause another little issue for Chunky and I lol) Finally my name was called and as soon as we hit the mouth of the alley way CHUNKY WAS GONE. At that point I had two choices…try to get him stopped and fight with him or say screw it yehaw…lol I chose “screw it and Yehaw” approach. He came into the 1st barrel flying and INHALED it…he had a nice line going across to the 2nd and right before we got to it he stumbled alittle bit and lost alittle momentum…he came back good, but that little hesitation cost us to hip it coming out and it went over We kept going anyway and he had a great 3rd and ran good out. Our time would have been 5th thus far with 20 girls left over the next 2 days! I was bummed that we hit but super excited that he was working soo well. My favorite part of the video is the GGOLLEEYY at the end courtesy of Em Cragar
I was out at Athens, AL the next night which was only about an hour from there so Em & Susan Cragar graciously offered to let me crash at their place that was only about 15 miles from Franklin. The next morning I was ordered to come eat Breakfast! Most mornings my breakfast consists of a granola bar if that or junk food haha…so it was a nice change of pace to have a home cooked breakfast as Susan is a fabulous cook! After breakfast Em worked the arena and Cori (Susans niece) and I rode around a little bit. Rica rode really well for me…I get more excited about her everytime I ride her!! I grabbed a shower after riding, went into town for lunch and stopped at the feed store for a few things and then went back to the house for a nap until we were all ready to leave that evening. With Athens being so close it was nice to just chill all day without spending the hole day driving We headed to Athens and prayed that the rain would hold off as it was looking like rain and had rained on and off a little bit at the house. It was dry when we got there and luckily it held off for us to run. Athens is Lonestar’s biggest rodeo on the year with $1500 added and after how well Chunky worked at Franklin I was REALLY pumped. There were alot of tough girls out in slack the night before but it appeared from what everyone said that we had better ground then they did. I was in the middle of the pack so I got to watch a couple girls run that I knew would be tough. They all looked like they had nice runs but their times were off the pace…hhhmm It was another long alley way and Cori tried to help me get up the alley way with her horse…Chunky had other plans and we were gone again lol. We went a little done the pen at the first barrel but he came back hard and smoked his 2nd and 3rd..I figured we would be right there or close….UMM or not….bummer Not one girl from my night got within 2 tenths of placing. Don’t know if it was the ground or what. We got back to the house late so I crashed another night in Tennessee and headed back to Kentucky Saturday morning.
CD in the truck: Luke Kaufman…great rodeo CD you can download it on Itunes
Quote of the Day: ” Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you”
Posted in Amber Mostoller, Rodeo Updates
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