From Barbara Schulte, motivator and cutter

Barbra Schulte is a motivational speaker, author and personal coach to all disciplines of riders. You can sign up for her newsletter @ http://barbraschulte.com/ - of course her advice for cutters is just as applicable to barrel racers or youth rodeo event competitors.

By Barbra Schulte

Strengthen Yourself Mentally Now for the Rest of the Year - Use Indoor Days to Boost Your Riding From the Inside Out

When chilly temperatures arrive, we usually spend more time indoors.
During winter months, do you feel like you're losing ground in your riding?

While there is no substitute for time in the saddle, winter can be a GREAT time to strengthen the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of your riding.

The first step is a shift in perception. Swap the thought, "Winter is the pits!" ... for ... "Winter is a great opportunity!"

After you giggle for fibbing to yourself, try on these ideas anyway(!):

Map out a mental and emotional strengthening program.

Days huddled by the fire are perfect to reflect upon last season's gains, your dreams, and where you need to improve. Use this time to get to know yourself again. The first step to getting stronger is to face your weaknesses honestly.

To get going, arm yourself with paper and pencil and answer the following questions:

During pressure situations, like a horse show or whenever you want to be at your best, what outside person, place, horse, or situation triggers an uncomfortable feeling inside? An example might be feeling less than ideal when a certain person watches you ride. Another example might be going to a particular place to ride where you've had a bad experience. List them all.

What exactly are the uncomfortable feelings associated with those situations? Are you feeling insecure, defensive, or angry when a certain personal stands at the rail? Are you feeling fearful for your safety or do you just lack confidence overall? The answers to these questions form the starting points for your winter mental and emotional work.

Then, devise a plan to replace unproductive ways of thinking and acting with empowering ones. Challenge your fears and insecurities head-on with an effective plan.

When you reflect on the specific situations that trigger the unpleasant feelings, ask yourself, "What do I have control of?" If you find that you have no control over the person, place, or situation, tell yourself, "Let it go." Try some humorous visualizations like putting the whole situation in a hot air balloon and watch it float away. Then, mentally practice getting back to the task at hand by asking yourself, "What's my job?"

Letting go of things over which you have no control, releasing blame, and taking responsibility for yourself are your real jobs. To know and live this is a powerful, productive, and liberating attitude.

Here's another example. If feeling safe is the issue, you can take control by mapping out a new riding instruction plan for the near future. A feeling of safety is within you. The action you take to remedy this challenge is something you have control over.

What positive emotional replacements could I condition instead of my old weak ways of thinking and feeling? For example, confidence might replace insecurity, while calmness could replace tension. One of the simplest truths of productive thinking (that evokes POWERFUL results) is to focus on what you want instead of what you don't want. For example, forget the troubling person ... (they might be in the hot air balloon anyway (-:) ... focus on a wonderful ride in your mind. Get into it!

Spend at least five minutes a day getting into the FEELING of your positive emotion and then another 15-20 minutes visualizing yourself riding with calmness, confidence, and energy. Add emotion, color, size, sights, sounds, smells, and touch to your mental pictures for maximum effectiveness. Get out the magic wand, baby! Go for it!

Keep a daily journal. Each day jot down the new feelings you are activating and how you are doing. This doesn't have to be a big deal. Make it fun. Daily writing keeps you in touch with yourself. Make some kind of notation ... even if it's only a sentence, "I LOVE winter!"

Map out a physical toughening program. This is the idea you knew would show up sooner or later! You can dramatically improve your confidence with more time in the gym. Here's the short course:

Priority #1: Abdominal strengthening. Build your skills ideally up to between 50 and 100 curls per day.

Priority #2: Interval aerobic exercise. Raise and lower your heart rate within your personal aerobic training zone for 20-30 minutes, 3-4 times per week.

Priority #3: Overall body strengthening. Alternate strength building exercises every other day between your upper and lower body.

Priority #4: Flexibility training. Do stretching exercises daily.

Enjoy your new found winter treasure of time to do the essential mental, emotional, and physical work that is easily overlooked when you get busy during the rest of the year.

Thirty days of conditioning positive mental and emotional skills will replace old sloppy patterns that hold you back!

As winter thaws you will emerge mentally clear and physically fit. That's a life treasure, too.
 
 
By Barbra Schulte
 
Get VERY Clear About Your 2010 Cutting  (Barrel Racing) Goals - Five Suggestions to Get You There

[the words, barrel racing, were inserted by me :]
So often we get swept away by what happened last year, what our best friend is doing, or what someone else thinks we should do.

But, what you want to accomplish this year is up to your desires, your current horse, family, or financial situations.

No matter what someone else is experiencing in our sport, it is important to decide what you want to achieve this year. Setting these goals is not the responsibility of your trainer, your spouse, or your friends.

Here are five suggestions to help you gain clarity about your goals:

1. Take time to reflect on why you cut. I know that may sound so elementary, but it can be easy to lose sight of what makes this sport tick for you.

It doesn't matter if you want to be the world champion, an affiliate champion, or if you want to cut in your neighbor's back yard once a month, be sure you know why you are cutting. Somewhere, gleaming in the answer, should be the word FUN.

If you are the champion type, it might be because you love to take on a challenge and follow it through. If you are the once-in-a-while cutter, it might be to completely get away from work and spend time with friends. All the rest of your decisions should hinge on if that road leads you towards fulfilling your reason for cutting.

2. With your purpose in mind, set long-term measurable goals and short-term performance goals you can control. This distinction between long-term measurable and short-term performance is very empowering. Here's how you do it:

Set long-term goals that have an outcome you can measure. Examples would be to win your affiliate's 50K class or cut with your friends at least six times this year. It doesn't matter if this measurable goal changes as the year passes, just set one now that's meaningful to you.

A short-term goal is PERFORMANCE driven and under your control. An example would be, "During my next run I will be calm in the herd so I can make the best decisions possible during each cut."

The distinction is very important about these goals as each plays its own critical role. A long-term goal is the FUEL for your endeavors. However, they are absolutely out of your direct control. Short-term goals are the focus for your riding in the moment and provide the blueprint for your advancement. They ARE under your control.

The SECRET to accomplishing long-term goals you're so excited about is to be clearly focused on performance stated short-term goals. Focus to improve your weakest areas first and build methodically from there.

3. Map out a clear plan for your instruction and your horse's tuning. There are any number of ways to design both of these programs, but they are NOT the same. You owe it to yourself to know you are a work in progress (we all are) and you need mentoring (we all do). Your horse deserves to stay conditioned and tuned. Keep these two aspects separated in your mind. Then, typically with a trainer or mentor, figure out how they blend together.

Focus on your weakest areas one practice session at a time and one show run at a time.

4. Take advantage of any number of varying opportunities to educate yourself about cutting. For example:

Seek a mentor to act as your guide. Most often this is your trainer, but it can also be a well respected peer. Search for and introduce yourself to successful individuals. Pick their brains. Digest what they say. Adopt what works for you and leave the rest.

Repeatedly watch or read cutting resource materials like books and videos. Review them often. You will always find something new.

Find out who offers clinics and when. Plan to participate in or at least observe as many clinics as possible to gain new perspectives. If the NCHA holds a clinic in your area run, don't walk, to attend it. I loved my experience last Fall.

Read and understand the NCHA rule book and case book. Study it from cover to cover. The NCHA has also produced a judging DVD with examples of all rules.

5. Make having fun THE most important goal of 2010. In the world of high performance training, as well as in the business of living, having fun is paramount to success and joy. You are in control of the people you choose to be with, as well as the situations you choose to be in. You don't have to have a logical decision to make changes. You don't have to rationalize it to anyone. Consider your goals for 2010 (step #1) and be guided by fun and excellence as you take your next steps to a great cutting year.

A few news stories and a link to a barrel racing weiner dog

This is funny. It takes a few minutes to get to the dog actually racing but it's worth it.
http://pettube.com/dogs/barrel_racing_weiner_dog.html

‘Famous Silk Panties’ helps local horse trainer to big win
http://mcalesternews.com/cnhi/mcalesternews/homepage/local_story_010094341.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

Rodeo Impact Was $4M For San Juan County
http://www.koat.com/news/22200325/detail.html

Cowboys of Color Rodeo rides into Stock Show
http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=11708

Carol Ellis, Berthoud, Colo., trainer, racer and writer

Name: Carol Ellis
Location: Berthoud, Colo.
Business: Lazy Heart E Tack Shop and Arena – http://www.lazyhearte.com/ or http://www.lazyheartetackshop.com/
Family: Wonderful husband and rooting section Gene; 3 kids; 7 grand-kids; 2 great-grand-kids! YIKES!

Where you are from and how you made it to Berthoud:

I was born and raised in Ft. Collins so I haven't moved very far. I did live briefly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. When Gene and I married we pooled resources we found this place. That was 26 years ago.

How and when did you start barrel racing:

My dad always had horses. He was involved in the race horse industry when I was young and then got out when he had a family to support. However, we always had horses around for us kids to ride—I have two sisters and a brother. After my mother passed away and all of the family was out on their own he got back into the race horse business. I was partners with him in "H and C Quarter Horses". We partnered for about 6 years until Gene and I moved to Berthoud. At that time Gene and I got out of the race horses to concentrate on our place here. My heart has always been in barrel racing but I have also studied Western Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, Hunter Under Saddle, Reining, Roping and a taste of Dressage. I have specialized in barrel horses for about 20 years.

Tell us about your best (the one you enjoyed the most) win:

Some years ago in Reno, Nev., at the American West finals I had several students with me. I managed to win several checks over the four day period and a saddle and every one of my students won checks and several got their pictures taken for winning either go-rounds or average awards. It thrills me to see a student do well. That trip was priceless!

Tell us about your average student and what you are looking for in students:

I work with both beginner/novice barrel racers and advanced so there really is not an "average" student. I do not look for anything in particular but I do appreciate certain traits: I love students with dedication, diligence and good attitudes in a win, lose or draw situation. I admire anyone that strives to get better and will do anything I can to help each person reach their goals.

Do you still actively compete?

Absolutely! I don't know if a person can really instruct effectively if they are not participating themselves. I am pretty sure the day will come when I may have to "hang it up" but I am not planning on that any time soon. Hope God has the same plans! I am hoping to have at least one more good, solid 1D/2D horse before I am too old to get on.

You Tube:  Carol Ellis and Oaken Lena "Opie" before he passed away.
You Tube: Carol on her new boy, Taco.


I know that De Chapman was one of your students and she is a 1D racer, but is that always the goal? I mean, there is happiness at the other D's, can you tell me your thoughts on that?

The great advantage of the divisional system is it does give everyone a chance to compete and win some money and since the inception of the divisional system the barrel racing industry has really grown by leaps and bounds. That being said it can also create a certain level of mediocrity. In other words people will "get stuck" in a lower division and be happy there. I am extremely goal oriented and there are students that I know will never, because of several variables, reach the "upper D's". However, I always want them to set goals and be striving to get better. I do have to realize their goals are not my goals though. Even "at my age" my goal is to constantly learn and constantly get better and I try to encourage each person to be willing to put in the time and energy do their absolute best. And I encourage constant education.

Tell me about your clinics, cost, goals, dates, places:

Link to clinic schedule. We start in the early spring and go through October with various offerings. Basically there are two types: the "101 Barrel Racing Clinic" that is suitable for a very broad base from beginner to advanced. It covers everything from "A to "Z so far as training a barrel horse and competing is concerned. The other is "Advanced Barrel Racing" and it is for the competitor. It is geared towards the person that is either actively competing or ready to compete and covers how to get the most out of each team. I try to make them both really fun for everyone and yet a challenge. I am also in a constant state of education and I let them know what I learn each year so I have something new to offer. I do have many repeat participants. They keep me on my toes!

I know your husband (or you?) travels with your tack shop to some shows, which shows do you try to get to?

The tack shop is mostly Gene's endeavor. I am the bookkeeper and rooting section! It is nice because he specializes only in barrel racing equipment. We travel mostly Colorado and Wyoming but depending on the situation will also travel to other surrounding states. We do try and make every Mile Hi Barrel Race and support Carol Crowder. Gene loves the girls—as anyone will tell you! And he always has a sucker for the little ones!

Tells us about your "Running on Faith" columns:

My faith and hope in Jesus as my savior is extremely important to me. As a person that has lived on both sides of the fence I know God's side is the best! It is important for me to encourage people and stress the fact that barrel racing is what we do and not who we are and we need to keep everything in perspective and keep God first and foremost in our lives. I write about my own personal situations and experiences and how God has seen me through and hope people can relate. I think it is important for people to realize they are not the only ones facing a certain trial or situation and God will see us through whatever happens if we just stay the course. I tell everyone the goal in life is "do the right thing and glorify God".

Future goals with your racing and horses?

I only have one horse I am hauling now. My years of hauling a load of horses is over! I used to haul an open horse, a back-up horse, a futurity horse and a young horse for seasoning. Whatever I could fit in the trailer. I am to the point now I enjoy hauling one horse I enjoy. I had a good open horse that died almost two years ago of cancer, Opie, so I have had to start over again and the new boy is coming along nicely. I take forever building a new horse because they have to last forever. Also, my personal horses need to do double duty: 1) go run barrels and 2) stand in the arena for eight hours during a clinic. Taco, the new horse, is doing really well at both. He is by Jet's Easy Roll and out of a granddaughter of First Down Dash. I am considering buying another as a back-up but haven't seen the horse I can't live without yet.

How long does a horse stay with you before you sell them?

If I buy a horse for resale I plan on keeping it between 4 to 6 months. However, the day I buy them I put them right back on the market. The people that come to me for a horse expect a certain type because they are usually repeat buyers or referrals so I usually keep the horse until they are through the program and ready to haul and solid and easy for just about anyone to ride. I ask a lot of questions when I have a new buyer so I can try and make the best match possible. I do have several horses for sale on consignment at all times to choose from. Most are featured on my web site.


Thanks Carol ~!

Book review: Fine Tuning Barrel Horses by Jessi Mead

Dynamite does come in small packages and Jessi Mead is no exception. Her book, “Fine Tuning Barrel Horses” is 123 pages of great information. While I wasn’t able to keep up with all the geometry she throws in there, I was able to visually understand exactly what she meant. Mead, at just 5’5” and 130 pounds, is also a small package and ended her 2009 season 15th in the standings for the WPRA Mountain States Circuit and won the Douglas, Wyo., championship title. She has more than 30 years of training barrel horses and many other wins to her name (www.jessimead.com).


Mead has written a book that breaks down her methods, step-by-step-by-step. Seriously, if you come away from this book and you don’t know how she trains a horse, you weren’t reading it! As many horse-people already know, there is always more than one way to train a horse, and if you are looking to train your own, this is a great book. She literally takes you from start to finish in her book and covers a ton of ground in a limited amount of pages. This is a self-published book through an Amazon program but if you weren’t publishing savvy you would never even notice. The book is very professionally laid out and has great photos and diagrams, a great glossy cover and good writing.

Balance and riding posture are two of the first things that Mead hits on and she is very clear in her writing and backs up that writing with illustrations and photos. You cannot help but understand what she is talking about and that’s a great thing in a book. Getting your balance in line with the horse is just one aspect of teaching a horse the pattern and she moves on to “common misconceptions and mistakes.” One mistake that she points out that almost anyone can agree with is not to whip your horse repeatedly. Instead, she says, to give your horse the chance to respond to your command before you do it again, if you need to at all. Another “mistake” that she lists is the ubiquitous advice to “look at the next barrel.” And Mead is not the only trainer out there to explain that looking at the next barrel really accomplishes nothing other than throwing your horse’s balance off kilter.

Mead moves on to the actual barrel pattern and breaks it down with numbers. A standard pattern, according to AQHA rules, is 495 feet and in those 495 feet a horse has to run the pattern in 17.0 flat, “making ever three feet that your horse runs worth about one-tenth of a second. . .” Clearly every tenth of a second counts. And with the number of talented trainers and riders out there, understanding exactly how every step affects your time is crucial to getting better and faster.

She moves on to the barrel pocket and tells you how to adjust your pocket for the size of your horse, how to measure the pockets and how to mark the pockets. Moving on she covers the four points in each barrel pocket and talks about checking and rating your horse based on the horse’s personality (chargy/run or rated/push style).

Moving into the actual training of the horse on the pattern she again provides excellent visuals for even the most greenhorn racers to follow. This book isn’t just for a trainer to train with but for a newer racer who needs to see the visuals in more than one way to learn how and when and why. I could also see this being very handy for a trainer who gives lessons and wants to break down the pattern for the newbie. Mead goes on to talk about collection and controlled speed, leg commands, flying lead changes (she prefers to teach all her barrel horses the pole pattern to make flying lead changes more fun and interesting for them) and she has several exercises in the book for teaching rate and turns. Mead even goes so far as to explain and illustrate “reading your tracks” so that the reader can determine just where a horse is going wrong.

The book closes with a chapter on the actual competition and tips on how to get it done. There are no wasted words in her book. She will not be reading about breeding the barrel horse or her long list of where she has been and how she got to where she is, and by all accounts, she’s not a world champion. But there are a lot more effective trainers than there are world champions in the world and what she has to say is said very well and explained in-depth. The book has something for every level of rider, but if you’re new to barrel racing I very much think this book will help you get better and faster in less time. It’s a great book to add to your collection (or even to start your collection).

Laura Lambert, WPRA Mountain States Director and proud mother

Name: Laura Lambert

Business: Lambert Horses http://www.lamberthorses.com/
Location: Wiggins, Colo.

Family: Husband, Ricky; sons, Brayden, 8, Boedy, 1.

College: University of Northern Colorado

Give us a brief background on where you grew up and how long you've been racing?

We lived around Brighton, Colo., until I was about 9-years-old and then my family bought a small ranch in the Wiggins, Colo., area. My husband and I just recently returned to the area to be closer to our parents and keep the kids close to their grandparents. I grew up on a horse, no doubt. I can remember using a bucket to saddle my horse and climbing up on him like a monkey. So, I've been a barrel racer for as long as I can remember. I guess I've been competing for about 30 years.



Tell us what is keeping you busy right now?

Currently, I have a lot of things that keep me busy, I am the general manager for Great West Trailer and Truck in Fort Morgan, Colo.; I am a freelance writer for Barrel Horse News and the Rodeo Insider; I ride barrel horses both for myself and for clients; and my biggest and most important job of being a mom and wife. My two boys keep me busy all the time.

Why did you decide to run for a position with the WPRA?

The WPRA is in an important time of change. I am thankful for all the WPRA has done for me over the years. I can't say that I really had full intentions of running for the director. There were a lot of people calling me asking me to run and I guess over the course of time I realized that I wanted to give back.

What is that like?

I'm not going to lie . . . being a director is a lot more than I expected. There have been a lot of trying times and there are going to be many more challenging struggles ahead. I enjoy what I am doing and I really try to make the right decisions. I think the members really need to educate themselves on what it means to be the director and what our duties really include. There are a lot of misconceptions out there as to what the director can and should do.

What do you do as a Mountain States Director?

I'm not sure I could list all the things a director does as I'm sure I would leave some things out but just to give a small example: the director approves all of the rodeo submittals including the slack times; contacts the committees to work out slacks, setting the pattern, and answers any questions they may have; answers contestants questions regarding rules, Procom, entries, etc.; sets the patterns at major rodeos, and for that matter any rodeo where the committee requests your help; attends all board meetings; deals with the business of the association (this is the one that I know most contestants have no idea what it entails); serves on multiple committees; etc, etc, etc. Like I said, this is just a sampling. There is so much more. It truly is a huge commitment.

What is the best part of it?

The best part of being the director for me is continuing to make relationships. I am the judging liaison and I really enjoy that. I get to meet a lot of great people and I enjoy building friendships and moving our sport forward for the betterment of everyone involved.

What is the hardest part of it?

The hardest part would be two things for me: one of the hardest things for me is that I really take pride in what I do and when you get "crucified" by contestants when they don't understand your role or all of the things that you have done behind the scenes, it is pretty hard sometimes. One thing that I have learned through serving as a director is that as a contestant, you really need to take a step back and look at all the factors before you criticize what someone is doing. In the heat of the moment sometimes that's really hard because you can only see what has just happened to you, but it's pretty important because most of the time the director, the judge, the tractor man, whoever it is, has been giving their all. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to make mistakes and I hope that I learn from each situation, but I know that the directors have the best intentions. The second thing is the time commitment. There are many days that all I do is work on the WPRA issues. The phone time is incredible. Many times, I feel like all I do is answer the phone regarding the WPRA. I know the choice I made and I know what I promised to do, so I'm doing it the best way I can.

Tell us about your writing experience and how you ended up with BHN?

I truly enjoy writing. Through many life experiences, I learned that you really need to love what you do every day. I set out with the intention to set my life up so that I could enjoy every day. There are so many people out there that don't enjoy their work. I am a truly blessed to be able to say that I love what I do. I love to write, I love to ride barrel horses and when you can combine the two—who wouldn't be thrilled?

Tell us about your own racing, how long, big wins, etc.?

I have been competing for about 30 years now. I started out in 4-H, Little Britches and High School Rodeo. I am, what I call an "old timer" because back when I decided to buy my permit in the WPRA, you couldn't go to amateur rodeos if you had your card. So, I chose to just keep buying my permit so that I could go to all of the rodeos. I was really blessed to have a great horse Estee when I bought my permit. Every year I filled all three permits and had to quit going (that was the rule back then). I've qualified for the Mountain States Circuit Finals 12 or 13 times. I've been to the Dodge National Circuit Finals once and I'm headed back there again in April. I was certainly blessed to become the Mountain States Circuit Champion in 2009. I won the Colorado Professional Rodeo Association in 2007 along with winning the average at the finals. There have been a lot of wins that are special to me over the years but I would say winning the short round at Cheyenne Frontier Days this year would be one of the highlights. That is my biggest career win as far as the most money won at one rodeo.

Who is your main mount right now?

Frenchmans Easy Snip is the main guy right now. I have a few others that help him along the way but he is the one I can count on every single time. He is a joy to own.

How many horses are you working with (outside or your own)?

I have five horses that are rodeo ready. Then I always have a few colts. I don't ever take more than two outside horses in the winter and then I decide every summer how many I'll take depending on the rodeo schedule I intend to keep. It's important to me that I do what I say I'm going to do so I try not to overload the riding schedule because I'm the kind that I'll give up sleep in order to get everything done and then I end up making myself sick. So, I try to keep a balance. I am sure I take on too much sometimes, but in the end I feel like I make sure I "do right" by people. That includes the horses that I sell.

Where do your kids compete, if applicable?

My son Brayden doesn't have the passion for horses like we do so he doesn't compete with the horses. He plays football and is getting ready to start basketball. He likes computers and probably knows more about them than I do. Boedy isn't old enough yet, but I can already tell he is going to be a competitor. He loves the horses and goes non-stop. I keep telling my husband that he better get ready because Boedy is going to need a horse and he is going to be one of those "full-time" competitors.

Where does your husband compete, if applicable?

Ricky is a calf roper and he competes in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Colorado Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA), United States Calf Roping Association (USCRA), Nebraska State Rodeo Association (NSRA), and at jackpots. He also team ropes, but his love is certainly calf roping. He trains some incredible horses and always has some for sale. (I’m tired just reading that!)

Where do you compete?

I compete in the WPRA, CPRA, NSRA, Mile Hi Barrel Horse Association, some futurities, and lots of jackpots.

What are you goals for rodeo/racing?

I guess I would have to say right now that my goals are to continue to have nice horses and enjoy what I do, wherever that may be. I also enjoying selling and training horses and seeing others go on and do great on my horses or horses that I have helped them with. That's where I'm starting to focus a lot of my time and energy.

Favorite rodeo?

I enjoy Cheyenne and Casper, Wyo. But, there are so many it's hard to pick a favorite.

Favorite movie?

We just watched The Hangover and it was hilarious but my favorite movie would be Tombstone.

Traveling with rodeo dogs?

We have a Maltese, Haylee, and she is with us most of the time. She's sort of a prissy rodeo dog because she is pure white and I'm pretty protective of her. She's so little that I don't let her around the horses much. I guess it wasn't the best choice of "rodeo" dogs. We also have two border collies here at the house, but they don't travel with us.

Hardest rodeo you've ever competed at?

Each and every rodeo is tough in its own way.

Most fun rodeo you've ever competed at?

Cheyenne, Wyo.

Thanks Laura !!

Bill Jenks, Front Range barrel racer and truck connoisseur

Name: Bill Jenks

Business: International's Denver Used Truck Center

Location: Denver, Colorado

Website links: http://www.denver.internationalusedtrucks.com/, http://www.usinhorses.com/

Wife: Marlene Wade -- We celebrated our 10th anniversary last October.

Kids: Shaye Wade is my stepdaughter.

Watch Bill ride at the 2009 AQHA Bayer Select

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1dpwU-vtB0

How long have you and your wife been racing?

Marlene grew up with horses, and has run barrels most of her life. I grew up with horses, too. Dad raised quarter horses, and trained some rope horses. I showed and went to rodeos my whole childhood, up to high school. I have a varied background with horses. Showing, rodeo, ranching—even some English riding, and a little dressage and jumping. I first got involved with barrel racing about 11 years ago. I started going to barrel races with Marlene.It wasn't too long and I told her I wasn't a good spectator, so if I was going to go to these races with her, I was going to need to get a barrel horse. After all, it looked pretty simple. I soon found out just what a challenge it is! One of the things I like most about barrel racing is there are always improvements to be made.

Where all do you compete and how many hours are you able to devote to it?

We mainly go to barrel races in Colorado, although we've gone to some of the bigger races, mostly in Oklahoma. In the winter time, I try to rideone or two horses four or five times a week. In the summer time, I'll try to keep two or three horses going.

Where are you originally from?

I was born and raised in New Mexico. We moved to Colorado when I was in high school.

What is your favorite barrel race to date?

I think one of my favorites was the first year I qualified to go to the AQHA World Show in the amateur barrels. That was in 2007. The BBR Finals in Oklahoma City is always a lot of fun, too.

What is your dream barrel race to attend (qualify for, etc.)?

I'd like to have a horse running well enough to do well at some of the bigger futurities, and then go to the BFA at Oklahoma City.

Who do you look up to in racing?

There are so many! Judy Myllymaki has sure helped me a bunch. Janet Stover, Sherry Cervi, the list goes on and on. There many, many fine horsemen to study.

Tell us about your horses and where they are in their training?

My big brown horse, Spud, is turned out for the winter. I'm putting all the timeI can on my 4-year-old gelding, Austin. He's out of our Sir Austen Duncan mare, and by a son of Fishers Dash. I have some high hopes for him. Right behind him is a 3-year-old out of the same mare and by Brigance, a sonof Beduino. Marlene has a new 4-year-old son of Bully Bullion she's going to be working with. This weather we've had this fall has made it a little harder to put in all the time I want to with them.

Tell us about your business?

I work for Navistar, Inc., the manufacturer of International Trucks. I work for the used truck division, at our Denver Used Truck Center. We deal with remarketing the used trucks that are traded in to International by fleets when the buy new trucks. We also sell the lease returns and repossessed trucks for Navistar Finance.

What all do you sell and for how long have you been doing it?

I sell medium and heavy duty trucks- basically, anything from a Ryder type rentaltruck on up. About 35 to 40 percent of our business is medium duty trucks sold tolocal businesses. Then of course we have the semi-tractors, both for local hauling and over the road long haul trucking.

What is the best truck for hauling horses?

The short answer is "that depends"! It depends on the size trailer you pull, the distance you haul,the frequency you haul, whether you are mainly in the flatlands, or are you in the mountains much? I've been involved in trucking for over 30 years and logged over a million miles in big trucks. That, combined with all the miles I've hauled horses and other livestock, gives me a good knowledge base to work from when someone comes to me and wants a truck to haul their horses with.

Do you only sell one brand or many brands - new or used?

I only sell used trucks, and I sell all makes!

What is your funniest memory of selling a truck?

One of the funniest things happened to a guy I work with. A man came in and wanted aparticular truck. Jim took him for a test drive, but the man asked Jim to do all the driving. The man decided to buy the truck. They wrote it up, did all the title paperwork, and the man paid for the truck. Jim gave him the keys so he could leave. He got the truck out the gate, but just barely. He finally got it over to the side of the road, and came walking back. He asked Jim to drive the truck back to our lot. The man said he needed to go get a friend to come drive his truck home for him!

Do your buyers come from all over the states?

I have customers all over the United States that buy from me.

Thanks Bill~!

Bonnie Wheatley, Barrel Horse News Editor and Race Producer

Name: Bonnie Wheatley
Business: Hobby/side business: Spin3 Productions www.spin3productions.com
Location: Calhan, CO
Brief Background:
Born in Bozeman, Mont., and moved to Colorado about 15 years ago. I grew up a horse trainer's kid so we lived in some different places over the years. I have the best parents ever.

Watch Bonnie run at Fountain on a Friday night from this summer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urkqUimpL-c

Family:
Sage, 3, and Regan, 7 - they are awesome kids! We're blessed beyond measure. My husband, Scot, is a former bull rider who converted to team roping a few years back

College:
UC Davis, with a BA in Literature. I've learned a lot through the years from the mistakes I've made!

Tell me about your career:
I was honored to get the position of Editor with BHN after freelancing for BHN for quite a few years. I also worked for the WPRA for a couple of years before managing the PBR's Challenger Tour. I later worked in the PR/Marketing Dept for the PBR and learned a great deal in my 10 years with the PBR. It's incredible to be part of the growth of such an organization. I met some very fantastic people there and now at BHN I work with and interview some really awesome people.

Future plans:
Just keep doing what I love to do, work hard and raise two great kids. I pray for strength every day to get it all done.

Bonnie runs the Super Race in May and in September. How did you come into that business?
Nancy Rinaldo offered to let me purchase her business after the passing of her parents. It has been a real learning process but it's a fulfilling business. I think our first one was in September '07. I got into doing the races because basically I didn't want to see them go away and Nancy and Ty had done an awesome job with them over the years. Between her and her sister they had done them for almost 20 years when I came on the scene.

Tell me about the race:
In a nutshell the events pay out approximately $90,000 annually in cash and awards combined. We do two big races – one in September and one in May - 2010 dates are May 8-10 and Sept 5-7, 2010 and once in a while a smaller one in between.

One thing about events is that they are only as good as the people you have working. That's number one - a great crew and I'm thankful to have one! Every single crew member is integral - you can't do it without them all knowing and loving what they do. I'd say the rakers we have are the very best I've ever seen anywhere.

Best memory so far:
I'd say my best memory so far would be our September 2009 event - it was truly our best and they continue to get better. When you present a Bob Berg buckle to someone that is truly gracious and proud to wear it because they understand how tough the competition
at our event is, that is gratifying every single time.

The hardest part?
Hardest part is for sure trying to keep everyone happy. And the weather.

Who are you affiliated with?
We are affiliated with MHBHA, SCBRA, AW4D, BBR, ABRA - we get a lot of approvals because I feel it's important for the barrel racers to have options. These organizations are all well-established and also help promote us.

What sets your races apart?
In my mind it is the ground and overall production quality that sets the races apart. It's always been my goal for it to be a tough race where legitimate professionals can showcase their horses’ right along with the novice riders and horses, the kids, etc. I think when you draw the top names it gives all of us something cool to watch. It raises the bar. We had a 16.8 run on a standard pattern at the September event and it was truly awesome - I think everyone there could appreciate that it was a special moment.

Tell me about the novice program:
The Novice programs are awesome because it gives every level of horse and rider a place to compete and excel in a non-intimidating atmosphere where great prizes and payouts are available.

Personal goals with barrel racing:
My personal goals are always to do the best I can with what I have. I like a horse that is calm, broke and wants to run the barrels. My ultimate goal is to have a horse that is nice to ride at the rodeo or at the ranch. I know it doesn't always go that way with barrel horses but that's the kind of horse I prefer. My goal for the next couple of years is to have a snaffle bit horse in training with my dad. I've always loved showing at RHAA shows and to do that and rodeo is just a special mix to me. It's what I grew up around and what I want my kids to be exposed to. Great horsemanship is, at the end of the day, what it's all about to me. I love doing cowboy stuff, just about anytime I can. I love that lifestyle and want it for my kids. I love it when we get invited to a branding or get to go to a show. Just being around good hands is a treat and they always tend to have the best manners too - it's special.

Who is your main mount right now?
My main mount right now is a Sun Frost/Flaming Jet bred horse called Shadow that I recently bought from Laura Lambert. He is wonderful and is a young horse that I have high hopes for. He has a great mind and is very athletic and enjoyable.

Tell us about your sponsors:
My sponsors are great because they have the same desires I do - to promote barrel racing, the Western lifestyle and family-oriented activities. We all want an event that caters to the family where you can bring your kids to ride and enjoy safe, wholesome entertainment. Great West Truck and Trailer has been a major sponsor the past couple of years and we've had people just jump on board and want to help since we started this, like Emerald Ranch and the Colorado Springs Visitor's Bureau. Sponsorship is a huge challenge especially in these times.

Tell us your funniest story so far:
There are always funny things that happen that you don't really think are funny at the time and that maybe you hope that no one else noticed except for you! I guess the first race we did was the biggest cluster ever and I'm really happy to say that they're a whole lot more organized now. Once in the very beginning I thought Ty Rinaldo had the rakers lined up and he didn't and it made for a pretty hilarious first day (I can say it was hilarious now, but it was very tense then). That was pretty epic and quite an initiation. People just pitched in and helped out and that's what makes any event work is when the barrel racers are helpful and the crew is working hard . . . even if it's a rough day, you get through it. And if you can laugh at the end of the day then you know you have your priorities straight anyway! It can be exhausting and fun all at the same time.

Anything you want to add?
My goal is just that people have a fun time and enjoy each other in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where they want to return. I love that people camp out and enjoy each other after the race is done. It's like being at a big camp full of horses and people you like! That's what I want as a producer: FUN.