How time flies..

Wow! So much has changed since my last post on here, in my life as well as Kota's.

I was accepted into the veterinary program here at Oklahoma State University and began the curriculum this past fall. Just finished up my first semester and am completely loving life pursuing my dream.

Kota spent a few months with Clayton Criger in Haskell, OK getting some finishing and she is becoming a little rockstar, I am so happy with her progress. Sort of makes me feel like I am learning to barrel race all over again, she is so dang powerful! I am just so thrilled to be able to run barrels on her (after going through her stifle injury and not knowing if she would ever be able to run). We are slowly but surely getting to where we need to be, learning together, and it is great.

She has been entered a handful of times and she has done wonderful. Pulled me a few checks and we are just out there having fun. I still have a bit of work to do on myself, but we are getting there. Cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Slow Work at Home

Managed to get some decent videos the other day of Kota working the pattern at home. This was her first time working the pattern at home in I would say a little less than a year. She did great, and felt pretty good underneath me. Seems like she is learning to move her feet a little quicker around the barrels, and more collected. We incorporated some of the shoulder work that Chip Wallis had given me to work on around the barrels, and I think she was really picking it up!

I havent gotten to ride as much as I would like to these past few weeks..the last few weeks of the semester are always hectic with papers, finals, studying, etc. So I've only been able to get on 2-3 times per week if I am lucky.. Hopefully once the semester ends I'll be able to get Kota on a more continuous work schedule.. I've been wanting to get her out to an NBHA for quite some time now..but work never seems to cooperate and I am always on the schedule. But hopefully soon I'll be able to get her out..

I am hoping within a month we'll be able to move up to a lope!!
Take One

Taken Two

Take Three

Chip Wallis Clinic

Dakota's very first barrel clinic went fabulous! I was a little bit nervous beforehand as I wasn't sure if she was sore at all (didnt seem to me, but you never know).. The day was great! She trailered like a pro. Once we got there, she took everything in and was not once spooky or unsure. I took my time tacking her up, rode her around the place..watched Chip work with a younger girl..and then finally had time to work her in the arena, then it was our turn with Chip.

He was great about one on one time, and was very understanding after I told him about her injury. He watched her move first, and the way I sat her. Told me she looked great, which really eased my mind...he said she looked like she was moving even and striding up perfectly...which was awesome to hear someone else say that.

We worked the pattern for a bit, and he showed me some things to get more control over her shoulders.. Overall he said she was working a great pattern and had a really nice start on her, which made me so proud. I knew all along I shouldnt keep my hands so high when asking her to bring her shoulders up, but didnt know how to fix it. He showed me a way to keep my hands centered and over her withers that would let me have complete control over her shoulders. She really felt great underneath me, and was being a very good girl.

I had such a good time, I am so glad that I went instead of going to the NBHA. Just wish I could have gotten a video or pictures...but I was too shy to ask anyone to take any. But the plus side is that I got Chip's number and once I am out in Oklahoma, he said he would love to work with me and Kota, to give him a call if I ever need help. At the very end, he made a comment about Kota that really made my day. He was saying how he thinks she's a really nice mare, and the final thing that about brought tears to my eyes was that he said "in one year, you'll be winning on this mare"..I about broke down right then and there, to hear someone who knows what they are doing tell me that my horse just may make a barrel horse after all!

Arena Work

FINALLY! Had the chance to ride Dakota in some decent footing. Hauled to Sara's house on sunday, and it was absolutely beautiful out and Dakota was fabulous. I thought she may be a little jumpy, but she was calm as could be. Tacked up great, stood at the trailer awesome. I first started out riding in the o-ring, not knowing if she would respect it or not at a new place (out of her comfort zone), but she was an angel. She responded to the lightest touch, stopped on a dime, etc. I trotted and loped circles in the o-ring, and trotted the barrel pattern once or twice in it, then I switched to the Hackamore because she seems to be more responsive in it.

So, I worked her in the hackamore at a walk trot lope, then trotted the pattern a couple more times. She felt great. She was stopping on her hind end, and felt like she was collecting herself for the most part. I worked her more than she is used to, so I think she may have felt a little sore towards the end of our ride, but overall she felt and did great. Towards the end of our ride I put Sara's new triple creek on her to see how it rode, and man was it NICE and fit Dakota like a glove.. I wanted to steal it. My next saddle will be a triple creek for sure!

I think the one thing that needs work is her ability to work the barrels. She seems as though she gets caught up around them, I think that may have been due to the fact she was not used to working in actual footing.. So she was getting a little caught up in it. But for her first time seeing the pattern in months I think she did great.

Videos and pictures:

This first video is from towards the end of our ride, I wanted to get one of her just loping. This is where I think she may look a little sore going to the right, I am not positive though. But she felt great, and I think looks great also.


Trotting in Sara's new Triple Creek (hence no stirrups)


Trotting the Barrel Pattern: As you can see, she needs some work on working those barrels and not getting caught up


Just some pics:

Reserved Clinic Spot

Well, Dakota and I will be headed to Chip Wallis' (out of OK) clinic April 18. I was debating it because there is an NBHA that day, but I figured whats the point of missing the clinic for a show that I will do an exhibition then sit around?? I am excited, and a little nervous about it. To have someone knowledgable watch me work the barrels on her.. But I hear great things about him, and I think he will give me some really good pointers to go off of. Not to mention, the price of the clinic is a steal!

I am going to haul to Sara's tomorrow to ride with her, and work Kota in her arena. Kota really, really needs that. She's been doing great working her at home..but she needs to start working in decent footing and learning what that feels like. Hopefully we will get some good barrel work done tomorrow, at the trot of course..and I hope to bring home videos of her progress.

She's been feeling really good underneath me. Sometimes a little stiff-necked, but for the most part she feels really soft and fluent. She's been worked to a sweat almost every ride...and I think she is slowing gaining her fitness back. Yesterday it was off and on downpours, so I hopped on her bareback and we had a nice relaxing ride. I am so excited, yet a little scared about working her on the pattern. It's almost coming to like a moment of truth if her stifle will be able to handle it. Hopefully I'll work her a bit this month on the pattern, then take her back to Dr. Riddle after she's been working the pattern for some time to see what he thinks. She seems and feels great to me, so hopefully that holds up.

I think I am also going to haul to Shartlesville April 26th, hopefully to exhibition and put some of the skills I pick up from the clinic to work!

Kota Update

It's been quite a while since I updated. I did not ride much the previous week as I was super busy (looking for, and purchasing my truck!) and the weather was crappy.. But this week I've gotten to ride a good amount. Lets see, I rode just about every day this week. Kota has been doing good. She really seems like she is full of energy, though. Probably that 12% feed she's on, we moved up from the 10% a few months ago.

She has her moments every now and then, I would say one almost every ride where we are doing consistent work, sometimes she gets a few bucks in there, which I think is coming from her energy and her being worked up about working (if that makes sense). Other times its just a little fit. But then once its over we get back to work and back to being focused. I think she's slowly getting out of the spooky stage that she suddenly had stumbled into, hopefully.

Natalie and I have decided that we want to work hard this year and be able to come back and run both of our horses at cowtown next summer. I really would be thrilled if I could have Kota loping a pattern come June, and possibly running by late summer.. That would be so nice! It's rough though with no arena to work in..

I really want to haul Dakota to an arena sometime in the coming week.. Either Sara's house, or an actual arena...but all I know is Dakota needs to work in one..plus, I need to see how my new truck tows.. =)

Oh, and got some pics today. It was nice and warm so Kota got a hose down after our ride.

Swimming is scary!

So, attempted to take Dakota to a farm over in burlington that has a swimming pool. She wanted no part of it! She was even apprehensive about the wash stalls, then when she saw Cisco being forced into the pool, she was like "Heck no!", I saw it in her eyes before we even tried getting her to go in. I wish it was a lower-tension environment. Instead of letting the horses get used to everything in there, it was like they wanted to force them into the pool. So we tried, and with Dakota's natural mare stubborn-ness, she didnt want to do it and I didnt want to hurt her stifle trying to get her in. So I let her stand and take everything in, and then Sara and I rode on the track.



Kota was a very good girl on the track! She felt great working in that deeper ground (I wasnt sure how she would handle that). We trotted quite a bit, and she felt and looked great.. I even let her slow lope a little, and she picked up her lead well, and was overall just feeling good.

Rode again tuesday, just regular reins still... Trotted and then loped some.. I really think she is coming along! Her movement felt great loping, especially to the left. Going to the right she was holding her head a little bit weird every now and then, which i do not know because that is usually her good side..But I figure we will try and work through that, and if not then we have some more work to do.

I've been thinking about getting her chiro'ed by the good chiropractor around here that the vets at my work use... Just maybe!