Extreme Cowboy Race 8

Last Wednesday and Thursday I had the privilege of attending Craig Cameron's Extreme Cowboy Race 8 competition at his ranch outside Stephenville, Texas. This Race was all female competitors which was an interesting mix. There were riders with all kinds of backgrounds: some women who ride for pleasure, some Miss Rodeos, a professional ranch cowgirl, professional horse trainers, and one competitor was 15! Everyone was cheerful and dressed beautifully for their TV debut.

The obstacles Cameron had set up were creative and difficult. Talk about a test of horsemanship and the ultimate test for trust. You could tell real quick who had a partnership with their horse and those who needed some work. One competitor was there on a Mustang that she only had 120 days on! The challenge is open to any breed of horse and any age rider, the only catch is the horse has to be 10 or younger. The competitors are allowed to walk the course to memorize it but only on foot (memorizing that is a challenge in itself!). Those horses did amazingly well on a course they were being hustled through never having seen it before.

Cameron's ranch is meticulously maintained with not a pile of horse manure to be seen-not even in the paddocks. He and his wife, Dalene, were very nice and welcoming. He had a new intern that was only in week 2 so he got broke in real quick to all the responsibilities. We were all pitching in and I got to do the back up timer for Ryan Dorhn (the other brain who created ECR with Cameron) so that was neat. The extra people helping had to be silent and watch the cameras and get down so you're not blocking the shot. Most of the time I had to huddle in a low area with my timer but that was okay because I could see pretty much everything. After all, I was there to help. I wasn’t expecting the cold front about mid morning Wednesday and it got chilly. The sky turned dark, the wind picked up and we thought it was going to pour down rain but it never did, thank goodness. I miss those cold breezy days-call me crazy but it doesn't get that cold down here around Yoakum.

There were two judges for this event: Lynn Palm and Joy Murray. What fantastic ladies. Both were so nice and willing to talk to you. Not to mention both are legends! Cameron gave the whole speech that he wanted no crying, whining, or pouting if you didn't get good scores and were not advanced to the next round. Not mention, who wants to argue with those judges?!

Everyone seemed excited at the chance of winning a Circle Y XP-HDR4 Frontier All-Around Trail saddle. We sponsor this event so the 4 finalists each go home with a saddle plus some cash. I hope they enjoy riding this saddle and it will serve them well. I can't spoil who won so tune in to RFD-TV in March when it airs. You'll be glad you did!

Leavin' Town!

I can't wait for tomorrow afternoon because Anne, our Marketing Media Director, and I are headed to Stephenville to the next filming of Extreme Cowboy Race hosted by Craig Cameron. What is really neat about this coming show is all the riders are women! These are some of the best horsewomen and I am really looking forward to watching the good horses and gals compete. If you aren't familiar with this competition which is aired on RFD-TV, you can go to Cameron's Web site http://www.craigcameron.com/extreme.shtml to read all the details. It will be at Cameron's Double Horn ranch so it will be neat to see that as well. Circle Y sponsors this show so four finalists will go home with a brand new XP-HDR4 Frontier All-Around Trail saddle. This saddle was designed for Tammy Harty and her horse, Bunny, who was in the top 4 of a previous season of ECR. When I get back I will tell you all about it!

Our First Horse Show

Well I decided it was time to get Buddy away from home and show him the big city! John and I were hauling my 5 yr granddaughter, Kaylee, to Houston to Sienna Stables for her Western Pleasure Lead Line class and I decided to haul Buddy. Sienna Stables has an Adult walk/trot Western Pleasure class and it was perfect to introduce Buddy to an arena and other horses.

Buddy was on his best behavior warming up in the practice arena. Then we got to the show arena they had 12” white pvc pipe at the end of the arena. He didn’t booger but I thought he was so I went ahead and two handed him…then we came to the other rail and there were all these people standing at the fence. He really wanted to talk to everybody. I was able to keep him moving and not visit with everyone. Other than that he went thru his paces wonderfully and even backed when he was asked. The judge told me we would have placed well if I hadn’t two handed him. She was very sweet to take the time to talk to me. I told her that Buddy had only been broke 60 days and only 2 yrs old and that it was his first outing. She told me he did very well and all horses had to start some where. I felt like it was a positive experience. Only problem was Kaylee was very disappointed that I was last place. Kaylee won her class and is still walking on air. And another generation of horse lovers is born!

After Kaylee went home with her Momma and little sister, John and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful riding trails they have at Sienna Stables and went for a trail ride. It is always wonderful to see new scenery and new terrain. We rode thru century old Oak trees and majestic Elm trees down to a 30 foot bluff that dropped off into the Brazos River. We rode up and down the levees that keep the river and bayous from flooding and across the creeks. We came across gorgeous white cranes that flew over us as we rode. It was just so peaceful and beautiful! A perfect ending to a perfect day with family and horses.

Party Time

This past Saturday was my son's first birthday. Naturally, we had to go all out and invite all his friends. It was a swim and sprinkler party so the kids enjoyed jumping from one pool to the other and then to the sprinklers-it's still in the 90s here so it was plenty warm. Copper, my TWH gelding, stays in a several acre paddock that wraps around the house in an L-shape. Being the kinda jumpy guy that he is, he was on the lookout once the kids started playing in the yard and running about. He stood at the fence with ears pricked forward, still as a statue watching all the commotion. Once the kiddos started playing with the balloons, then he was really on guard. He looked so pretty standing there all attentive.

Surprisingly, he only walked off once or twice when the bubble machine/sprinkler started up. I was happily surprised to see he wasn't flying about the pasture with his tail in the air snorting! In no time, there were parents and kids at the fence petting him - which he loved by the way. He loves attention, and Anne that I work with was teaching him how to drink some bottled water out of the bottle. He loves to drink from the hose so this is a skill he can master! It was good for him to see so much activity around his normally peaceful home. He is definitely a friendly horse, and he also got some desensitizing among the festivities.