August 4, 2009
1:00 pm
This is summer has been full of more than your typical rodeo roller
coaster ride. Between, Riley's funeral, driving the wheels off of one
trailer, blowing up the engine in our truck and wrecking a generator
it is easy to say our roller coaster has had some steep drops. On the
uphill side Leader is having a break threw season in his first few
months of being introduced to rodeo at the ripe age of 5. I hate to
admit it, but he has more than kinda been thrown in with the wolves at
places like Calgary, Cheyenne, and Dodge City just to name a few. He
is holding his own and continuing to improve and impress me with every
single run. Of course, running a baby some days are great other days
we chalk it up to a good learning experience. But, I really have big
hopes and dreams for him as I can feel in him the spark and talent of
a super star. A special thank you to Shelly who continues to trust me
whole heartedly with Leadie. Somedays I don't know what I am going to
ride until it is time to saddle and just go with my gut feeling. As
always Shelly is good with whatever decision I make and just wants to
see me do good and make it to the NFR no matter what I ride. True
friendship is a rare gift and I have a strong emotional tie to Leadie
for bringing Shelly and I together.
Princess is doing good. She is very happy Lead is stepping up and
taking some of the load. She is fresh and ready when it is her turn
and that is a huge advantage. Of course she is still the bread winner
and the one responsible for getting us to the NFR, whatever Leader
wins is a bonus. We are entering into the run of rodeos she likes
better, so I am looking forward to a lot more time on top on the
roller coaster for the last 2 months of the season. As always with her
I just try to enjoy the ride and not over ride or get in her way. She
knows her job and if I just catch a ride she prefers to do the driving
and honestly she stays between the lines better than I do anyways!!!
This week has already began. We ran at Loveland, CO last night. A
stumbled caused me to hit a barrel..dang it. We are just a few miles
from Yuma, CO the performance starts at 1:30. Leader is up today.
Tomorrow is a traveling day as we will make the trek across Colorado
to New Mexico. Lovington, NM is Thursday night and Leader will run
there as well. It is a Million Dollar Tour rodeo and I desperately
need to win some more Tour money to get into Puyallup. Friday night is
Lawton, OK where Princess will get the call. When we are done at
Lawton we are driving back to Galeton, CO where our horses will stay
with our good friends the Wahlert's to rest for a few days while we
fly home for 5 days. I can't wait!!! I haven't seen Lane in a month
since Calgary and believe me that is TOO long!!! We will be headed
back to the Northwest for another month so home is gonna be very
welcome as a refresher. You truely have to love this sport, it is an
endurance race and very challenging in so many ways out of the arena
much less in the arena. Putting my head down and not weaking to the
bitter end this year. I remind myself daily how fortunate I am daily
to do what I love and get paid for it. I find this quote so
fitting....well maybe...there is no piece of me that has failure
written on it!!
"I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love
than a success at something you hate." -George Burns
Until next time...win, win, win!
Jackie
July 10, 2009
Calgary, AB, Canada
8:30 pm
As I write we are competing at the Calgary Stampede this week. After a really tough couple of weeks both physically and mainly mentally it is so nice to be in Calgary and in one place for a week. This is one of my very favorite rodeos of the year and I am so honored that they invited me to attend again this year. Only 20 girls get the honor of competing at the Stampede each year. This is my 3rd year in a row to get to run at the chance of winning the $100,000 here in Calgary and every year I like this rodeo more and more.
The 1st day we ran on Tuesday we were faced with some really bad ground conditions. It had rained 3 inches the day before and as the sun came out and dried the ground out on top it became really, really slick. I had to run Leader. Princess needed the day off after coming up a little sore after a tough 4th of July run. It was tough not being on my trusty girl knowing the ground was slick to the point of being dangerous. But, Leader pulled threw and handled it like an old pro. We slipped back into the 1st barrel and hit it leaving it and he stumbled at the 3rd almost unseating me. That may not sound that good, until you know that 2 out of 10 girls broadsided and fell off and 3 others went almost all the way down. The 2nd day Princess was back and a good run placed us 5th for the day winning us $1,500. We got a little by the 1st barrel or we would have placed higher. We have been struggling with our 1st barrel and the troubles continued on day 3. Princess smacked right into the 1st barrel....grrrr bad Princess. So, after some contemplating I decided to go back to Leader for the 4th go today. I got to get him in the arena this morning and work him, which really helps with him being so inexperienced in a rodeo situation. He worked like a champ so I called Shelly and told her Leader was getting the call. Poor Shelly I think she sat on pins and needles all day and did some heavy praying. Well, prayers were answered!! Leader and I won 2nd today and won $4,500!!! It was a sold out crowd today so there were 50,000 fans cheering us on. Leader and I posted the 2nd fastest time of the Stampede so far after 8 days of awesome girls running. Leader and I will be running again tomorrow in the Wild Card, as I did not win enough to advance threw to the finals. A top 2 finish tomorrow will get us into the Finals on Sunday. GO LEADER GO!!!!
Thank you to all my friends and rodeo family out there for all of your thoughts and prayers in the last couple weeks for me, Tammy and my family. Losing Riley has truly been the hardest thing this family has ever had to deal with. Tammy is the strongest women I have ever been around and she inspires me everyday with her courage. Rodeo is what we know and where we find the most comfort.....so rodeo we shall....see you down the road.
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. -Henry Ellis
Jackie
May 8, 2009
4 PM
Howdy!
I guess I don't need to say it has been a LONG time since I have checked in. April found Princess getting a lot of much needed R&R. I only ran her twice after Houston. I am happy to announce the arrival of Princess' first 2 offspring. On April 29th the first receipient mare foaled a palomino stud colt with a star in his forehead. On April 30th the second receipient mare foaled another palomino stud colt that looks identical to his brother only a little bit smaller. They are both by Jud Little's stud BugemforCash. I am SO excited about carrying on Princess' superior bloodlines and ability threw her babies. Both stud colts are at Jud's ranch in Ardmore, OK where they will remain until they are weaned and then I will get to go pick up my foal and Jud will keep one foal to put into his program. Princess also bred back this year to No Mas Corona, another of Jud's up and coming stallions. We have 1 embryo in a receipient mare that has been checked in foal with a heartbeat. The second time we flushed Princess we got two embryos, both of which were put into receipient mares. They will be checked for a heartbeat on Monday. So, hopefully there will be three more of Princess' babies in the Spring of 2010! Princess is a trooper and handles all of the breeding and flushing like the true champion she is. But, I personally back off of her while we go threw the long process and just give her body the chance to rest and produce the next generation of J2 Barrel Horses. I feel like it is such a huge opportunity to be able to use embryo transfer on Princess and I can't wait to actually see what her babies look like. I will be stopping on the way home from my Oklahoma clinic and Ft. Smith to look at them and take some pictures. So, check back the last week of May to see the handsome new additions!
I Gotta Lead aka 'Leader' has been carrying much of the load at the rodeos. Leader came into my program in mid March from my good friend Shelly Weaver. He is a 5 year old by Special Leader out of a Dash Ta Fame mare. He is a big guy at 16.1 and can mortally fly. I am working with him to try to develop the consistency needed to make the transition from good futurity horse to great rodeo horse. Leader will be staying in my trailer for the next couple years until he is really solid and ready to take Shelly to the winner's circle at the rodeos. I am really excited to have the opportunity to run him. He will be Princess' back up on the road this summer and contribute to us getting to the NFR with fresh wheels and sound horses. It is such a huge benefit to have two great horses you can win on. Right now we are focusing on getting Leader ready for the derby in Ft Smith in a couple weeks. He is very different from Princess in running style so I am trying to sneak runs in anywhere my schedule permits to try to get our timing down and smooth things out. Princess doesn't mind as this means she gets to stay in her pasture and graze a lot more often!
Black Betty and Marilyn Monroe, my two 4 year olds are really coming along nice. I think both of these mares have what it takes to make great horses. They are both very different. Betty is a fireball and just like her mother. Barrel racing comes so naturally for her I have to keep reminding myself she only has 10 competition runs under her belt and to not get too excited and let her get ahead of herself. Marilyn is our resident 'lefty.' She is also by Letta Hank Do It, just like Princess and they are so similar. Both are super gritty and try so hard. Marilyn was born to be a barrel horse it is so easy for her and she floats across the ground and turns on a dime. She only has 7 competition runs and has my hopes up so high for her! I love training and building horses. It is my most favorite part of this industry. I think it is the most rewarding!
As for me, most of my time in the last month has been teaching and training. I have taught 3 clinics: one in Pennsylvania, one in Utah and one in Alberta. I have spent A LOT of time flying, but it has all been worth it. Every one of my clinics so far has been wonderful. I have met a lot of great people and made some life long friends. But, most of all it makes me feel close to my father as I continue his legacy by passing on the valuable information he taught me. That makes the time away from my family, my own horses and missing some rodeos all worth it! I have 3 more clinics left this spring. One in Idaho, one in Oklahoma and the last one in Ohio. I will then turn my focus back to rodeoing and trying to make the NFR. I will be doing a very select few clinics in the fall. Please check my clinic page for updates information!!!
Lane and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary on April 26th. I can not believe I have been a Jatzlau for a full year now. Time does fly when you are having fun! We went to Disney World in Orlando to celebrate. Lane surprised me with the trip. It was nice to get away just he and I for an extended weekend with no horses. That is rare!!! We had a wonderful, relaxing trip. I look forward to the rest of my life with a wonderful man, I am truely so blessed!
If you have seen my name slowing moving down in the NFR standings don't worry! Princess and I are back on the trail with fresh, healthy minds and bodies and ready to rock and roll! We are headed to Crockett tonight, Bridgeport in the morning and Jasper tomorrow night. Ready or not here we come!!!!
I leave you with this quote as I head out to kick butts and take names!
Success doesn't come to you…you go to it." -Marva Collins
Until next time....let the blonde hair fly....RUN PRINCESS RUN!
Jackie
March 2, 2009
11 am
Today is a day of R&R for my horses and I. We had a long, very good weekend in Conroe at the WBR so I have made the executive decision that everyone needs the day off! I am going to clean house a little and go and get my nails and toes done and do some catching up on paper work!
Let's see where I left off last time, I was on the way to the slack at San Angelo and was sick. I hit the 2nd barrel leaving it at San Angelo....boo! I for sure did not put my best ride on her that day. Oh well onto the next one right?
In the semi finals at San Antonio I made up for my bad riding at San Angelo! Princess pricked her ears at the people at the 2nd barrel and set just a little bit early and we tipped the barrel going in. I reached down and put my hand on top of the barrel and set it up on the way by! We ended up splitting 3rd and 4th in the round. Setting that barrel up won us another $777 to our total San Antonio earnings and advanced us threw to the final round! (Click HERE to watch the video of our semi final run.)
The final round was not as nice to us. They ran the short go from least total money won coming into the finals to the most money won. Princess and I were the 3rd high money winners thus far so we were 10th out of 12 in the short go. They had an extreme bull riding at 1 o'clock that day then a concert afterwards that ran a little too long and they didn't get a chance to go in there and water or work the ground. So, in the short go it was a little loose and didn't hold good. Princess and I went in there flying and when she set for the 1st barrel she slipped really bad and all 4 of her legs went in different directions. She ended up going all the way to the fence at the 1st before she could recover. She jumped up and ran her butt off and smoked the 2nd and the 3rd and we were still just 3 tenths out of the money. Princess is a true champion, she likes to win. When we came out that night she was so mad! Blowing her nose and stomping her feet in protest. Princess and I have 'talks' before each run, she knew that run at San Antonio was important and she gave me her all. She was just as disgusted as I was that the ground didn't hold up. That is one reason I love Princess so much we truely have become a team in every single aspect of the game.
The last week has been a slower one, after two hard weeks of rodeoing. I was home and spent the week riding colts and getting ready for the WBR in Conroe. I went on Thursday night to Katy to the CPRA and ran Bunny. She worked great! I was 10th on the drag and didn't really have a chance in that deep sand. We ended up not too far out of getting a check. She worked her butt off and tried her heart out so I was very pleased. She is a really nice mare, I don't expect her to stay around very long.
At the World Barrel Racing event in Conroe J2 Barrel Horses cleaned house! I ended up 11th in the 1D on Princess with a 15.546 and 12th in the 1D on Pita with a 15.563! I will say I was MUCH more excited about Pita's run!! I expect it out of Princess. But, Pita being just 5 and to run that close to Princess and out run 1,200 horses was amazing! She has really started to find her confidence in the last 3 or 4 runs and it is really impressing me! Princess and I also won the Super Bucks Slot Race for $8,000!!! YEAH!!! Princess and I have struggled in the WBR setup in the past so to get two great runs this weekend was a mental victory as well. When it was all said and done our trailer brought home close to $10,000 from Conroe!!! Go team!!!
This week I am up at Bay City on Wednesday in the slack and then my Super Series at Rodeo Houston Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is a big week and we are READY!!!
I found this as I was looking for a good fitting quote today. It is not my usual motivational quote, but I think it is a quote that poses some food for thought. Attitude plays such a huge role in this game. When I was being interviewed for the Barrel Horse News yesterday Tanya asked me about being married. She asked if having everything in my life come together and being happy was helping me win. YES!!! But, I also told her that winning also helps me be happy in my life. It is all in the circle of life....it can be a vicious cycle or a victorious one...your ATTITUDE is the determining factor of which one you will be on!
"Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?" ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering
Keep looking up and striving for greatness!
J2
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February 15, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Princess and I have been putting down some really smoking runs in the last month since I have reported in. I will spare you all the boring details and only give you the highlights to catch you up to speed.
I ended up coming out of Lafayette with a 2nd place check!! Rider error at Alexandria costs us. I kicked the 1st barrel over leaving it with my boot...ugh! Got a nice ugly permanent mark on the tip of my Ariat to remind me to get my big foot out of the way when Princess is turning that hard!!! Denver was really great to me and Princess. My 1st run was nice and solid. She worked good, but the ground was just a little slick behind the barrels. I was one tenth out of the money, but I was very pleased to have a good solid run under our belt. The 2nd go we made a much snappier run but still didn't slide in there to get a check. I qualified back for the short go in 9th place. But, as my father would say, 'You haven't made a short go since Moby Dick was a minnow!' so I was pleased that they were going to let me run again. Short-go Day, or 'Championship Sunday' as many call it in rodeo, is what it is all about. As I was warming up before my run I took a look around me and was surrounded by winners. I got off to switch to my running bridle and had a little heart to heart with Princess. I told her "listen blondie you better put all you got into it today because these girls came to play hard ball." It is funny because I know she understands me. I told her to listen to me good out there and to run fast, fast, fast. Well, she did listen. We had a great run in the short go to win 2nd only behind this year's Denver Champion, Nancy Hunter. We also moved from 9th to a 5th and 6th split in the average. When the dust settled Princess and I collected checks for $4,869!! That is the best by far that I have ever done at Denver in 8 trips on several different horses. I saw my name jump to 2nd in the WPRA standings...what a great feeling!!!
A couple days off was welcome after a long trip to Denver and back. Our next stop was Ft Worth. First, was the AQHA show and Cowboy Publishing Challenge. I made a really nice and smooth run and ended up 4th in the AQHA show. I was really happy because that 4th place gave Princess enough AQHA points to qualify for the World Show in November. I won the Jr Barrels at the World Show in 2002 on Rooster, but haven't been back since. It is a really fun, exciting event so I am looking forward to getting to run Princess there. I came back and made a faster run in the Cowboy Publishing Challenge and ended up 8th for $1,100. It was one of the toughest barrel races I have been to in a long time. A 15.7 won it and I was a 15.8 and was 8th, talk about tight and fast... WOW! The next day I was up at the rodeo in Ft Worth. My 1st go was at 2 p.m. and the 2nd go at 7:30 p.m. My 1st run was good and I ended up placing in a tie for 9th and 10th. In my 2nd run I hit the 2nd barrel. Running twice in one day has never been one of my strong suits. I am not sure why, but I have my thinking cap on and I am brainstorming for things to help me the next time. I am definitely a student of the game, and I am always looking for little things to help make myself a better competitor. I strive to learn from every experience and gain from it, not fall into the same ol' habits time and time again.
The next day we were off to Lake Charles and Jackson. I hit a barrel at Lake Charles which was totally my fault. It was a tiny little building and I thought Princess was running way too hard and I checked her at the 1st barrel. She listened really good and we smack it. We were in the slack after the performance on Thursday night and ran barrels around 11:30. By the time we got the horses cooled out and wrapped and loaded it was a little after midnight when we pulled out of there headed for Jackson. Thank God Mom went with Tammy and I. She is the best driver there has ever been! We pulled into Jackson at 5:20 am. The slack started at 8 am. No rest for the weary in rodeo! Princess proved she is a true trooper. Jackson was her 6th run in 5 days and we literally drove all night to get there. I made a really good run and was winning it when I left after 120 girls had run in 2 slacks. I ended up splitting 6th, 7th and 8th and won $1,783. Princess was happy to see her pasture when we got home! Luckily she had 5 days of R&R before we had to strike off again for San Antonio.
While Princess rested I took my other horses to the Wrapn3 jackpot on Saturday and Sunday in Halletsville. The first day I hit barrels on 3 out of 4 horses I rode. I am willing to admit the truth, the common denominator was the jockey! The 2nd day was much better, I won 2nd on Diamonds and was just out of the money on Betty and Bunny. I hit a barrel just barely on Pita to out run Diamonds and be 2nd in the 1D. I left very pleased with my crew and happy with the new addition to my bunch, Bunny. Bunny came to me all the way from Georgia and will be hanging around for a while until she is sold. Look for her up on my for sale page along with pictures and videos this week!
San Antonio this week was a total thrill ride! Princess is running with the rocket burners blazin' lately! San Antonio took on the 'tournament style' format in their rodeo this year like Houston and Calgary. I was in the 3rd bracket and we ran 3 nights in a row. It pays off the top 4 places each night and you only compete against the 12 girls in your bracket. Wednesday I won 2nd and was so happy to be in the money in super tough competition. In this set up it is so vital to get money won right from the beginning to try to keep the pressure down. Thursday I came back and won 2nd again with a much faster run. So, going into my 3rd run I had already made enough money to secure my advancement into the Semi Finals. So on Friday we let 'er rip! I won 1st and broke the arena record with a 13.82!! I have won a little over $5,100 so far. I run again next Thursday, Feb 19th in the Semi Finals and the final round is next Saturday, Feb 21st. Princess and I are ready to give 'em a run for their money and feeling super confident!
Right now my Mom and I are on the way to San Angelo for the slack in the morning. I have been fighting a severe sinus infection and bronchitis all week and I just can't seem to shake it! Well, not that is surprises me making 3 trips back and forth to San Antonio and not getting any rest. But, Mom to the rescue as always is driving me so I can try to rest up to run in the morning. I truly have an amazing support system around me and I am thankful for that every day. I know it is one of my greatest advantages and is one of the main reasons I am where I am today. Setting that arena record this week was a real turning point for me. When I went to rode down the alley to take the victory lap that night, my eyes filled with tears of joy. I felt like I have finally made it back to the top of the mountain....it has been a long, hard climb but worth every struggle and obstacle I had to overcome. I want to thank everyone who has stood by me from the top, all the way to the deep dark bottom, and back to the top again. Weather you have helped personally, had an encouraging word when I needed it, a shoulder to cry on or just supported me from afar....thank you I am eternally grateful!!! Let's enjoy the view from the top for a while.
"It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness." -Seneca
With our blonde hair flying!
Jackie and Princess
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Jan 14, 2009
2:20 PM
We are back on the rodeo trail full swing. Last week was the Texas Circuit Finals in Waco and Odessa. We got off to a rocky start at the Circuit Finals. I had not run Princess since the WPRA Finals in early November and man did we ever feel rusty. I hit the 2nd and 3rd barrels in the 1st go, which was so far from the start I expected. But, I told Mom and Lane after my run that it didn't even feel like Princess and I were going the same speed or working as a team at all. I have been concentrating on my colts the last 6 weeks. Let me tell you, it doesn't take very long at all for your muscle memory or brain to forget how to go fast. I rode terrible and poor Princess just did everything I told her to. The next night, in the 2nd go, I smacked the 1st barrel. I was so frustrated, but I had now hit all 3 barrels, so I knew that in round 3 I had the kinks worked out. In the 3rd round I made a good run, but was 13th on the ground and ended up 6th in the go. I rode better and she worked good, but it still didn't feel back to normal. But, it was a confidence builder going to Odessa.
Before we left on Sunday for Odessa we had the Jack Dube Memorial barrel race that we have annually two Sunday's in January. A cold front blew in and it was bitter cold, but we still had a pretty good turn out. I won 2nd in the 1D on Diamonds, making a really good run. He is really starting to run with a lot more confidence and really has gotten solid in the last few months. I just love him! I won 4th in the 2D on Pita, making a really big bobble at the 3rd barrel. I am really pleased with her progression as well. I am starting to add a lot more speed when I run her and she is smoothing out and really making a catty little barrel horse. I ran Black Betty for the 3rd time ever and totally chickened out and went too slow and rimmed the 1st and 2nd barrel and knocked them over because I didn't have any momentum at all. Lesson learned the hard way.
After the barrel race, Tammy and I struck off for Odessa. It is a 7 hour drive from Giddings and having the barrel race all day it made for a late start and a long drive. I told Tammy when we pulled in at 2:20 AM, this is not the way to pull up to the 1st big rodeo of 2009. She laughed and said, "Oh come on, no one ever said rodeo was easy.' Point well stated. The 1st go was the next morning and the barrel hitting plagued us again. This time just barely brushing the 2nd barrel leaving it. A true heart breaking penality, that proved to be very costly. Tuesday we had the day off and I really worked hard to focus and regroup myself to get my butt back in gear and help Princess. I spent some time that day in her stall 'talking' to her and I really felt like we got back on the same wave length. I knew when I got on to warm Princess up on Wednesday for the 2nd go, we were back in the zone. Everything felt different. She warmed up with sassy confidence and I knew I better kick it out of low because she was about to take me for a ride! I was right, we made an awesome run the 2nd go. We were winning 3rd out of 150 girls that day when we left the slack. My time was really fast (would have placed 2nd in the 1st go) so I figured we would get out of there with a decent check, but there were a lot of tough girls remaining. I ended up placing 6th in a really tough go round, but was so pleased that the money was just a bonus. The real victory was the Princess and I were back in tune and ready to rock and roll!!!
Right now we are driving back home from Lafayette, LA from the slack this morning. I am pleased to report that Princess and I are winning the rodeo at the end of the slack this morning. They ran 63 this morning, there are 40 girls in the performances left to run. Princess smoked a run this morning and I really feel like we should get out of there with a really good check. We literally wiggled every single barrel, but I never felt in danger of knocking one over. It was just like she is so 'on' that she didn't want to give 1 inch of extra room anywhere! It felt SO AWESOME!! When Princess and I are in the zone like we have been the last two times we have run, it all feels auto pilot and effortless. If only I could bottle up that feeling and sell it I would be RICH!!! That is what all of us dedicated and die hard barrel racers dream about at night. I call them 'Gold Buckle' dreams. I am living the dream in real life right now and I am without words to describe it.
A quote for all your dreamers like me out there....
"The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning." -Oprah Winfrey
Ride Hard & Go Fast!
J2
top
January 1, 2009
12:01 AM
Happy New Year to each and every one of you! After kissing Lane to ring in 2009, I thought it would be fitting that my 1st post on my new site come on January 1st, so here it is.
There are a lot of new things happening in my life. Lane and I have now officially started up J2 barrel horses, that is the reason for the new look of my website. This is where Lane's business degree meets by horse knowledge and ability. Lane knew nothing about horses when I met him, but he is learning very quickly and is very supportive and eager to help. Lane is really pushing me to strive forward in my career in new areas. The one thing that I have not done that well with in the past is promote myself in all areas, particularly letting the public into my private life with my horses. I am not one who likes to brag or boost I have always thought it better to let my riding, horses and performance record do most of the talking. But, as Lane and I have set down and talked he has made me realize what an accomplished trainer I am and so you will see a lot more content going up on my HORSES pages. This is not only the horses I am currently training and competing on, but horses from my past. Of course in the retired section you will find my NFR mount Rooster and the foundation of my breeding program Dumplin. In the FORMER horses page you will in the next couple weeks start to see horses that I have trained and won on in the past. Horses that how have proud new owners who continue to win on them. Most of these horses I trained and sold long before people 'knew my name' and were paying attention to what a young little blonde from Giddings, Texas was doing. Their is a whole different kind of pride in seeing a horse go to someone other than you and excel. More than anything these horses have made me lifelong friends and touched the hearts of the people that ride them now. Knowing that I had a part in bringing joy into the life of others motivates me to go out there on a cold, windy day or to keep my nose to the grind stone when all my horses are working bad and it seems nothing is going right. I have learned over the years that a positive outlook over a negative one is the difference between winners and losers and that nothing takes the place of good ol' fashion hard work. Those at the top did not get there down easy street. Also, that you can fall off the top of the mountain just as fast as you got to the top and hit every rock and pot hole on the way back to the bottom. That standing between a rock and a hard place only makes you stronger. That looking up from the bottom to the top it seems impossible and a lot further up there than you remember. But, that you will prevail if you never ever give up, have faith in yourself and a little bit of good luck. That learning to teach yourself is much harder than just having Daddy show you the way, but having faith that he taught you everything you needed to know and more. These are just some of the things that my horses have taught me a long the way. I look forward to another year of learning.....
As I promised before, I will be setting short term goals that will lead up to my year long goal of going into the NFR in the top 7. I also have set a long term goal to be as diligent as possible in updating by website. As I look at the schedule for January, which includes the Texas Circuit Finals, big rodeos at Odessa and Denver, along with smaller rodeos at Lafayette and Alexandria. I am basing my goals for this month off of theses rodeos and the other things I have going on in my life, so here they are.
1) Get all of the rest of the content typed up and to Lane so that he can put it up on the web for all of you to enjoy. This includes the former horses, my bio information, my accomplishment info, a write up on my clinics, and sponsor info.
2) Getting to as many jackpots as I can work in around my rodeo schedule. This is extra important this month to try to get Marilyn and Betty's feet wet in a competitive environment. Also, I am trying a new approach with Pita and Jane so I am excited to see how that is progressing. And of course, my dear Diamonds needs the experience as well so he will join the rest of the pack.
3) My goal on Princess is to not hit any barrels this month. I hate to leave money laying on the arena floor and I have done that too often in the past. I am not going to beat myself, instead make others come beat me. I really want to be more consistent this year and step one is to eliminate penalties.
4) I think it is realistic for me to win $10,000 this month in those 5 rodeos. That means I need to be high in the average at both Denver and Odessa and will need to place at both of the smaller rodeos. It is a big number, but Princess feels great and is rested and ready to go.
5) I also would love to make it to Pocatello to the DNCFR. I have never had the opportunity to go. It has always had a scheduling conflict with Houston, but this year it has been moved. In 2009 it will be in April and I have left that weekend open to go! I will need to win the average at the Circuit finals to make it and that will be a big feat against tough competition!
A quote for the New Year to start things off in the right frame of mind:
"If you look at successful people in any field, you'll find they're not necessarily the best and the brightest, the fastest and the strongest. You'll find they're the ones with the most commitment." -Anthony Robbins
Ride Hard & Go Fast!
J2
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