12/7/2008 3:45:58 PM  
 
As the year has wound down I really haven’t had much time to write, I am sorry.  So here is an update on what has been going on this fall….
Princess and I have come to a whole new level with our barrel racing.  We have won a truck load of money since August.  As my mother pointed out after watching us run about a month ago, “Well it is about time, it only took Jackie 2 ½ years to get with Princess!”  I laugh at that, but it is true.  Princess and I are truly working like a team now.  I have struggled since I bought her in April of 2006 with consistency.  Switching bits to a hackamore back in late spring has really spurred Princess and I to a whole new level.  I made a late run the next to last week of the regular season and won $10,000 in a week, but it still left me $10,000 short of making the NFR.  I ended up 18th in the world standings for 2008….getting closer but not quite good enough. 
So, out with the old and in with the new.  Seeing the 2008 rodeo season end was bitter sweet for me.  I was really disappointed that Princess and I yet again failed to qualify for the NFR, but I really feel like I had accomplished A LOT with her and setting us up perfect for 2009.  Before, the 1st rodeo for 2009, which started October 1st, I set a goal of winning $5,000 in the few rodeos that I would go to.  We went to Pasadena, Seguin, Bellville, Liberty and Henderson.  I started off not so hot, barely dragging the 2nd barrel over at Pasadena, which had the most money added of any of the rodeos we were going to.  So, I really had to buckle down and get focused to meet my goal!  I came back and won 2nd at Bellville, 2nd at Henderson, 1st at Liberty (by 2 tenths!!) and 7th at Seguin (Princess pulled a shoe at the 3rd barrel which cost us from placing higher)!!!!  So after that run of rodeos I was sitting at $3,500.  With only the WPRA World Finals in Tulsa left to win $1,500 more to meet my goal I was thinking that the barrel down at Pasadena may keep Princess and I from meeting our 1st goal of the season.  But, Princess stepped up and made a good showing at Tulsa.  We were just out of the money in the 1st go with a little bobble at the 3rd barrel.  My blonde bomber came back in the 2nd go and won 6th in the go and moved us up to 6th in the average.  We walked away from Tulsa with $2,146 more towards the NFR in 2009.  So right now we sit at $5,691 in earning towards the 2009 NFR!!!  They have not updated the standings, but the best I can tell from looking at it I should move to #2 in the world!!!
 I have always been a strong believer in setting reachable short-term goals that lead up to achieving a long-term goal.  That is my game plan for 2009.  My long-term goal of course is to make the NFR in 2009, but also to be in the top 7 going into the NFR.  I will be setting a goal at the beginning at each month that will help me meet my end of the year goal.
Right now I am packing up to leave for the futurity and derby in Oklahoma City.  I have two entered in the futurity, Pita and 7L who is Tammy’s.  I have Diamonds in the derby and Black Betty will be making her debut in the juvenile futurity.  I am excited.  All of my colts are working really good right now!  Princess is in Las Vegas with Tammy.  Tammy won a jackpot in Arizona on the way out to Vegas on her.  That was her only practice competition run on and she ran a 17.10 on a standard pattern.  I am hoping Princess will get at least one chance to strut her stuff with Tammy in the Thomas and Mack!!!  So if you see Tammy come down the alley on a pretty palomino yell RUN PRINCESS RUN!!!
I love this quote as I think it is SO SO true…nothing replaces hard work and dedication.  I am working hard to get to where I want to be with my barrel racing.  Are you???
“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work.”  –Oprah Winfrey

Road Diary
 
 8/12/2008 2:24:46 PM  
 
I know I know…I have been a bad bad girl about updating my diary this summer.  Thank you to all of you who have sent emails checking in on me and encouraging me.  So here is the update for those of you who have been patiently waiting…
 
When I left off last time I was headed to Salinas.  That was a little disappointing.  I hit a barrel to win 3rd in the 1st round.  Totally my fault…I checked Princess, she turned…bad jockeying.  I over corrected and went way by the 1st barrel in the 2nd go and was 11th…one out of the money and then over corrected yet again and smacked it again in the 3rd round.  Princess ran really impressive there just like I thought, I just couldn’t stay out of her way long enough to let us win.
 
So we drove all night from Salinas to Odgen Sunday morning for the slack.  I made a decent run.  Not good, not bad just middle of the road, no money.  Then, we went to Salt Lake and I made the same kind of run…just average, just out of the money again.  I was up at Spanish Fork that same night and we pulled it together and made a good run finally and won 5th. 
 
Next, we were up at Cheyenne for our 2nd go.  It was a disaster.  It had rained the day before and the arena was dry except for right around the 2nd and 3rd barrels it was like a lake.  Princess turned the 1st good and when she hit that mud at the 2nd it splashed up in both of our faces and she was done trying.  We turned the 2nd and 3rd barrel horrible and was really really slow.  Rarely do bad runs hurt my feelings…this one did.  Most of the time I chalk it up to bad conditions, or bad jockeying and just shake it off and go to the next one.  Well, Cheyenne broke an egg in me.  I was up at Deadwood the next day, then Kappy was heading back to Texas and I had completely decided that I was homeward bound!  I was frustrated and depressed and ready to throw my sucker in the dirt when I got a phone call of some people wanting to try Mona for their daughter. 
 
So, we went on to Spearfish and that was the turning point!  You just never ever know when that is going to come and it comes in the weirdest ways!  I ended up selling Mona to the Don, Mel and Lexi Hamm in Gillette.  Mona got the BEST home in the world and I am so excited for Lexi, her and Mona are gonna kick some major butt for a long, long time!  When, we took Mona to the vet to do the prepurchase exam, I decided to just drag Princess along.  She hadn’t been limping, or doing anything horrible, but there was a nagging red flag going up in the back of my mind, over the way she had been running and acting.  Come to find out she was really sore in the front and the back end from all the long, hard hauling we had been doing.  Dr. Wade Shoemaker, in Greeley did an awesome job and got my girl all back ready to go and man did that change everything!!
 
Since then Princess and I have been tearing it up.  The next week we went to 5 rodeos and I placed and won good money at every single one of them winning over $7,500 that week alone!!  I won 1st at Great Falls, 2nd at Heber City, 5th at Preston, 7th at Idaho Falls and 8th at Strathmore!!  BUT….at Preston Saturday night I stepped into a hole getting out of the tack room and torn all the ligaments in my ankle!  We spent the remainder of our Saturday night in the ER, fun fun.  I have a hot pink cast on my left leg now so that I am able to ride.  I have to go back to a specialist again when I get home on the 26th to see what our plan is from there.  What luck huh?
 
Last week, I won the rodeo in Afton, WY on Tuesday.  This was my 1st run with the cast on.  I was so nervous I was gonna fall off!!  Princess is working so good and turning so hard I have been having trouble staying on healthy, much less with only one good leg to balance on!!  My Princess is so great though, thank God that she puts up with my accident prone self and takes care of me!!  I love her!  I hit a barrel 1st go at Hermiston and won 9th in the 2nd go.  On Sunday, I won 5th at Omak.  Came out of the week with another $2,000 under my belt and a little confidence that I can ride and win with my leg hurt.  It is tough riding and hurts really bad, but I can tolerate anything to win!!
 
Last night I placed 3rd in the 1st round at Caldwell in the Ariat Playoff rodeo!!!  That was HUGE!!!  The ground conditions were less than favorable, but Princess handled them like a pro.  We had a little bobble on the 2nd barrel.  It was the 1st run where I really needed to stand on my left leg to help Princess into a turn….and my leg totally buckled and turned in under me.  Poor Princess had to do it all on her own and it worked out but I barely made it threw the rest of the run my ankle was hurting so bad.  I had tears in my eyes when I came out and I couldn’t breathe good…I am learning the real meaning of playing threw pain!!  But, a win will heal all aches and I am feeling much better this morning.  We have 2 days off until we are up again and I am thankful for those days of rest!  I am up at Candy and Moses Lake before heading back to Caldwell.  All great rodeos and lots of be won….Princess and I are going to try to go get our fair share of it!!  It is coming down to the nitty gritty and each rodeo counts a little more than the last….it is crunch time and we are at the top of our game…RUN PRINCESS RUN!!!
 
I find this quote fitting with my situation with my leg right now….I have never been scared to dance in the rain…as a matter of fact I find it fun!!  Wanna join me?
 
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass..It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”  -unknown
 
 
 
 

 7/16/2008 12:39:58 PM  
 
Lots to report since it has been a while…
 
The 4th of July run went pretty good.  I won a little over $4,000 which wasn’t as much as I hoped, but a couple knocked down cans kept me from winning A LOT more.  I didn’t place the 1st go of Greeley, but made a solid run and could have easily come back to the short go.  I hit a barrel on my 2nd run….mistake #1.  Then, we went to Red Lodge and I made a good run and ended up 6th.  That night we were also up at Cody (the biggest one header of the year!) and I hit a barrel to win 3rd!  That was a VERY VERY costly mistake!!!  I saved face at the last two rodeos winning 8th at West Jordan and winning 1st at Oakley!!!  So, it was hard to be disappointed because I placed at 3 out of 5 rodeos.  But, the places I messed up at where the big ones.
 
From there we went to Calgary for the Stampede.  Lane flew in to watch me and it was nice to get to one place and stay for a few days.  Last year Princess and I had a hard time up there with the ground and she didn’t work very good at all so I was really hoping it would go better and it did!!  I ended up placing in 2 of 4 rounds and won $4,000.  Again, I hit one VERY costly barrel to get to continue threw to the final round.  But, the Calgary Stampede is the pinnacle of rodeo!!  It was such an honor to be invited back there again this year.  They really roll out the red carpet for the contestants and their families there.  Free stalls, free shavings, free hookups, they feed us a great lunch everyday and the pay off is spectacular!!!  There were a lot of other rodeo committee’s there observing.  I love the tournament format in rodeo….I am hoping some of the other bigger rodeos will go to it like Houston has.  I really think it is the future of rodeo.
 
From Calgary on Sunday we drove all night to the slack at Nampa on Monday.  It started at 7 am but they had all the guy’s slack 1st and we finally got started with the barrels around 8:20 pm.  Welcome to rodeo …hurry up and wait.  I hit ANOTHER barrel to be winning the whole rodeo. UGH!!!  But, there was no time to stop and pout.  We pulled out of Nampa right after we ran at 9:57 pm headed as fast as this truck and trailer would take us for the slack at Cheyenne.  Which was at 10:30 am the next day.  We drove all night and pulled into the Cheyenne rodeo grounds at 9:45 am.  Princess pulled threw despite two all nighters on the trailer in a row and I won 9th in the 1st go!  She is one tough cookie…I love her!!!  She is really running strong right now and that is such an amazing feeling!!!
 
As I type we are driving to Salinas, CA.  We drove 7 hours yesterday when we left the slack at Cheyenne.  We stopped and turned the horses out in a nice big, sandy arena and we all got a full nights rest!  Much needed is an understatement!!  It is about 13 more hours today so we have been plugging away since 7 this morning.  We run at Salinas starting tomorrow morning for 3 days in a row.  I am pumped up about Salinas for Princess and I!  I haven’t been to Salinas in several years, but I think Princess will absolutely love the set up there and I have a feel down deep in my soul that we are going to WIN IT!!  I don’t get that feeling very often, but I have it now and that is exciting!!!
 
I have been really focusing while we are driving on why I am hitting barrels.  They are all just barely.  I had made 7 clean runs in a row before Greeley.  Now, it seems like they are plaguing me and it really frustrates me.  I have been studying video and I have come up with only one thing.  I am trying WAY TO HARD TO WIN!!!  When I relax and just ride my horse the way I always do, we do great.  When there is big money on the line I over ride my horse and try to dang hard and I am messing myself up.  So, I am getting my mental game back under control and tomorrow starts a new day…a new game plan!!!  Just ride the way I ride, let my horse do what she does and let the chips fall as they may.  I found this quote, all I can say is AMEN Michael Jordan AMEN!!!
 
 
“When I step onto the court, I don't have to think about anything. If I have a problem off the court, I find that after I play, my mind is clearer and I can come up with a better solution. It's like therapy. It relaxes me and allows me to solve problems.”  -Michael Jordan
 

 7/1/2008 7:50:55 PM  
 
Right now we are driving from Reno to Greeley where we will start our 4th of July run.  I didn’t fair too well in Reno.  I hit the 3rd barrel the 1st go but only because I rode cautious.  Princess got kicked the night before at Pleasant Grove right before the rodeo.  She got beat up pretty good and I was freaking out.  I ended up running Mona at Pleasant Grove.  She worked awesome, I would have won the rodeo but barely tipped 3rd barrel coming out of it Λ  I was so rattled from Princess getting kicked and trying to find a vet that I was so out of it I am surprised I didn’t fall off.  Good Mona took care of me.  I so pleased at how she is working and running, only being her 5th run or so back from a year and a half lay off.  Anyways, I wasn’t able to get Princess looked at until after the slack at Reno the next morning so I was worried sick about her the whole time and my riding showed that.  She is fine.   One cut above her hock that is still being wrapped and treated to keep it from swelling, but she is one tough cookie!!  My 2nd run at Reno was way better, but just a little sloppy.  My no means a bad run but little improvements to be made on every barrel. 
 
I ended up winning North Platte for over 1,800.  That will bump me up a few holes in the the standings.  I am looking to have lots of big paydays over the next few weeks….keep watching for my name to continue to climb!!
 
The rodeos start tomorrow and are every day this week.  I am hoping for a big big week from both of my horses.  They will be sharing the duty so that they both stay fresh and feeling on top of their game.  I can’t wait…I am so excited!!!  I will be reporting back soon with good news!!!
 
“The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”  
 
Illusions by Richard Bach
 
 

 6/19/2008 11:59:14 AM  
 
Just reporting in from the road.  Right now we are driving across Wyoming headed to Pleasant Grove, UT to run there tonight.  Tammy, Kappy and I have had an interesting start to our summer run.  I left Tuesday morning early from Giddings to go threw Austin to pick up Kappy and head to Weatherford to run in the slack.  Tammy went to watch her son Riley at the High School State finals in Abilene and was meeting us at Weatherford.  Simple good plan….haha nice try.  On the way Kappy and I had a blow out on the trailer.  No problem right?  Nice thought.  We couldn’t get the lug nuts broke because they were so tight.  Finally muscled up and got them broke.  Then, a technical malfunction with the chain that helps hold the spare onto the front of the trailer was holding our spare tire hostage.  So we tightened the lugs back up and turned around to limp back to the last exit for help.  We come up on 3 men and 2 children moving some stuff into a run down abandoned building.  These are the only people or establishment in sight and now we are pressed for time to make it to the slack.  So we go over looking for bolt cutters, which they have, but these are some scary looking men.  Needless to say they helped us cut the chain and we got the spare done but let’s say I was watching them every second.  Then, we pull up on the step and it is not high enough to get the tire on….huge problem number 2.  Luckily it had just sunk in the asphalt because of the lovely Texas heat and we pulled a little further off the road onto the gravel and got it taken care of.  Now we are cutting it super close on time and the barrels is 1st in the slack and we are numbers 4, 5, and 6…YICKS!!  We set a land speed record getting there and made it.  Tammy was winning 2nd when we left and made a great run, Roundpen looked super sharp and that is exciting to see when you are taking off to hit a lot of rodeos.  I was placing but it was a little rusty.  Princess worked good just didn’t fire super hard and got hung in the ground a little at the 3rd barrel.  I was pleased and off we went to the next one.  We drove a few hours and found a friend of a friend of a friend in Wichita, KS to stop and put the horses up for the night.  In the middle of the night our generator quit….we are getting it worked on today. We got up the next morning to ease the last 6 hours to North Platte, NE.  We had another blow out, luckily we had all the bugs worked out from the adventure the day before so it all went smoothly.  Then, when we were nearing the Kansas-Nebraska line the sky starts to get very very black and the wind picks up.  We are not alarmed until we pass storm chaser meteorology vans on the side of the road.  We flip on the radio and we are about to drive smack into a tornado so we pull over trying to decide what to do. A Sherriff’s department vehicle comes up and tells us to turn around and go back the other way immediately the tornado is directly in front of us and coming right down the road towards us.  CRAP I was so scared because we didn’t know what to do or where to go.  But, we out ran it and had to go about an hour and a half out of the way but we made it.   So we are now running a little late too…let’s just say this being rushed plan does not fit into Kappy’s plan.  It is kind of quite comical.  We ended up having plenty time and it was fine.  I am winning North Platte when we left.  I ran a 17.2 on a standard set and Princess smoked.  It felt so easy and awesome.  I am pumped up I think it is gonna be a great summer.  Now, when I got up this morning Princess has pulled a shoe so I am on getting a shoer lined up at Pleasant Grove this afternoon.  Lane is flying to Salt Lake today and his flight has been delayed twice.  We were all talking and laughing that God is challenging us all to see how bad we want to rodeo….the answer is REAL BAD and we are just gonna Cowgirl Up and Get Er Done!!!
On a more positive note….I got a call Tuesday and I have been invited at the last minute the Calgary Stampede again.  I AM PUMPED!!!!  It is such a very rodeo and they are so hospitable and there is such a huge opportunity to win so much money up there.  What an honor….RUN PRINCESS RUN!!! 
This quote is quite fitting for the last couple days…but remember it is all how you look at it and how you handle it that makes or breaks your attitude.  Keep looking up!!
“Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.”
–Henry Kaiser
 

 6/12/2008 8:22:04 PM  
 
My clinic last weekend in Oklahoma was a blast!  One of my best groups of students ever!!!  I had so much fun and everyone made so much progress….that makes it all worth while for me as a teacher.  Teaching always makes me focus in on my riding skills and really start to think about my own techniques and having brushing up on them so I am at the very tip top of my game.  This clinic came just in time for me to spend this week going back to the basics myself and getting tuned up before I leave for my 2 month summer run next week.  Thank you to all the gals who attended…remember it takes 30 days to develop a new habit….slide, lift, horn, rotate, finish and you will get your job as the rider done!
My rodeos did not go as well.  I hit a barrel at Killeen.  I was in the 1st slack and made a really good run but just drug the 1st and 2nd over leaving them.  Honestly, Princess is just working too good and I didn’t go fast enough!!  At Stephenville I made a nice run, but Princess stumbled coming out of the 1st and it cost us.  When she slipped it threw us right on top of the barrel and she had to hesitate to get back on the right side of the barrel coming out of it.  All of that and still just right out of the money.  Princess has just been swimming all week resting up, next week we start on Tuesday with a big push threw to Reno on Friday.  Lots of money to be won and we are going after it!!!
I think the lyrics of this song are very inspiring…they touch me deep down in my heart.  I thought I would share.  Have a great week…and let the rodeoing begin next week!!!
May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when its time to go home
May you always have plenty
The glass never empty
Know in your belly
You're never alone
 
May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
As every year passes
They mean more than gold
May you win and stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone
 
Chorus: Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
 
I have to be honest
As much as I wanted
I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fears surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
 
Chorus
 
My love will follow you stay with you
Baby you're never alone
 
So when hard times have found you
And your fears surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
 
-“Never Alone” by Lady Antebellum and Jim Brickman
 

 6/4/2008 1:49:49 PM  
 

Things are back in swing with a bang.  Summer is here for sure, it has been in the high 90’s every day this week.  I have 6 horses that I am riding or swimming every day (Princess, Mona, Diamonds, Pita, Black Betty and Marylin Monroe) so that is keeping me super busy.  I try to get as many done in the morning as I can most days, while it is the coolest.  But, it seems like no matter how hard I try I never get quit finished.  I end up back out at 6 when it starts to cool off to finish up.   I haven’t had 6 horses in quite a while and I am so tired at night I just sit on the couch and veg haha
Princess is better than ever.  We have successfully flushed 1 embryo out of her that is now in a recipient mare all safe and sound.  So in about 10 ½ months we will have a baby out of Princess by Bugem for Cash (an impressively bred stud owned by Jud Little Ranch).  Princess is bred again right now and will be flushed again on Sunday in hopes to get one more embryo in a recipient mare.  It has been a learning experience for sure, but I am so excited about having a baby for future out of my beloved Princess.  On the rodeo front, things have been slow.  Princess is running great and I so pumped about taking off for the summer run of rodeos out west.  We will be starting on June 17th in Weatherford, TX, June 18th in North Platte, NE, June 19th in Pleasant Grove, UT and finally making our way to Reno, NV on the 20th.  Kind of a big circle from Giddings to Reno but Tammy and I decided it wasn’t too much further to make 3 rodeos and get our horses in the swing of things before the 1st go of Reno.   Princess and I need to knock the dust off and she runs much better once we get in the rodeo mode and start running she gets stronger with each run.  I have been riding so many colts I need to get in the groove of going fast too so I think our plan is perfect to set ourselves up for a successful summer.  I am more excited about this summer than I have been since I took Rooster out.  Princess has really matured and is working better than she ever has and has really become solid since I have started running her in the hackamore.  I see nothing but wins in our future…look out Las Vegas!!
Mona is back with a bang.  She is still a little over weight and lacking some running air but already doing super impressive things!!  She is working awesome and clocking great and has already won over 5,600 in only 4 runs back!!!  I have put her on the market to sell and have someone coming to try her this weekend.  If she doesn’t sell in the next couple weeks, she will be going with me over the summer to help Princess and I in our NFR quest!!
Diamonds is my only man of the bunch and he has been really coming into his own and showing what raw potential he has for greatness.  I swear he amazes me how he can cut the clock off so effortlessly and he doesn’t look that fast either.  Those are the kind you have to watch out for and I love it!!  He placed in the 1-D at the WBR in Glen Rose out of 1,200 runs…a set up that he has been scared to death of in the past.  I was tickled pink!  I have been taking him to jackpots and several CPRA rodeos where we has been doing really really good.  He has a big future that is so special to me since he is Dad’s last horse. 
Pita is really growing and making a pretty horse now.  She got under a fence and skinned her back pretty bad just a few days before we left for Ft Smith.  I wasn’t even sure I was going to get to run her because her back was so sore you couldn’t touch it, much less saddle her!!  But, I got to run her…but the soreness was a huge issue.  She worked good but her back kept her from running, in fact she kind of humped the entire run…poor girl.  Even with all of that we were about a tenth out of qualify back out of 430 horses.  She will be getting a little vacation this summer while I am gone rodeoing, then I will get her up and have her ready for the fall futurities and Oklahoma City in December. 
Black Betty is Dumplin’s 1st baby that I have started on the barrels.  She is 3 and will be running at the futurities in 2009 and I can’t wait!!  She is a carbon copy of her mother…not bad since Dumplin placed at EVERY futurity I took her to, including winning Lazy E and the Elite and winning over 70,000 her 4 year old year!  Betty is smart, spirited and turns just like Dumplin but I think has a touch more speed!  I have her doing the barrels really good and every day she impresses me more and more and has my mouth watering!!!
Marylin Monroe is my other 3 year old that is by Letta Hank Do It out of an on daughter of St Bar.  She is dark palomino and gorgeous and such a smooth mover.  She has a great handle on her, but not started on barrels yet.  She will be going to work cattle all summer and will be started when I get home in August so that she will also be ready to futurity in 2009.  I am so excited to get back in the futurity end of things next year and with these 2 girls I am hoping it will be in a very BIG way!!!
I have a clinic this weekend in Oklahoma I am very excited about.  Angie Littrell is hosting it.  Angie has been to 2 of my clinics in the past and has done a wonderful just getting everything set up and organized, which makes it so nice going into a clinic confident that everything is taken care of.  I am dusting off my teaching shoes and excited about learning!!!  I am going to two rodeos on the way…Killeen and Stephenville so I have a busy weekend ahead of me.  Lane is going with me to help me drive so I can get some sleep before the clinic.  I am excited about him getting to see me teach too, as I feel like it is one of my strongest skills ϑ Plus I love that he takes such a strong interest in what I do and we are getting to spend some extra time together before I leave for my summer run. 
I have a new puppy that Lane got me for our one-month wedding anniversary.  Another precious French bulldog!!!  He is solid white with hazel eyes…his name in Tonka.  He is SO cute.  He will be my new travel companion!!! 
A final note to all of you who follow the standings….my name has officially changed to Jackie Jatzlau now!!!!  It is pronounced yacht (like the boat)- slaw….every one gets a good laugh out of that one and how bad the announcers are already butchering it!! 
“The future depends on what we do in the present.” - Mahatma Gandhi
 

 5/7/2008 11:20:56 AM  
 
Right now Lane and I am on a plane headed home from beautiful Hawaii.  We have been there for 8 days following our wedding on April 26th.  WOW is the best way I can describe Maui.  I was sad to leave today because we have had so much fun on our honeymoon, but as they say all good things must come to an end and it is time to get back to the real world.  Our wedding was perfect, more than I could have ever dreamed of and much more.  Being a bride is like being a real Princess for a day, a feeling I will never forget.  My friends and family were so wonderful making sure that everything was perfect and being there to show their love and support as I was making the transition into the next stage of my life.  The most magically thing of the entire experience was the look on Lane’s face as we stood in front of so many loved ones professing our love and vows to one another.  I truly could see my reflection in his eyes and it was nothing short of amazing.  I pray that never leaves and I am certain that it never will.  The love we have for each other is the stuff fairly tales are made of. 
When I was gone my maid of honor, Whitney Stahl took Princess and Diamonds to Josey’s Jr World in Marshall, TX.  My Mom went with her to help, support and coach Whitters while I was absent.  Whitney did great making the top 50 round on both horses.  A down barrel on Princess kept her from advancing to the top 20 round.  I am very proud of Whitney for jumping on two horses she has never rode before and doing so well at such a prestigious event!!  She has a big future in barrel racing and I enjoy seeing her mature as a rider.
I have a lot on my plate once I get home.  I am entered at 4 rodeos in the upcoming week and I am also shoot a piece of training view.  Please stay tuned the details are to come on that…it is a work in progress!  I will also be working super hard with Pita, my futurity mare.  She is entered in the big futurity in Ft Smith towards the end of May.  I have really high hopes for her.  She has really started to mature now and is one heck of a good barrel pony!  Diamonds will be getting his share of the duty at the rodeos coming up too.  He is my dork of the bunch, but I love him as much and I really enjoy him.  Princess is still going threw the process of trying to harvest embryos, as the 1st attempt was unsuccessful.  We are not giving up, but it for sure a trying process!  I will keep running her, but being more selective due to the breeding and embryo flushing and such.  I did win 5th at Corpus Christi at the Tour rodeo right before the wedding with an excellent run!!  We are still sticking with the hackamore and it is really suiting both her and I excellent.  I really feel like this is the key I have been looking for to unlock the treasure with Princess for a long time…..keeping my fingers crossed it is not just fools gold, but truly the pot of gold!!!
Check my video page as we have started to put the 2008 videos up, starting at Jan 1st and working our way to the present.  Please be patient there are a large number of videos we are working on for your viewing pleasure before we are caught up.  Also, check my schedule page….things are picking up now as we near the start of the summer run of rodeos in June.  I leave you with some food for thought….
“Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
–Les Brown
 
 

 4/17/2008 1:52:30 PM  
 
Hello….yes I am still alive!!!  Things have been crazy around here trying to rodeo, new babies coming and breeding mares, new colts being broke and started on the pattern and of course THE WEDDING just a 10 days away!  Where to start….Princess is doing really good and is bred to Cash Not Credit.  The embryo will be flush Monday and sent to be put in a recipient mare at Royal Vista in Oklahoma.  Then, we will start the process over again to get 1 more embryo out of her and into a recipient mare this year.  I am extremely excited about getting one of my girl’s offspring to run barrels on in the future!!!  I am still running Princess while all of this is going on and taking her back and forth to Elgin Vet who is doing all the technical stuff.  I must say I was a little bit worried that it might affect her performance, but Princess is a rock….she proves that more and more every day.  I have switched bridles on her, which has really seemed to make her run harder and the whole run so much easier.  I am now running her in a Jim Warner short shanked hackamore and so far so good.  I find my only problem with Princess is that she doesn’t need much ‘driving’ so to speak.  I have had more trouble just throwing the reins up there and ‘going fast’ this spring because I am in total trainer mode.  I am riding 5 young horses a day and hauling 2 of them trying to get them seasoned.  I find it hard at times to go back and forth from colts to Princess who doesn’t need ANY help and takes every little command so seriously.  I can’t tell you the mistakes I have made by just ‘over steering’ her and the hackamore has helped to compensate for this.  My best friend, Whitney Stahl will be taking Princess the Josey Jr World Barrel race the 1st weekend of May.  I will be on my honeymoon in Hawaii so I am sending my Mom and Princess to Marhsall with Whitney to kick some butt!!  I won Josey’s in 1995, my 1st ‘big’ win so to speak.  Riley (Tammy’s son, my nephew) won Josey’s a few years ago on Roundpen so it is kind of a ‘Dube’ family tradition.  I am adopting Whitney into the family to carry the torch on Princess!!  Diamonds and Peanut are both running good and coming along just how I want them to.  Mona is back up and I am getting her in shape, since we lost her baby.  I have been riding her a little over 2 weeks now and I am hoping that in another month or so I might get to start taking her a little.  Dumplin had her baby last Saturday, a sorrel colt by Letta Hank Do It.  She will be rebred to Best Credit Me Sunfrost, owned By Jud Little.  I am riding Black Betty (Dumplin’s Dashing By 3 year old) and Marylin Monroe (Letta Hank Do It mare out of a St Bar mare) and have them both walking the pattern.  I am shooting them for the futurities in 2009.  Black Betty is the 1st on of Dumplin’s offspring that I have rode and started on the pattern and it gives me butterflies in my tummy when I ride her, she is just like her mother and that excites me!!  Marylin is a tyical ‘Hank’, super smart and a smooth, graceful mover just like Princess.  Look out in 2009 these 2 girls are the future!!  Last but for sure not least is the fast approaching nuptials.  I have everything in order but the last minute details are keeping me super busy.  I am just at the point where I am so anxious I am just ready for it to get here!!!  My Mom and Carolyn (Lane’s mom) have been a huge help in organizing and doing all the stuff I can’t seem to find time to do!  Lane is a perfectionist and has been very involved from the beginning so that has been a big help as well.  It is going to be a beautiful day….now we are just praying for SUNSHINE!!!  But, it won’t matter I will marry my Prince Charming rain or shine it will be a dream come true.
Until Next Time….Keep on Dreaming….some dreams do come true
Jackie
“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.” –Edgar Cayce
 
 

 3/19/2008 11:25:20 AM  
 
Things are on the up and up.  Since I last reported things have been going good.  I hit a barrel the 2nd go at Austin and ended up one place out of the money in the 1st round.  But, I went the very next day and made a smoking run at Bay City and won 3rd.  Only getting beat by 1 hundreth for the win!!!Peanut hit barrels both go’s at the Speedhorse, but she was very much over matched when I got there.  My rodeo schedule and personal life lately has not permitted me to haul her enough.  Tammy did really well and while we were up there I made a deal with Jud Little to embryo transfer 2 eggs out of Princess!!!  So my trip to was very successful even though I did not win.  I can’t think of anything better than a baby out of my beloved Princess.  All I think of is SUPERSTAR in the making.  So when I am done with Houston Princess will be bred to Jud’s stud No Mas Corona.  Princess will carry the embryo’s for 8 days, then they will be flushed and sent to Royal Vista Southwest to be put in recipient mare’s who will carry the foals.  I am SO SOSOexcited!!!
Last week we ran at Houston and did good and have made it threw to the semi finals which are tonight!!!  My 1st two runs were just ok.  The 1st go I rode a little too hard and didn’t compensate for the huge arena conditions in the Reliant Arena.  It wasn’t a bad run just a little wide on the 2nd and 3rd.  So the 2nd go I was way more conservative….WAY too much!!  Again, not a bad run but not a good one either.  I was 4th both nights and they pay 3 moneys but I was sitting 3rd in the average so I needed to stay there and also win money in the go round to secure a spot in the semi’s.  My 3rd run was really good.  I finally got it together and Princess worked really good and we won 2nd in the round, stayed 3rd in the average and sailed threw to the semi’s.  Now I need to be on my game for every run.  Everyone competing in the semi finals has made money and run good so it is a tougher group of girls now.  Princess has had a few days rest and she is ready for WAR!!!!  If you are interesting in watching us run at Houston tonight it is on DirecTv pay per view channel 121.  It is live for the next 4 days….2 semi finals, the wild card and the finals that pay 50,000!!!  RUN PRINCESS RUN
Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision. -Muhammad Ali
 
 

 3/4/2008 10:23:47 AM  
 
Since I have last report things are continuing on the right road.  Princess is really been running consistent and that makes me so happy.  I make a good run in the 2nd round at San Angelo.  I didn’t place in the round and I end up not making the short go by less than 1 tenth of a second, but I was very pleased with my run and that is just part of it.  If I had to be very critical of my run…I checked her down too much at the 1st barrel and I made her lose some momentum.  Very well could have made up 1 tenth and I would have been back to the short go.  But, I wasn’t disappointed honestly.  I was proud of the 2 runs I had but together and that is how it works….sometimes you win sometimes you just don’t. 
I ran Princess at the WBR in Conroe and I made a really good run to win money in the 1D, but I hit the 1st barrel.  That is the 3rd time I have run her in the WBR set up and the 3rd time I have hit the 1st barrel.  I think it is me….because Princess for sure doesn’t try to hit the 1st barrel EVER.  But, when I come into the arena threw that alley on her I feel like I am really far out in the middle of the arena…really far from the barrel.  When all of a sudden bam I am on top of it and out of wack and I hit it.  I guess some things take time and practice to master….we need more practice!!!!
I was up in the 1st go at Austin last night and made a really good run I am winning 3rd right now.  Austin just started but there were some good girls up last night and my run was pretty good so I think I will hang in there for a check I hope.  I am up again tonight there so I need to come back and make another good solid run and hopefully be back to the short go.  I just love the Austin rodeo.  It is the closest rodeo of the year to my hometown and there are always people I know there watching me run so it is very exciting.
I am up at Bay City in the slack Wednesday then I am taking off to go to the Speedhorse futurity for the rest of the week.  I am really excited out running Peanut!  She ran just 3 tenths off of Princess at the WBR and won money in the 2D.  Her runs are getting more and more consistent and she is a ton of fun.  I don’t think I have ever rode a horse that is more eaten up by barrel racing than this little mare.  She craves it and that makes it so much fun on my end!  She has a ton of talent and ability and I am really excited about getting more runs on her and seeing where that road will take us.
Wedding plans are wrapping up and the big day is nearing.  Things are flying by because the rodeo trail is keeping me meeting myself coming lately!   Lane is my biggest fan and that is so wonderful.  Mom goes with me and Tammy everywhere and is our permanent driver/camera girl.  It is just a family affair around here and having that support system is such a huge advantage.
Mona had her baby last night.  I am headed out to see it.  It is light sorrel for sure…Mom thinks it is a colt but couldn’t get close enough to her to tell.  I love spring time…new babies…wild flowers….everything seems so new and fresh.  Life is good…..hope it is for you too!
“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” –John Barrymore
 
 

 2/21/2008 9:34:26 AM  
 
I got out of San Antonio with about 1,500 which wasn’t quite as much as I had hoped, but still a considerable chunk of money!!!  Princess had a very solid performance in the short go, slipping a little bit leaving the 1st barrel which ultimately was a costly mistake.  The short go was one of the toughest I have seen in a really long time!!  Not one girl of the 12 hit a barrel…in a small pen like San Antonio and after making 3 long go rounds that is amazing!!  I ran a 14.66 and won 7th.  A 14.55 won 3rd…that is a lot of girls in 1 tenth of a second.  That is why I say that little slip was so costly…. But, never the less I was so proud of my girl and am so motivated and fired up about the season now!!  The standings can not be found on line right now.  But, they were in the Pro Sports news this week.  I am not sure what ever ones else won, but I am sure of this...Princess and I moved into the top 15 in the world this week with our strong performance!!!  YEAH GO TEAM!!!
I have had a few days of down time which I am busy busy working on wedding stuff.  I am not up anywhere this weekend as far as Pro Rodeos are concerned so I am going to take my 2 colts to a couple amie rodeos and jackpots.  It is always fun to go play on the horses where there is no pressure to WIN WIN WIN.  I am up at San Angelo next Wednesday to close out February…then starts March and it is literally one after another…I can’t wait, let me at ‘em!!
“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without a total 100 percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.” –Willie Mays
 
 

 2/16/2008 11:08:13 AM  
 
Have you ever noticed that once you get on a roll, things just so easily continue in the right direction?  I am happy to report that Princess and I are on a roll!!!  Since I last reported….I ran my fastest of 3 runs the last night at San Antonio, placing 10th in the 3rd round.  Not a lot of money but I am coming back to the short go sitting 8th.  The times are all really close so with a smoking run tonight I can easily move way up in the average for a BIG payday!  I also went to San Angelo for the 1st go.  Princess and I made a really good solid run.  We didn’t place in the round but were up early in the slack and the ground kept getting faster and faster through the 203 girls that ran in slack.  I think I was like 20th so not too shabby and again there the times are all real close so I am sitting solid there for my 2nd run which will be on Wed the 27th.   I am also happy to report that Tammy got to run Roundpen for the 1st time since his injury last fall and she also did really well!!!  YEAH FOR HER!!!!  We left straight from San Angelo and went to Jackson, MS where I won 2nd to a big payday of $4,350!  Jackson got 159 entries this year and that is always a pretty salty rodeo so when they called out my time I was ecstatic!!!  I am so excited with how Princess is working…it is all just so easy right now.  I run in there knowing that I just need to ride hard and she will take care of the rest…all I can really say to that is WOW what an awesome feeling…this is why I barrel race, this is SO much fun!!!!  I am off to the short go at San Antonio tonight.  Not only excited because I KNOW Princess and I are going to kick butt, but because one of my favorite country singers, Gary Allen, is playing tonight.  Fast barrel runs, big money and good music….this cowgirl can’t ask for much more!!!!  From the mouth of one of the greatest athletes of all time….may we all find some wisdom from these words…RUN PRINCESS RUN!!!!!

I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field. – Walter Payton
 
 

 2/8/2008 12:49:48 PM  
 
Two good ones down at San Antonio…one more to go tonight and we should be back for the short go sitting in real real good shape to come home with a ton of money!!!  My 1st run was Wednesday and it was a real good run.  If I had to be picky she didn’t just snap back as hard as she can at the 2nd barrel….but with my last run being when she almost fell at Ft Worth that was understandable.  I was a 14.77 which is sitting 10th in the go and won’t end up getting money.  But, I am up with a very tough set of girls including Lindsay Sears, Tammy Key, Libby Sweson, Annessa Self, Jana Jarreau, Mary Burger and Vickie Solmonson.  Lindsay and Martha smoked a run and clocked a 14.70.  The ground really varying the times at San Antonio is common so it is best to go off of the girls you actually run against and being in some pretty dang tough company I was very proud of the run I made.  Last night I improved to a 14.57.  I also messed up….thinking HAHA.  I decided I would bring Princess around a little on the back side of the 2nd since she hadn’t snapped as hard the night before.  WOW did she ever come on back!!!  I had to lift my leg and kinda twist in my saddle not to hit it with my body.  She brushed it however and it wiggled and rocked big time.  Stupid me I look back and am just trying to ‘wish’ it up.  When I see it is going to stand I turn around and bam I am at the 3rd barrel….luckily Princess did her job with NO help from her jockey and we smoked it and boogied on home.  A little too close for comfort I must say!!!  I won’t ‘think’ tonight…I am just gonna go out there and ride by little heart out and let my mare do her thing.  Princess is really really firing hard and working her tail off….that is such an amazing feeling!!!  2 down 1 to go for the doe!!!!
Lane is gone this week to Colorado skiing on his bachelor party so the dogs and I are hanging out doing a little cleaning.  I am going to take my 2 colts to a couple jackpots this weekend and enjoy a little down time before San Angelo and Jackson at the beginning on next week.  Wedding plans are coming along very good….it is all just right around the corner and with rodeo season in full swing it makes it all go by faster!! 
I will let you know how I am sitting after tonight…RUN PRINCESS RUN!!!
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies WITHIN us.” -Unknown
 
 

 2/4/2008 11:32:42 AM  
 
I bit of good and a bit of bad at Ft Worth.  Princess ran really good in the 1st round and I placed 6th.  Sitting very solid to make the short round I was very focused on my 2nd run to just be solid and consistent and leave the barrels standing.  WELL…..of course that was not in the cards.  I turned an awesome 1st barrel and Princess really fired hard in there so I was pumped.  Going to the 2nd I was really riding hard because I skimmed the paint off of it in the 1st round so I was gonna try to push her a little by it for a little bit of insurance to not hit it.  And as planned I got her by it and was in great shape until she slipped and lost her whole back end behind the turn.  She slipped sideways and I almost fell off it happened so fast.  We ended up coming back on the wrong side of the barrel.  Poor girl it happened so fast she didn’t even know what happened and fired on to the 3rd.  We ended up with a NT but I just treated her like she had won the round because she was real proud of herself when she came out.  I on the other hand was completely heartbroken because it was nothing I could control or done differently….just part of the game.  But, Princess really worked nice and I am pleased that the vet got her fixed and we are ready to rock and roll at San Antonio Wed, Thur and Fri.  She continues to amaze me in the amount of heart and try she has.  She is a winner….we just gotta prove it!!!  We did really well at San Antonio last year and there is serious $$$ there so we are gonna let the blonde hair fly!!!  On a side note, Diamonds will get to contribute this week at Belton Thursday morning….I am very excited about getting him seasoned and ready to be a contributing part of Team Dube.
“To measure the man, measure his heart."
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes
 
 

 1/29/2008 10:33:50 AM  
 
Well Denver didn’t go good, though I will say it was a much more pleasant drive than last year!  The roads were clear and the weather was good which was nice.  I will say that it is a LONG LONG trip from Giddings, TX to Denver, CO and back if you don’t win!  I thought we were never going to get home….it was as if they kept moving Giddings further and further away.  It was probably because I was thinking all the way home about what went wrong and how to get it remedied before Ft Worth Wednesday. 
In the 1st go I made a pretty good run…actually fast enough to place, but she cut me off real bad and I hit the 3rd barrel.  A problem that plagued me in 2007 when I was having soundness issues with Princess.  No matter if it is a big soundness thing or a very minor one this is the way she shows me.  She is so dang tough that she will never ever limp so I have learned that she tells me in a different way!  I have always said horses can talk…you just have to learn how to listen when they tell you something.  So I guess I don’t have to tell you already things went downhill in the 2nd go round.  I didn’t hit a barrel but my time was really slow.  She still cut me off terrible at the 3rd but I got her by it, then blew out so bad I could have stuck my leg out and hit the 2nd barrel on the way home.  SO………I got a vet appointment Monday morning and she was sore.  Not a major thing at all but we injected her stifles because she had a little fluid on them.  Luckily they weren’t bad enough that it will keep me off of her.  I am still going to get to run her tomorrow at Ft Worth and I am confident I will be riding a completely different horse!!!  I know my Princess she is a tough girl….but even the toughest of horses get sore in this game.  I feel confident that we got everything lined out now all we have to do is WIN!!!
I find this quote to be so true….. I should be a master barrel racer when it is all said and done.  Until next time keep smiling! 
“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.” –English Proverb
 
 

 1/12/2008 5:58:34 PM  
 
Things keep heading in the right direction in 2008!  I was winning 2nd when I left Lafayette!!  They had already run 50 and had 24 remaining to run, but I should come out of there with a real good check.   Princess is really firing now that she is back in the swing of running again.  The rest this fall really did her a lot of good though.  She is so pumped up and firey about running again and it is so nice to feel her really crave running again!!  Princess will be getting the next week off, as I will be headed to Arizona with Diamonds and Pita to run in a futurity and derby in Phoenix at Dunn’s arena.  I am really excited they are both working really really good and it is nice to get back in the futurity scene again.  It is very rewarding to me to go compete on my babies that I have put so much time and energy.  I am keeping my fingers crossed because I think both of them have a real good chance of winning!!! 
“In everything we do, our own thoughts can help us succeed, or they can help us fail.”  -Catherine Pulsifer
 
 

 1/10/2008 11:10:48 AM  
 
Well, we had major rider default in the 2nd round at Odessa. Princess has gotten the fire back in her for sure after having such a long vacation this fall!!! She took off with me in the alley and we were hauling butt to the 1st barrel...all ok until I paniced and said WHOA WHOA...of course being the good girl she is Princess took that literally and he hit the 1st barrel. But, it is hard to be mad at her when she was only following my instructions!!! I didn't even kick her the rest of the run, drug the 2nd barrel over leaving it as well...but still clocked very very good. I am so excited about this year!! Princess is a year older and a year more seasoned....I just have to get that threw my thick skull and we will be good to go!!!
Mom and I made it home about 5 yesterday afternoon and it was nice to be home and in my own bed curled up next to my special someone again last night!! I have to get back in the groove of being gone. I have been home since September and I have gotten a little spoiled to having a 'normal' life....getting back in the rodeo mode has a new challenge now since I am engaged, have my own house and a ton of colts I am working with. But, running Princess is exhilerating and it only took one rodeo for me to remember why I do this!!! I am taking off right now headed for Lafayette, LA...I am up in the performance tonight at 7:30. Mom says she is going to put ducked tape over my mouth haha. I am confident and ready to roll...NO MORE PANICING I know she is going to do her job great and we are going to win if we just leave the barrels standing....seems simple enough!!! I think this quote speaks volumes...I will have great news tomorrow after I win tonight!!!
Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain. -Anon.
 

 1/7/2008 10:57:21 PM  
 
2008 has officially started with a bang!!!  I won 8th in the 1st go at Odessa today!!!  I made a really great run…I went so fast all I can really remember is I lost a stirrup, had to reach down and set the 2nd barrel up and I couldn’t find my whip on the way home…Mom says that is a sign that I was going really fast haha so I guess that is what the point is anyways so I was very happy!!  It feels so good to start the new rodeo season off on the right foot.  Mom is here with me and we are staying here in Odessa and I run my 2nd go on Wednesday morning.  Then I am up at Lafayette on Thursday night.  Welcome to rodeo in 2008…..it is going to be a great one!!!!!!!!   I love the thought of new beginning this season…with the hope of a very different end to this rodeo season…one that end with the bright lights of Las Vegas….RUN PRINCESS RUN!!!!
 
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.  ~Author Unknown