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Great Falls, Montana hosts the Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo every January as the best Montana cowboys and cowgirls compete for circuit event championships. It’s not an event for the faint of heart.

Along with the normal thrills and excitement of rodeo, you add the quirks of Montana weather. In the past 5 years of attending this rodeo, I remember one year that was so cold (mid forty below) that the hotel parking lot was full of diesel pickups running all night so they didn’t freeze up. Our room was on an outside wall and we were almost sick on diesel fumes by morning.

Another year was snowy and icy, with the roads hazardous to travel. A couple of other years were almost like spring, with temperatures above 30 degrees. Today I drove 8 hours on roads covered with freezing rain and black ice to get here….travel speeds were around 35 mph much of the way. I’m just glad I wasn’t one of the contestants pulling a horse trailer on those roads. Forecasts call for colder temps, more snow and continued bad roads throughout the weekend as people will head back home again.

The amazing thing is that those cowboys and cowgirls who qualified will all be here ready to compete at the 2009 Montana PRCA Circuit Finals tomorrow night. And not just the contestants will be here - rodeo committee members from across the state, judges, timers, officials and fans will all be present despite the weather.

Technorati Tags: cowboys, cowgirls, rodeo, Montana Circuit Finals, PRCA

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Tags: Rodeo by totalhorse
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Lindsay Sears shared the limelight with her horse, Martha, as the pair won the 2008 barrel racing title in Las Vegas at the NFR this past weekend. Martha and Lindsay clinched the title in Round 8 by moving far enough ahead to secure the title. The good mare challenged the arena record several times during the week and won the hearts of many in the audience with her efforts.

The YouTube video below shows Lindsay and Martha making a run in 13.56 seconds during the 7th performance.

Just search for “Martha” and “barrel racing” on the internet and stories and comments abound from people who have seen her compete throughout the year.

Martha makes you feel good just watching her run. What a horse!

Technorati Tags: barrel racing, NFR barrel race, Martha, Lindsay Sears, Canadian cowgirl

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Tags: Random Musings, Rodeo, Success Stories by totalhorse
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Have you ever stopped to think about all the behind-the-scenes support people it takes to put on a rodeo? There are many hours of rodeo committee preparation before the event, and during the rodeo itself a lot of people are putting in their time making sure the rodeo runs smoothly.

For instance, the grand entry may involve horseback riders carrying sponsor flags. They had to get themselves and, often, their horses to the rodeo, practice the grand entry, warm up and groom their horses, and be available for flag runs before and during the rodeo. The video below shows sponsor flags being presented after the recent NILE rodeo in Billings MT.

Of course we expect the contestants to be there. But the pickup men have to be available to pull the cowboys off the bucking horses, and to get the stock out of the arena. They wait quietly for their turn to work.

Chute help works both ends of the arena, helping with the rough stock and the timed events and making sure that the cowboys have a fair chance. Even in the barrel race, you will find helpers raking the ground between barrel runs to keep the arena smooth and fast.

These are just a few of the support people for the rodeo. Each community has a core group of helpers that they call on to make sure the event runs smoothly. Look around next time you are at a rodeo and see if you can spot some of them. And if you do, be sure and tell them thank you. Most of them are volunteering their time and efforts.

Technorati Tags: rodeo, putting on a rodeo, rodeo helpers, pickup men, sponsor flags

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Tags: Rodeo by totalhorse
2 Comments »

What a difference a year makes! Last year when Dickinson ND cowboy, Dusty Hausauer, competed in the saddle bronc riding at the 2007 NILE rodeo, he didn’t know if he would be competing at the NFR or not. He was in the 15th position at the time, but had the possibility of being bumped down during the final tour rodeo. Billy Etbauer ended up winning the 15th slot, and Dusty stayed home from Vegas last year.

This year Dusty has qualified in 8th place in the saddle bronc riding for his first NFR rodeo in Las Vegas, as well as leading the saddle bronc event going into the Canadian championships. For those of you who don’t know Dusty personally, you might not notice him right away. He’s soft-spoken, polite, and has a quiet way of moving. You might find him talking to a group of little kids as he signs autographs out back. He’s only 26, but his talent has drawn attention from competitors and rodeo personnel (and fans) in the last few years.

Dusty had a good NILE this year, to start him off in good shape for the 2009 rodeo season. Friday night he scored 84 points on a good ride on Sankey Rodeo’s horse, Blanco Canyon.

Keep an eye on Dusty Hausauer. Those who follow saddle bronc riding say he has the talent to be a World Champion. It’s going to be fun to watch him get there.

Technorati Tags: Dusty Hausauer, NILE rodeo, saddle bronc riding, NFR qualifier, cowboy

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Tags: Rodeo, Success Stories by totalhorse
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Rodeo performances could not happen without the hard work and dedication of the contestants, but the rodeo committee members and local volunteers also work hard to make the rodeo possible.

Take the Grand Entry, for example.  It just takes a few moments at the beginning of the rodeo, and can be anything from a simple flag presentation to celebrity stars, fancy opening acts, and fireworks. 

Even the simplest grand entry, which usually consists of a mounted rider carrying an American flag around the arena and presenting it while the National Anthem plays, takes some planning.  Who will carry the flag - a member of the local rodeo committee, a local celebrity, a rodeo queen?  Do they have a horse to ride that will allow them to carry the flag on it?  If a song is involved, practice in the arena will be required to get the timing of the song right with the size of the arena, speed of the horse, and where the flag is to be presented at the end of the song.

The Grand Entry for the Wolf Point Stampede, pictured in the previous post, was practiced the afternoon before the rodeo.  Practice included 10 local cowgirls with their horses, several rodeo committee members, and the rodeo announcer.  The announcer explained how local National Guardsmen would present the American flag, girls were assigned their riding order, given flags, and the practice began. 

One girl led the group into the arena at a lope and circled the American flag until a certain beat of the song which indicated that all horses should stop.  Then the National Anthem was played and the cowgirls circled the arena with their flags again and the National Guardsmen marched out.  After this had been practiced several times the girls were given matching saddle blankets for the performance and instructed to wear white western shirts, jeans, and straw hats.

Grand Entry participation also included an “advertising” function.  The 10 cowgirls carrying the American flags in the rodeo were required to also carry flags in the Stampede parade, held each day at 3 pm.

Technorati Tags: rodeo grand entry, mounted flag bearers, grand entries, rodeo preparation

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Tags: Rodeo by totalhorse
1 Comment »

The 85th Annual Wolf Point Stampede rodeo started off with a grand entry tribute to the American flag.  Area National Guardsmen carried in a large flag and then mounted cowgirls carrying more American flags raced around the arena and circled the big flag.  It was a great start to a good rodeo.

Cowboys and cowgirls competing in the Montana Circuit vied for top scores and times in the arena during the 3 days of rodeo.  Barrel racers and rough stock had only one go-round, but the cowboys in the timed events had 2 go-rounds of competition.  A slack performance for the timed events was held Friday morning.

The weather was pretty varied during the performances.  Thursday night was very hot, and then Friday turned cold and windy, with Saturday similar to Friday.

Heather Hart Schwank turned in a good run on Thursday night..

Technorati Tags: Wolf Point Stampede, wild horse stampede, rodeo, wild horse race

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Tags: Rodeo by totalhorse
1 Comment »