Welcome to JKs Rough String Ranch

Welcome to the Rough String, and thanks for stoppin' by!! Grab a hot cup of coffee and sit a spell!
10/22/18 You will see a name change on the blog. Lots of things have changed in my life in the past few years, and I feel compelled to share my story.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Harney County Reined Stock Horse Futurity~Part 3~Final

~I have some clashes with my horse, 
but we're both high-strung as can be.~
~L. H. Wheeler 1899~ 


It was a pretty hot day, and it felt good to take a break after the dry and fence work. Colt and Whisper were at the horse trailer sharing a hay bag and relaxing. Cindy Sue and I headed into the fair in search of something to eat. We found a good hot dog with delicious grilled onions and peppers.

The Ranch Horse class was being held and it was fun to sit with friends in the grandstands and watch. I think the most exciting to watch was Whisper's owner's grandchild...10 years old and fearless. That kid makes us all look like a bunch of wimps!!! He can rope like he's shootin' an arrow...amazing!

But time was closing in on me...I got Colt bridled up again...time for the final event...roping.

Last spring I had asked my good friend Mary if she would be one of my two heelers (you get two in case the first heeler misses). She'd been coaching me at the brandings, and I felt really comfortable with her in the pen with me. Stewart Severe had been giving me a couple of roping lessons...he offered to help in the pen too, so I had a good crew to help me.

Of the six - 6 year olds in my class, one rider chose not to rope, so that left 5 horses. We were last in the draw. The rule is that once a cow had been roped, it's marked and can't be roped again. There is a 2 and 1/2 minute time limit.

My first two shots were misses...and I totally wasted my second shot because of my lack of patience to wait for the cow to present itself properly...but my third shot was a catch!!!

Makin' the catch!!

With my first two shots, I was trying for a smaller cow, but Stewart said "catch the big one"...she was set up just right...so I did. My gosh...poor Colt didn't know what to do with her...she was probably 700 pounds, and he'd only dragged 200 pound calves before!

Colt pulled for all he was worth!
None of this roping is the easy part...the catch is just the first part, then you need to drag it for the heeler to catch...and Colt gave it all he had. Stewart came in first for the heels and missed...then he said "It's up to you Mary." Mary came in behind, told me to keep it moving, and scooped up the hind two feet slick as can be!!! That's my girlfriend!!!

I took out the first two missed shots to make the video shorter...



You can tell I was pretty excited, and I had tears again...but we got'er done! I was so happy to see Mary there at the other end of that cow...it was even more exhilarating to me than the fence work...probably because I'd never done it before. BTW, if we had not made the catch or gotten the cow turned within the time allowed, we would have gotten a zero score...and we would not have placed...no pressure at all ;~)

So, at the end of the day where did we land?

1st place total score was 283.5
2nd place total score was  277.5
3rd place total score was 270.5

Colt and I took 2nd place...just 6 points behind the professional trainer...and 7 points ahead of the other professional trainer!!!

WhoooooHoooooo Colt...what a ride!!!

2nd place in the 6 Year Old Class!

Breathing a sigh of relief...we did it...we competed every year since Colt was a 2 year old...we placed 2nd or 3rd every year...we achieved our goal and surpassed all expectations.

Colt is a very exceptional horse. A friend told me that it will be a long time before I find another horse like Colt...and he's right. Colt's willingness to be trained has allowed me to get him here. I can't say how proud I am of this horse...he'll probably be the best horse I'll ever have the privilege to train and ride. Thanks Colt for just being you.

Thanks to all of my personal friends and neighbors who have helped me, and thanks to all of my internet/blogging friends. Your support and comments through the years have helped me so much. I raise my lil' glass of wine to you and say "cheers!"

Of course, last but not least, is a huge Thank You to My Man. He's put up with a lot of stuff...a wife that can be a lil' bit high-strung and a wife that spent a lot of money on getting this horse trained. I didn't hire a trainer, but with all the lessons, shows, and equipment, I'm afraid to add it all up! My Man has been there for me as often as he could. Head photographer, head EMT (equine maintenance technician), driver, gofer, whatever...and the shoulder to cry on when needed. I can't put into words how much you mean to me~

OK...on to our next adventure!!!

17 comments:

  1. wow! you go girl.
    That made my eyes sweaty too.

    I'm so proud of you! Good Job!

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  2. Oh, that brought tears to my eyes too! You two are so awesome, I'm so very proud to get to watch you two come along so far. I could see, lol, Colt looking like "What in the world did she rope that big one for?" lol, but he gave it his all!! What a great horse with a great rider. I was cheering with ya!! Put a big smile on my face :)

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  3. That was AWESOME! You have every right to be proud of how far Colt, and yourself have come. I LOVE that even though that cow was more than he's done before he never ever quit on you.

    Congrats!

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  4. Woo-HOO! Nice job!
    But let me get this straight...You had to turn the cow over?!? What's with that?
    Congratulations! You've done a great job with Colt, and he's done a great job for you!

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  5. Awww, so happy for you! What a horse you have in Colt! What a team!

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  6. I am so proud of you and Colt- girl, you're living your dream. You did a wonderful job on Colt, and high five for placing right up there with the pro trainers and giving them a run for their money. I was so impressed with Colt in the roping video; as you said, he gave it all he had. That horse has heart.
    And hey- thank you for taking the time to blog about all this, you have been inspirational and I've enjoyed following your journey. I hope you show Colt next year.

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  7. Im so happy for you! Thats a big commintment to go for that long and make it to all the shows.
    Sure looks like an interesting program, I would like to do something like that but sure would be afraid to try to rope a big steer like that! Congrats again on a great job with a great horse!

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  8. Yay for you and Colt! That's gotta feel GREAT, girl! Congrats to the two of you!

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  9. Well that gave me tears. What a tremendous accomplishment. I am so happy I have found your blog and honored that I got to peak into your life. Thank you! Here's to many, many more!

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  10. Congrats on everything you & Colt have achieved and thank you for sharing it with us :)

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  11. Yee ha, way to go girl. I can hardly wait to see what comes next.

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  12. EvenSong~Turning the cow shows that your horse can maneuver the cow...this is a technique used for doctoring or branding.

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  13. Oh my gosh, SO AWESOME! Congrats! That is a BIG cow to drag, go Colt! You guys look so great!

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  14. What an incredible adventure. Thanks so much for taking us with you.

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  15. YEAHHHH! Congrats to you and colt, great action shots and video too...:-)

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  16. Just awesome Karen!!!! I'd be so proud of Colt (and myself) that I'd probably bawl like a big old baby...these things are emotional! What a huge accomplishment, and obviously you've had a lot of fun doing it, and that's what really matters in the end. Enjoying what you do. Big ole thumbs up for the two of you!!! Great pictures, each one. I've lived in this state my whole life (51 years) and have never made it to the roundup. Can you believe it? I'd love to go, but I always forget to arrange time off from work. Sooo many things I want to do and working just gets in the way of me living my life! Someday!! I got that Mustang I told you about. He's pretty cool. Can't wait to start riding him! :)

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I love your comments! Let me know what's on your mind~~