Dec. 16 (click to enlarge image)
This month has been busy. First to Vegas for WPRA meetings, and then I got to cheer on the girls at the Wrangler NFR during the first four rounds. It was so good to see all my friends. I sure miss seeing all of them this year. As excited as I was for them, it was sure hard to be sitting on the sidelines. The good news was that I got to meet a lot of the fine people who put on the rodeos that we compete at during the year, the Pendleton committee, Joseph, Or., Bremerton, WA., Calgary Stampede, Hastings, NE, Red Bluff, Ca., Santa Fe, NM, Santa Maria, Ca., and Pretty Prairie, Ks, just to name a few. My sincere thanks to all of you who help put on a rodeo; you are the lifeblood of our sport!!

Then I spent the last three days at the King’s Pen in Inola, Ok. putting on a clinic. We had a great time. I think I learned as much as they did! Communication skills play such an important role at clinics. We had a wide range of ages, and I had to work hard at explaining things so that everyone could understand, but it is so rewarding when their faces light up, you know they finally got it. We had a great group of girls, and I can’t wait to see their names in the results!

2009 is finally here. We entered Denver today, and Odessa entries open this week, too. We will be going to Ardmore to a barrel race this weekend so that I can make some runs on Amigo.

October 6
Finally, it's next year! (2009 season for me started the first of October) I finished the season at Hope, Ark., riding Amigo. He did good and ran the fastest time!! (It was an 2008 rodeo, but counts for '09 circuit points) I also ran him at Tulsa and won fourth. He is feeling good and shows no signs of the old injury. We still have some work to do getting back the form he had before the injury, but it's coming. I am so excited to have my main partner back!!

2008 - A rebuilding year--Amigo had surgery to remove a bone chip in March and was out the rest of the season. Praise God, He sent me Goose, (a 6-yr-old grey gelding) who had to learn to run barrels at the pro rodeos. He has the perfect disposition for a rodeo horse. He learned his job well, and has been making some good runs. He won third in the first round at Albuquerque against most of the top 50 horses! The final standings aren't out yet, but we made the top 50! I am so thankful to Total Health Enhancement Company, Professional's Choice, EquiPride, C.R. Moore Motor Co., and Cowboy Rigs for their support. Not only are the great companies, but they make great products--check the TEAM Amigo page out!

We qualified for the Prairie Circuit Finals held in Kemper Arena in Kansas City the end of October. I'll probably run each horse twice, so Amigo doesn't stress anything. If any of you can make it, the KC Royal is a great rodeo. It starts Thursday night, then Friday night, and two perfs on Saturday. Come by and say hello, I'd love to meet you.

2009 holds much promise for me. I plan to run both horses as the arenas and ground dictates. Amigo has had a good rest, and should really be firing come January. Goose will get some time off, after the circuit finals.

Thanks again to all of you who have prayed and supported me, you mean a lot to me.

Tana

September 19 (click to enlarge images)
Well, the week started out well, and went downhill from there. Jeanne and I ran at Albuquerque Saturday and Sunday (after going to Abilene, TX and Carlsbad, NM). Goose made an awesome first run at the NM State Fair, but with speed comes mistakes and he missed the second barrel the second run. Sure could have used an average check. We stayed and watched slack. We got moved to third in the first round by Jill Moody and Kelly Mabin- Hey we're in good company. (I haven't seen the final results as I am writing this.)

Jeanne's horse was sore, so I got in with Deb Renger and we drove to El Paso. Deb's young horse did well, I didn't ride my very well. We (I should say Deb) drove back to Albuquerque after the rodeo. My mother had come to Albuquerque to go back to Oklahoma with us, but she stumbled and fell after the Sunday perf at Albuquerque and had to have a pin put in her leg. She is doing well and is back in Red River, but has some rehab ahead of her. She would enjoy hearing from her friends (575) 754-6552. Our moms are so special… there are several moms who travel with us gals--Jill Moody, Denise Adams, Shali Lord, Megan Reichert, Brenda Mays, and many others. They make this lifestyle possible, and we all owe them a great deal. Some other mothers that I saw this week were Kaylee Holt's mom, Rhonda, and Sue Etbaur who came to help Trell make the allnighter from El Paso to Amarillo slack. Again, THANKS to each and everyone of our moms!

Speaking of moms, I have to brag again. My son Brodie is in Stephensville at the ACRA (American Calf Ropers Asso.) Finals. He roped very well in the #1. I am so proud of him, he works so hard at his roping. I really have a new appreciation for that event; those guys, and their horses, are truly finely-tuned athletes. This life has some disadvantages, and not being at your kids' events is definitely the worst. Brodie is 17 and really prefers to go without us, but I would still like to be there. Thank goodness for cell phones so we can keep up with each other!

Well, I'm sitting in the OK City airport waiting for a plane to Colorado Springs. The WPRA board is meeting the next two days on rule changes. We have our work cut out for us. It's time to go forward and mend some bridges.

Next week I am entered at two Arkansas rodeos, Hope on Friday and Harrison on Saturday. With Goose sore, I may crack Amigo back out. I'll probably take both of them. Those two rodeos will end the season for me, it has been a rebuilding year, but with Amigo healthy and a great back up horse, 2009 will be a great year.

Tana

August 28
It has been a while since I have given an update. Sorry. Goose and I have been going mostly to Prairie Circuit rodeos, and I have been home. I am working with Amigo every day, riding, stretching and rehabbing. He is doing great, my patience seems to be growing shorter, though, but I will not run him
until October. It is too easy to hurt something after a long layoff. I have also been riding Cutter (bay 12-yr-old gelding). I have run him at several jackpots and rodeos. I ran him at Coffeeville at the rodeo, because Goose needed a rest. We won third in the first go! Unfortunately, we had a major equipment malfunction the next round.

This weekend, (Labor Day) we have 4 rodeos in our circuit. Jeanne (Anderson) and I have run at Vinita (Wednesday) and Elk City (slack Thursday). It was slick at the second barrel at Vinita--I was sitting second, but i depends on the ground conditions for the rest of the performances. Jeanne was winning Elk City after slack, and I hit barrels. Sometimes it is hard not to get down on yourself, but that's when the tough get going and find a way to win.

I am at Jeanne's house waiting to go to Longford tonight. We will run at Hastings, NE, tomorrow. Right now I am about midpack for our circuit, but I have fallen out of the top 50, so I really need to cut my head in the game and ride my horse better and win some money. (The top 50 qualify for the limited entry rodeos next winter.) We will run at Ft. Madison, Iowa, Wednesday morning in slack.

July 13
Yesterday was packed full. I got to attend the PRCA Induction Ceremony at the Hall of Fame. Wow, it was a great event. Paul Tierney, Bobby Hurley, and Tom Reeves were inducted. They all were so humble.

I was honored to sit with LaRae and Kelsie as they watched as Shaun Burchett (their late husband and father) was inducted. Shaun's dad, Randy spoke and accepted his plaque. He did a great job. It was neat that Kelsie got to see her dad on the big screen. He was killed in a car wreck when she was just a baby. She has grown into a beautiful young lady andI know Shaun would be proud. Although we shed tears, it was a joyous and great moment for their family. For those of you who didn't know Shaun, he was a 2x World Champion Steer Roper. He was fast. He set new world records a couple of times. Shaun liked to win first, and he did, often. I wonder just how fast he might be now had he gotten the chance.

Rodeo might be an individual sport, but it takes many, many people behind all of us that make it possible.

Thanks to all of you who keep me in your prayers, encourage me, and help me out. Next, I visited the new WPRA office. It is really a neat building with a western flair. Hopefully the new computer system will be up and running before the 2009 season and the girls in the office can take a breather! Brenda, Jeanne and I were the last three barrel racers of the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs. Brenda and Jeanne both placed, and had we not knocked the third down, we would have won a bottom end check. OK-- got to brag on the Goose. He made an awesome run at Laramie last night. Brenda was winning it with a 17.2 and we ran a 17.33. We were sitting 3rd, so hopefully we'll get a good check!!

July 11
I'll try to catch you up. We ran in the mud at Greeley our first run. The ground was good the second night, Goose did OK with the Greeley monster, so I was happy. Brandie Halls told us of a barrel race at Henderson, so we loaded up and went down there. I thought Goose could use a couple more runs. The first day, we made a decent run and ended up winning it. I should have quit then. The second day we tipped the first, and the third day was worse. We went back to Brandie's and waited for Brenda Mays. Brandie decided to vet release the next week because Slim is still not right, and she doesn't know what is wrong.

Jeanne, Brenda and I went to Casper on Tuesday, Goose had a good first barrel, but his third wasn't very nice. I was a half second off the good runs. We drove to Sheridan that night, so we could run the next morning is slack. It's a long run to the first barrel out here, and all standard patterns. Our first barrel was really good, but the other two weren't. We were 4/10 off the nice runs, and Goose bled a little. The climate is so dry out here, where it has been so humid at home. The difference in altitude, the hauling and the big runs--all contributed to his problem. The vet gave me Lasix to run him on to keep him from bleeding. I should have my butt kicked. I should have thought about all of that, he just wasn't in good enough shape. So now I am really working on his conditioning between rodeos, and hopefully after I get home, he won't need the Lasix.

We headed toward Vernal, Utah. We spent the night at Rawlins at the fairgrounds. They just built new bathrooms with lots of nice, big showers!! It was so nice to let the water run and enjoy the water! Awwww, the simple pleasures that you take for granted when you are home. The next morning I saddled Goose and told the girls to come to the arena that I needed a riding lesson! Brenda's mom, Lynn, is very good at explaining things, and Brenda and Jeanne rode my horse and talked me through my turns. Goose is so different from Amigo. They must have down some good because we had a good run that night at Vernal, we just missed the checks!

June 25
Today I am cleaning out the trailer and packing, getting ready to go on our July run. I am entered up till Cheyenne so I'll see how the grey Goose does! He really likes to run barrels, he can really shut down-immediately--so I am having to learn to ride a lot more aggressively. Jeanne (Anderson) and I are up in the slack at Springdale and on the 2nd and 3rd at Greeley. Then we'll meet Brenda Mays at Brandie Halls' and the four of us will go to Casper, Sheridan, Vernal, Laramie and Colorado Springs. It will be so good to see the girls again. The best part of rodeoing is the great friends you meet--and these gals are the best.

Marty is taking my trailer to the shop to pack the wheel bearings, change the oil on the generator, check the brakes, etc. I am so blessed to have him. He does so much to make it possible for me to go. I could not make it without him.

June 13
Hello everyone, I have been having computer glitches so I am behind in my road report. I will soon be back on the road and will keep you a little more up to date. The word is good on Amigo. We checked him this week and I have the OK to start riding him very lightly (walking & trotting every other day) for a couple of weeks. We will be very careful not to overdue it, but it is time to start the rehabbing.

The great news, though, is that my young horse, Goose, is doing great. He pulled a check the first weekend I took him to the rodeos. Last week, he smoked a run at Hugo and we split second with Mary (Burger) and Fred!! I guess that I will enter Colorado Springs, Vernal, Casper and Sheridan the second week in July. (We have to enter now.) Jeanne Anderson and I will run in the slack at Springdale and in the perfs at Greeley over the Fourth. Then we'll just stay and go to the others. I will have to ride Goose more like an old campainer than a green horse to win, but I think he's up to the task.

We are in Duncan at the Oklahoma High School Finals with Brodie. The Stephens County Fairgrounds is a really nice indoor facility and the people are very supportive here. The kids are putting on a great rodeo! The young guns coming up will keep our sport alive and moving forward!!

First of all, I want to say how blessed I am. Sometimes we begin to take for granted all the wonderful blessings that God has given us, His love, our family, our friends, and our horses. This past week, I have been reminded just how blessed I am.

Brandie Halls says 'that if you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plan', I thought I had a plan for the year, but now I KNOW God has His plan for me. Sometimes we get to running ahead of God, and He has to tighen the reins and sit down hard and get us to Whoa and back up, and be still--so we can hear from Him.

Last Monday, we found a bone chip in Amigo's ankle, which they did surgery Wednesday and took it out. He'll be recovering for the next couple of months, so I'll be staying closer to home. I had to leave him at Elgin at the Vet Clinic for 10 days, which is really hard on me. I'll go get him this week.

Now, I'm going to have to get Goose (my 6-yr-old gelding) ready to run at the rodeos. He made his debut at Austin, ready or not. He did great under the circumstances. He looked into the crowd the first run, but improved 3/10ths on his second on his second run. I was so proud of him. He likes to run barrels, he just hasn't figured out how to run yet. But he is really fun, a lot different than Amigo, but a fun challenge.

I will try to keep you up to date on Amigo and Goose, but today, stop and thank God for all the good things and great friends that He has put in your life!--Tana