Change of Plans

I woke up with a set plan of action to conquer the day. The game plan: load queen clothes and accessories, pick up horse blanket from my best friends, pick up chaps from Robby, hitch trailer, load Max, arrive early with plenty of time to settle and warm up Max and chit chat with contestants. The reality: a quite different story. It started off right on track and with a perk! Nathan took off work early to drive me to Little Rock so I don't have to do so alone. Despite truck key switch ups and daily to dos interfering  we hit the road at 3pm thinking we'll get there just on time. 

All was going smooth until we hit Russellville. Good Ole RussVegas. Let me add, I went to Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR for two years and NEVER witnessed traffic on I-40. Never. We sat at a standstill for 45 minutes. Provided, it did give plenty of time to do makeup and get ready. We attempted to relieve the tension by singing crazy songs really loud... but eventually I had to face it. We were going to drive three hours and not get to do a queens run. I called the pageant director to let her know I would probably be late and got exciting news that due to an added performance, the queens runs got pushed back to 7:45! 

Upon arrival, I did a quick and calm tack up. Threw on my sash and hat and trotted Max around for about 10 minutes. Not long enough. We got to the coliseum just in time but Mr. Max was not a fan. He's never been road indoors before and the noise seemed to echo. He started trying to buck before our run but then did not even want to lope! He just got all bunched like a balloon ready to pop! I got him to finish out with a decent run but he was not happy. 

During the PBR I had the privilege of visiting with the five talented young ladies vying for the title of Miss Rodeo Arkansas State Fair as well as the current queen. And of course, did some autograph signing and photo taking. After the performance, I rode Max in the coliseum for a good forty five minutes. When we were finished, he was drenched but still had white in his eye because he was still on edge. I gave him a long cool down and walked him a round a while outside because it was pretty cool. 

We arrived home at 3am. The last 30 minutes of the haul were brutal! Loud music, windows down, our eyes were still slamming but we had one more rodeo under our belts and wrapped up the fall season. Now to practice, practice, practice until the spring rodeo season!

 

Husky Hoedown!

I officially participated in my first school visit as Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks! I absolutely love interacting with kids; they were absolutely fantastic! The event is a fall fundraiser to raise playground money for the students. Parents, students and others gathered to play rodeo related games, face painting, and purchase silent auction items (very similar to a fall festival). The school faculty supplied me with a GIANT queen chair (although I did not do much sitting) and a perfect spot to greet families, sign autographs and take lots of pictures.

I have 2 book fair visits, one veterans day assembly and one class presentation already schedule! If you or anyone you know would like me to a school or public event, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Rain, Rain...

This weekend I had a full schedule including attending the parade and helping with the stick horse races at Highfill Hay Daze, signing autographs at the Apple Festival in Lincoln and attending the Ozark Fall Carnival at Parson's arena. At 6am Saturday I awoke by thunder and had to put buckets underneath the roof leaks... that was a sure sign that Saturday was not going to go as planned. But I am NOT complaining about rain. As Luke Bryan put it, "Rain is a Good Thing"! Instead I spent the rainy day getting ahead on homework for the week and working on projects around the house. As a result, my weekly post is not going to be what I had planned. 

Even though I was unable to attend public events this past weekend, my duties are evident throughout the week. Being a rodeo queen extends a privilege of being a role model and taking every opportunity to promote the positive aspects of rodeo. Paisley is my boyfriend's  4 year old niece who tends to like the idea of riding a horse but is a bit nervous about actually getting close. That being said, if I was 3 foot tall looking up at giant animal, I'd be a bit timid as well. But when I asked her if she wanted to ride with me, she nodded her head without a hesitation. In a matter of minutes Paisley was manning the reins while I led her around as she named the different parts of the saddle and bridle I had just told her about (reins, stirrup, horns, seat, bit).


The next day (Thursday) an 8 year old boy, Collin, who is moving in next to the arena, kept watching us while we rode. When I started cooling Maximus off, Collin asked his parents if he could come up to the fence. I walked up and offered for him to pet Max then offered a ride (with his parents' permission of course). Collin was almost too confident so I had to warn him that you can never be too careful around a horse, especially one you don't know. The boy helped me cool off max, as I led him around, and he told me all about life! I'll be looking forward to seeing him around the arena once they get moved in.

It is truly an honor to be able to teach kids about horses, first hand. Even if it is just one or two, it is a difference made nonetheless.