05/28/2026
Last night we hauled to Pueblo for a barrel race at an arena we never been at before. So that’s 2 new arenas for Tomcat in 2 days, both outdoor, both standard patterns. This race didn’t have a youth division but I still chose to go and enter in the adult open because we really need that kind of practice.
Because the truth is, I signed up for the Run at the Roses 🫣 do I know what I’m getting myself into? Absolutely not! Am I still going for it? Well do you know me?
But for the past month or so, I’ve been taking over the responsibilities of trainer as well as being the mom, horse owner, chauffeur, videographer, cheerleader, saddler, schedule planner, and the one making sure both the kid and the horse are fed, healthy, rested, and happy and that’s a bit nerve wrecking. But at the end of the day, I’ll always do whatever I can for my girl.
And after Sober Cowboys, I realized we simply weren’t ready for outdoor races yet. So before this run, I told Juliette: “I want a tight first barrel. That’s the goal tonight.”
And she did get closer.
Was it perfect? No.
Was it fast? No.
But she did exactly what I asked of her.
I’ll be honest… at first I was disappointed because the time was slower than usual. And even though she still won the 4D open and brought home a check, I didn’t immediately feel excited about it.
Not because I compare her to anyone else… but because I know what she’s capable of.
But sometimes growth doesn’t look like faster times. Sometimes growth is fixing the weak spot, even if it costs you speed for a while. And if we want to compete at bigger races, we have to be willing to build the foundation first.
So no, it wasn’t our fastest run. But maybe it was one of the most important ones yet ❤️
Always and forever proud of her!