Monthly Archives: August 2012

By Lynette Harbin I don’t normally wear cowgirl hats. I leave cowboy hats to my husband. But I enjoy wearing decorative headpieces, as long as they’re cute and look good on me. That’s why I was willing to try a Whittall & Shon Navajo cowgirl hat. From the selection I saw on the company’s website  Continue Reading »

One of the most intriguing questions I have for contestants that have won multiple world titles is if there is one gold buckle that stands out more than the others. Yeah, it’s a tough question. What I’ve learned over time is that there are wonderful things about each, and it’s hard for the cowboys and  Continue Reading »

One of the realities of my 3-year-old daughter’s Monday-Wednesday-Friday preschool schedule is that she’s home with me two days a week. I can look at my busy days and see this as a hindrance – and I sometimes do – but today I choose to look at it as a beautiful opportunity as I work.  Continue Reading »

I’m still awaiting official word on the PRCA standings – which will be released later today – but it looks like the dogfighting has begun for those hoping to secure their spots in the field for the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Take bareback riding, for example. Matt Bright, 29, of Azle, Texas, won two  Continue Reading »

The first time I told Tate Stratton’s story was nearly a decade ago when he was an up-and-coming bull rider in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He’d just won the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo, and he was hoping to make a name for himself riding bulls for a living. Fast-forward to 2012, where Stratton is  Continue Reading »

It didn’t take long for S.O. PerksAmericanRose to make a statement in ProRodeo. In just her third rodeo, the 5-year-old sorrel mare guided Tara Timms to the title at the 2012 Silverton (Texas) Buck Wild Days Rodeo. “She’s come on for me really nicely,” said Timms, 21, of Sudan, Texas. “I sold my rodeo horses,  Continue Reading »

Sometimes it’s nice just to play catch-up with someone. It’s been a few years since I first visited with Tara Timms, a young cowgirl who won the WPRA Junior Championship in 2008. I did a story about her winning that title for Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the WPRA’s official publication. I visited with her earlier  Continue Reading »

American Royal Parade will take place in downtown Kansas City on Sept. 29 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Midwesterners will have an outstanding opportunity to say thank you to all who have served in the United States Military during the 2012 American Royal Parade. The annual downtown Kansas City spectacle will be highlighted and kicked off  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in the August issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of the WPRA. Be sure to get yourself a copy. Whether they’re a two-time world champion like Brittany Pozzi or a newcomer like Nikki Steffes or somewhere in between like Kenna Squires and Jean Winters, the WPRA Qualifying  Continue Reading »

SILVERTON, Texas – World-class horses lead to world champion cowboys. For those who competed at the Buck Wild Days Rodeo last week, the men who ride bucking horses saw that over and over again. But one particular animal athlete, Carr Pro Rodeo’s Centerfold, really showed off inside Wood Memorial Arena. “She had two really nice  Continue Reading »

Youth get a great chance to learn about the world, themselves in just four days KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Life’s lessons come in a variety of ways, but Al Davis likes it when they come a little old school. That’s one reason why he likes the American Royal’s Ranch Camp, a four-day adventure in which  Continue Reading »

One of the amazing aspects of my job is learning some things about people I don’t know. Whether it’s visiting with an injured bareback rider from Alberta or interviewing a barrel racer from Pennsylvania, I have an opportunity to do something most people don’t. It’s an odd combination of being curious, which I am, and  Continue Reading »

Today marks a new beginning for me, TwisTED Rodeo and Rodeo Media Relations. Since Dec. 1, 2008, I’ve divided my time between the growth of my business and the growth of my youngest child. It’s an odd combination of an upstart company and Daddy Daycare, and it’s an awesome blessing to have both maturing quite  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Kaycee Feild is just 25 years old, but he’s already established as one of the very best bareback riders in ProRodeo. Already he’s a world champion, having won the title a season ago. He’s qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo four times, and in the last nine months, he’s won four  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Jeanne Anderson won both the year-end and the finale titles last year in the Prairie Circuit. She’d love to do it again this year. With just a month and a half remaining on the regular season, Anderson is the No. 1 barrel racer in the region, having earned more than $6,800. “It’s  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Dusty LaValley and Matt Bright know the pressure of the brightest lights in ProRodeo. Both bareback riders are two-time qualifiers to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and they’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like to strap their hands to the backs of the best bucking horses while riding in the biggest spectacle of  Continue Reading »

The past two weeks has been quite busy, and I’m very thankful for that. In fact, a check of the front page of ProRodeo.com reveals just how busy. Of the top nine stories on the PRCA’s website, six of them are ones I produced. Really, it’s more of a tribute to the blessings that have  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – To be the very best in the world, it takes talent, luck and a lot of consistency. Still, ProRodeo’s brightest stars don’t always shine, and the elite cowboys in the game sometimes struggle being consistent. That happened Friday during the Lea County Fair and Rodeo with Clint Cooper and Dean Gorsuch. Cooper,  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Since Dec. 1, 2011, Kaycee Feild has won more than $400,000 on the backs of bucking horses. On Thursday night, he assured himself even more by testing his world championship spur stroke against the nasty moves of a world championship beast, Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal. It worked out for 89 points  Continue Reading »

SILVERTON, Texas – It takes great commitment for annual events like Buck Wild Days Rodeo to continue to improve. But that’s just what happens in the quaint community of about 600 people. In just three short years, the Silverton rodeo has become the talk of the Texas Panhandle and everyone involved in ProRodeo. Why? Carr  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Travis Sheets knew a few things about Carr Pro Rodeo’s True Lies, but he wasn’t sure exactly what it would be like to ride the 9-year-old bay gelding. “I’ve seen him a couple of times, and I’ve heard good stories about him,” said Sheets, a saddle bronc rider from Hyannis, Neb. “I  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Kanin Asay’s first Xtreme Bulls title came in 2007; now his sights are firmly set on the second championship. He made a big move forward on Tuesday night by winning the inaugural Lea County Xtreme Bulls event in conjunction with the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. Asay placed in both go-rounds and  Continue Reading »

SILVERTON, Texas – Every cowboy knows he needs a good horse underneath him if he is to be successful. The members of the Buck Wild Days Rodeo committee know that, too, which is why Pete Carr and his staff from Carr Pro Rodeo are producing the Silverton event for the third straight year. “All the  Continue Reading »

I arrived in Lovington, N.M., this afternoon, driving in from Dodge City, Kan. I’ve gone from one Wrangler Million Dollar Tour rodeo to another. They’re very similar in many regards, but they’re pretty different, too. Last week, Roundup Rodeo had a short round, which meant contestants qualified for Sunday’s final night by how well they  Continue Reading »