Thankful, Grateful and Blessed....

Oh Lord, it's so hard to be Humble...

OK, you have to be old to finish that song! But honestly, I see a lack of humility and an inflation of pride among barrel racers as a whole. I get it. I do! I am super proud of my ponies from this weekend! But.... ya'll... you have to stop and thank God for your BLESSINGS!!! I see so many that fall and blame God. I see so many that want to walk away and throw down that sucker into the dirt. Did you stop and ask God what is going on? Or did you blame Him for what ever it is that is going wrong? Do you realize that for everything that has ever gone wrong in my life (and oh Lord, it's a LONG LIST!) I have just as many BLESSINGS! We all fall into the well of self doubt, self pity, self loathing. Guys, we have got to STOP. We have got to look UP and pray! We need to thank God that our horses didn't try to kill us while we were in that arena!!!!!! So we didn't win. But Holy Cow! Did you see that run? Did you stay on your horse? Did you HAVE FUN??? Did you die? If you look at it as fun vs winning/loosing, I think you will be blown away at how your outlook is before and after a race! Also, if you look at race results..out of 200 runners, only like 25 get a check. So are we doing this to win??? Or are we doing this to have fun? If I was barrel racing to provide food for my family, I'd be living under a bridge with my horse and my dog. Seriously!! I am so blessed to have a husband whom supports my barrel racing habit!

Now some of you might say "yeah but you have a nice horse and you do win a lot". Guys, I have had everything from a 10D horse to a 1D horse. It doesn't make hills beans what I am running. I am Grateful, Thankful and Blessed. I had the $500 with saddle appaloosa that was green broke. We hauled with a beat up 70's model stock (in the 90's) and a chevy van! That horse was so cool! We had our ups and downs, but we had FUN. To this day, the only time that I didn't have fun running barrels was when I let it get in my head that I had to win money. Or when I surrounded myself with negative Nancy's!! That is the other issue. Your circle should be supportive and encouraging. If they are not....Maybe you need to either try to build them up or walk away. I have had a lot of "friends" that really just needed me to share with them about how to turn their thinking around and bam....they figured out how to be positive! I have had way too many that, no matter what, they were going to be negative, verbally bash others, and pass judgement on every single detail of everything. I have learned that I have to pray for these folks and just walk away.

Back to the main point of this post. Our God is a Loving God. When you are struggling...perhaps you are looking down and not up? I know that things can go south fast. Like seriously bad. I have dealt with so much bad stuff from the death of friends/family and my beloved animals. I have survived a lot too. I don't want to air my laundry but, I have been to the bottom. That is when we need to look up. We need to stop and ask God to help. Sometimes we want to blame Him for our troubles. But I can say that for every bad thing that has happened, I have been doubly blessed! My good out weighs the bad! ALWAYS! Just the fact that I wake up every morning is a true blessing! Stop counting all the negatives and start counting the blessings. I promise that you will start to see the light at the end of the tunnel! God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. Perhaps he is diverting you to the path you are meant to follow? I know that I have swirled around in the woods wondering what in the world is going on then, all of the sudden, there is this huge path smack in front of me! Its AMAZING! I literally lost my only competition horse due to a freak accident. He is still alive but he cant run for me anymore. I didn't think I had anything to compete on. I mean....I had the 4 year old (Lynx) and the 5 year old who liked to buck....what was I going to do??? Guess what? I loaded up Lynx and he began his career!!! God closed one door and literally opened another that has been such an awesome path!!!



1. Count your Blessings not your Faults

2. Be thankful, grateful and blessed

3. God is ALWAYS there FOR you not AGAINST YOU but sometimes you need to look UP to see this.

4. Always be thankful for your ability to go make a run, ride your horse, have a horse........

5. Don't let others get in your head and take away your JOY.

That One Horse

We all have that one horse.You know. The one that makes us who we are today. The one that you wish you could keep forever. The one who taught you a lot and worked so hard for you at the same time. Some of us are blessed to get more than one. I'm very blessed to say that I have personally been the proud owner (or owned by) at least four of the version of that one horse! T.J. Was my first horse. He taught me all the things NOT to do when running a barrel horse. He also taught me grit. He taught me to listen. He taught me to be more aware of what is going on. He died too soon at the age of 19 in the fall of 2005. Next was Gabe. Yes I had a few between T.J. and Gabe but I have to skip over Thomas I didn't get as much time with them as I have Gabe. Gabe was that $800 yearling full of piss and vinegar from the get go. He was a hard nut to crack but on the inside, he has a heart of gold. But he wants things just so. He taught me to rejoice with the little accomplishments. He might have been a 3D local, 4/5D at big shows sort of barrel horse but he won his far share! Gabe is now 17 and retired. He has done it all from team penning, barrel racing, moving cows and right down to giving lessons. He also was able to carry my child through a year of playdays. If I had the money, I would put the $3000 in to him to fix what ever is wrong with him but honestly, he is fat, happy, and totally earned his right to be a sassy pasture ornament! When we were running, he gave his all. He was honest. If something was wrong, he told me. However, that punk would devour a set of reins, lead ropes, and in some situations, someone else's tack set! Not even kidding! He won a saddle, a buckle and a ton of other little things. He also won a lot of money! But due to weird circumstances, he is now just retired. Lynx is next. Lynx is my weirdo barrel horse! He is now 11. Born on our ranch out of a mare that was also born on our ranch. Oddly enough, he is the result of my hand picked bloodlines on a budget! I didn't plan on keeping him. Nope, he was for sale as a yearling and no one wanted him. Can't blame them. Despite his pedigree, he was an ugly ducking! Some how he ended up being mine. That blonde spot on his neck was something he was born with and he also has one on his front ankle. I had a dream about him before he was born and knew what he would look like before he hit the ground. Sure enough, my dream came true! He came out exactly like I dreamed! None the less, I had him for sale for $1500 and no bites. Finally I managed to get him from my dad and bring him home. I had no idea he would be the athlete that he is today! He has won about five buckles (I really need to count them) I don't even know how much money, and 3 saddles to date. I have never, in my life, had a horse that would run full speed to the first barrel and wrap it! It's a feeling like no other! I also have never owned a horse that ran in the 1D/2D at most all of his races! He is quirky. He has his special little things that I do just for him. He likes a routine. He wants me to say "Are you ready?? Lets Go!" In the alley! He loves his "special care" before each run and he is insanely jealous of attention that I give to anyone when I am riding him. He doesn't like me to answer my phone when we are riding. He hates anything heavy on his head. In fact, we ride in a super light snaffle with a super light headstall at home and we run in a super light bit. Even my race day reins are light and without snaps. To this day, no one has ever run him on barrels except me. Dee and Robert Carlton broke him and put a trotting pattern on him late in his 2nd year. But no one will ever run him except me. With that being said, he is an awesome lesson horse!! He will pack the kids around all day long. He rides like an English please horse at home (too fast for a western pleasure horse). He is a phenomenon! It just so happens that we bred Lynx's Dam back and Goose aka Perks on the Fly came into my life. Another well bred foal that no one wanted. He was born a gurlla and yes, I also had a dream about him before he hit the ground. I even have a sculpture that I made some 25 years ago that matches his markings. True to the mare's off spring, Goose is also quirky. However, he too went off to Dee and Robert and came back with the same pattern as Lynx. You can literally put their videos side by side and see how they maneuver around the pattern. Goose has had some really random stuff that we had to work through. Luckily I learned how to listen. Finally, at age 7, he is being entered into barrel races!!! I had to get some help though and I am not ashamed to say, I just don't have the trust bond like I do with Lynx to push Goose on the pattern. Well, God threw a 20 year old into my life whom is assuming the position of Jockey for Goose. I am super thrilled with how he is taking to his new life as a barrel horse!!! I have no doubt that he will give Lynx a run for his money! I really enjoy riding him at home. For the first time in my life, I have two that I really love to ride! Its just sort of crazy that they are maternal brothers!!!! They are both big boys! Zbar Lynx To Cash stands 15.3 hands and turns like a little cutter. Perks on the Fly stands 16.1 hands high and also turns like a little cutter! How on earth did I get so lucky to have these two??? Oh yeah...I am blessed! All in all, I have to say that God has really put the right horses in my path and the right people to guide and help me along the way! We might have to deal with some quirks here and there. But I feel that God has a plan for me! He is not done with me! So I will keep on riding Lynx and Goose and if I am really blessed, I will get one more foal out of Roxy (their Dam). I will be 40 in January and I am looking forward to the next chapter with Goose as my wing man and Lynx as my rock star! So when you loose "that one horse" understand that it might not be the end but the next chapter. Like I said, I have been blessed with 4! Don't give up. Just be patient and wait. If your heart is really in it and you trust God, your life will be filled with wonderful horses! I would not trade all the heart ache for the blessings that have been put on my plate!

Complex Migraines. Life.

So lately I have been hammered with head pain (right side only), numbness in my face, right arm and right leg as well as pain in my right shoulder. After several doctor visits, testing and more testing to come, we "think" it is complex migraines. Basically a migraine that affects all these things and lasts for 4-6 weeks. It hurts. It sucks. It's life. Now to manage them. I'm confident that my neurologist will get me on the right track! 

In the mean time I was told to do something today that was hard. I was told that due to my health, I need to stop. I need to not do what I was planning to do. I can't go to Houston to celebrate my moms birthday, I'm a "I got this" person, I trudge on and keep trying to be "normal" ignoring my body, I wait until it's far past the initial issue before collapsing. Why? Because that's my personality, and I don't wNt to not be able to do things. Also, I don't like to let people down. So I keep going. Today I was told I am not going to Houston, my doctor said I cannot go. 

On one hand I am sad but on the flip side, being told no or giving permission to stop was relief. I was trying to figure out how to balance my pain, my numbness and my son along with driving, staying over night, driving more and such. Anxiety? Yeah. Was it possible for me to do these things? Sure but after I would pay the consequences. In fact I think I'm paying the consequences from the last time I tried to do it all. 

Where does this leave me? I need to learn to accept the things I cannot change. Accept who I am, what I can and cannot do and learn to put my health first. My health, my child, my husband, my home. But first, my body, and my body said to STOP. 

I'm praying that if I stay home, rest and get started on some sort of plan with my neurologist I will be able to rodeo. I just need to get that plan in action! But I have to finish the testing first. So while I am doing that, I'm going to chill. I'm going to take care of myself. My son. My husband and my home. (Critters too of course). Perhaps next week I will have a plan in place and can get back into the arena! God I hope so! 

I am keeping my horse in shape. I'm just doing it via 4- wheeler since my leg and arm keep going numb and I don't want to fall off my horse! I'm pre entered for a race in September so my goal is to be back to normal by then. GOD WILLING. 

This time last year.....

Looking back....this time last year.....I began to feel my torn him in ways that truly knocked me to my knees. I was trying to work for the fair. I had my son in day care. My horse was doing good but every run crippled me. I finally decided to get checked out about this time last year. Labor Day is when I was told that surgery was in my future. My life was a totally different life this time last year. I was trying to start a new career with all sorts of new adventures. However, God kept putting up road blocks. From my hip to my truck breaking down numerous times, Kolton got sick a lot and overall, I was stressed. The new life I was trying to start was taking a toll on my family. 

God has a plan y'all. We have to listen! I really wanted that career. I really thought it was perfect! But no. God had other plans. While I was struggling to be the best employee, mom, wife and me, God was saying STOP.  I wasn't listening. God told me stop many many times. It literally took me collapsing for me to hear him. I'm not a quitter. I am persistent. Hard headed. When I get something in my head, I have to finish it. I was HUMBLED. And to this day I thank HIM for that. No, God doesn't hurt you. No, he doesn't cause you stress and pain. But he does speak to you and he does want you to listen. I needed to SLOW DOWN. I need to be at home. I need to work on the issues at hand before taking on more. So we lost a paycheck but my son got his mama back. My horse is in shape. My business is growing. And guess what? We still have food on the table! 

Moral of the story, when you feel stressed, broken and/or just down right stretched too thin, STOP and pray. LISTEN for the answer. I could have saved my whole family a lot of stress by walking away from that "dream job" this time of last year. I would have not been in so much pain that I was dang near wheel chair bound. I could have spared my husband and my son from seeing me drop to my knees, crying in pain. All for a pay check? Some times we need to stop and reevaluate our situation and make adjustments to get back on HIS path for us. I am sure that there are many forks in my road and that I will soon stay once again but I am praying that I have the STRENGTH to stop and listen! Don't get buried so deep that you can't hear your own cry for help. Don't let the love and light of God bet shut out of your train of thought. 

Just something I wanted to share. I think we all have these moments where we forgot to stop and listen! 

WPRA

One thing about life, it is full of surprises! I just jumped off a cliff and signed up as a WPRA member...what does that mean? It means I am going PRO RODEO!!! WHOOP! I was blessed by a couple of friends who want to see me live my dream. One paid my permit fee and the other paid my first rodeo entry fee! I feel so blessed to have so many friends that believe in me! I honestly could not do this without the support, moral or financial, of these awesome friends! I do believe that every thing happens for a reason and God placed these friends in my life for a reason. I intend to pay it forward! In fact, that is all they asked is that I pay it forward! So on Sunday I begin my career as a professional barrel racer! Lynx and I will be running at BRAT Barrel Racing in Alvarado, TX. It is a co-sanctioned barrel race with WPRA. I need to win $1000 to fill my permit and then I will be a full member. I never had WNFR dreams except to go watch. But now that I have a horse that I truly believe can do it, my perspective has changed tremendously! I told myself we had to WIN the 1D at least 3 times before I take on this challenge. We have now won the 1D (that means we were the fastest time of the day) 4 times. We have placed in the top of the 1D many more times than that here in the last few months. Upon reaching my goal, I decided its now or never! I am 35, married with a 3 year old son. I have a nice little trailer and a truck that needs some TLC. BUT I am going to rodeo! Cowgirl Up! Its time to chase my dream!!! If you know of anyone who might be interested in sponsoring this Rookie, I am more than willing to advertise in exchange for sponsorship! From patches on my shirt to logos on my truck/trailer.....I will even add them to my blog and my Business page www.facebook.com/rachaelsequineservices ANY dollar amount will help! God has blessed me beyond belief and I will be giving all the glory to HIM. Over and out for today and thank you for keeping up with my crazy life!

Life is life....live it!

So I have been riding horses since I could sit up but really I didn't get competitive until I was 11. That is when I started taking English riding lessons. Yeah, English! It taught me a lot about body position, control, and balance. My folks bought me my first horse, TJ, at age 12/13. I'm a January baby and he was my Christmas present! Best thing ever! To this day I have to say that he was the best Christmas gift I have ever received! My son will count for my best birthday present :-) My life was not all perfect but I lived it this far. Still we all struggle from time to time with this and that but I am learning to appreciate the little things. It's hard some times to stop and just say "wow. I have so much to be grateful for! I have my family, horses, a house....." Instead we do the havenots. Those are the " I'm broke, I'm hungry, I'm tired, my truck is old, my trailer leaks etc." But shoot. I have a truck! I have a trailer! I have something to load in that trailer! 

So my question to you is....do you want to live a blessed life or a havenot life? I'm choosing blessed! Yes, I need to fix some things with my thinking on a daily baises but it's all in my head. So I vow to spend a little more time watching my horses eat grass, my son sleep, the sun rise and set over our land and most of all, appreciating my husband. Without him, I know I would be in a havenot life. 

On that note. My sweet hubby works his tail off all week long to put food on the table and support my horse habit. Bless his heart! I'm sure glad we took 7 years of dating before getting married because he can't ever say that he didn't realize how much my horsey habit would be a life style not just a habit! If we didn't have horses then we could go on vacation or live in a fancy house....but then what would I do? How would our son do? I know for a fact that having responsibilities such as animals really help a kid get a grasp on reality. BUT they have to have pride in their accomplishments. We as parents cannot do everything for our child. We have to let them learn and develope a sense of responsibility. I encourage every parent out there to stop FEEDING their kids horses, dogs, cat, whatever! Stop riding them for them! Stop just stop! Let the kid learn to do it themselves! All of my "failures" have only made me stronger. All of my struggles and bumps and bruises....yeah, they molded me into a stronger person. My folks never fed for me. They never clean my stall. They never rode my horse. It was ME. Even my show animals. Even when I was sick! All me! My animals depended on me. I knew that and I put them first (right along with school) and I still do. My son knows we have to feed the animals before we eat. He knows (3 years old) that we have to ride to be able to go to the barrel race. He knows that we have to pick up our trash so the animals don't get into it. Might seem odd to some people when my son comes to their house and he starts picking up trash and putting it into the garbage but that is who I am raising. A responsible boy who will grow up with a strong self worth. A strong set of morals, goals, pride, and responsibility! 

Ok, that is all for my words of wisdom today! I sure hope that mommy (me) can be a good role model for my son throughout his life by never giving up. I want to be the mama that my boy is proud of. I want him to say that I am a great person and strong. Won't it be cool if I can hit the rodeo road and share some of that lifestyle with my son? I can't wait! 

A little history...

So I realize now that my horse, ZBAR Lynx to Cash is "new" to the world of barrel racing. Recently he has been winning in the 1D and I'm sure a lot of people are asking where we came from. So, here is a little history!

I bought Project Hold On with my dad back in 1999. She is Special Effort, Dash For Cash, Easy Jet and Raise Your Glass. She does have full AQHA papers vs appendix due to her speed index of 83 I think it was. Anyhow. She is a super LONG mare. Almost freakishly Long bodied! Horrible to ride because of her long back and short cannon bones. I knew I had to breed her to something short backed with a pretty head (her head is not so pretty but don't tell her that!). I chose a nice own son of Doc's Lynx out of an own daughter of Magnolia Bar. He was an older stallion but built like a Mac truck and PRETTY! He won a lot of points in roping and working cow horse etc. He stood 16.1 so I figured with the mare standing 15.2 we would get a nice sized foal. Not to mention that this  foal should be level headed and an athlete! The filly came out as a pretty palomino with a star, strip and two left socks. Unfortunately she was born when I had left the family ranch to become a County Extension Agent living 3 hours away. She was foaled in 2001. I am Aggie class of 2001! Whoop! Anyhow, Roxy (her barn name) was spoiled and did not go to school until she was six. She was a bit of a brat. My dad said "pick a stud and let's breed her!" Ok, will do! I went back to a stud we had used in the past named Pepos Peewee. He was a black stud and an own son of Peptonita out of an own daughter of Sugar Bars. He was all of 28 when we bred Roxy to him. All of his offspring are very easy to train and willing to do anything for their owners. You could say they all have a huge heart! 11 months later, Lynx was born. I had a dream about this colt. I knew we would be a tad bit of an ugly duckling but I knew he had a star and a left sock. I knew he would be something special one day. A week after my dream I got the call that Lynx had been born! 

Of course when the cell phone pictures got to me, I knew him from my dream. He was awkwardly tall and a little long necked with a huge head. But something drew me to him. Regretfully I had to place him for sale for my dad as a yearling. He was a hard keeper and well, dad wasn't into keeping geldings, colts, fillies etc. So, I put him up for a whole $1500. No bites. Like I said, he was kind of an ugly duckling! Well finally, around September of his yearling year, Jeff and I made dad an offer and lynx came home with us. 

I have a good friend who worked with me to get him 90 days of riding. I personally gave up breaking colts and really wanted a good foundation put on him. Boy oh boy did he come home with a good foundation! Dee and Robert Carlton did such an awesome job! They had him from august- November. When he came home, I was amazed at his willing attitude and his abilities. He has never been an in your pocket horse but none the less, he was special! Shortly after he came home he slightly bowed a tendon playing in the muddy pasture. So he got three months off. When I began to ride him again he was just as broke as he was when he was fresh from the trainer. Then I got pregnant! I could not ride with my baby in my belly. So he went back out to the pasture. Kolton was born in January of 2011. We moved to Wills Point two months later and finally it was time to ride. Gabe was coming back into shape and running good. Lynx was being hauled along and ridden. Nothing much. He did great but being 4, and still growing, I didn't want to push him. July of 2011 Gabe flipped over backwards tied to a fence. He was lame. Still is really. So it was time to move on and start riding Lynx and/or Trip, a little mare I acquired along the way. Trip was nice but went on to a calf roping home. I started to exhibition Lynx and he was slowly loping the pattern. He liked to slow lope and turn tight. I finally got up the nerve in November to ask for more. He shocked me with winning the 4D. Next thing I know we are hauling around. He kept getting faster and we kept trying to find a bit that was light enough but still had whoa. He was so touchy! He would cut right out from under me with a bit in his mouth! That big boy cuts like a little horse! Finally I had a hacks more made by JD Morrow. It was perfect! Then I got sick. I had to have some organs removed. Man oh man was I frustrated! From June 2012-December 2012, I was basically off my horse. We did make it to Elite in November when lynx acquired a lung infection. He had a triple lung infection that kept him at the vet for 6 weeks while I was having surgery. We seriously thought we had lost him. At this point he was 3D and getting faster. But we didn't realize he was a silent bleeder and had so much scaring in his lungs that he was holding his breath when he ran. We were all clear to start back to riding January 1st. I don't think my vet thought he would come back like he did! We went to Glen Rose that January and did pretty good. He just kept getting faster! 

We won our first buckle in the 2D. It was a six week series and we only made it to 4 of six. Mary Walker was there and helped us in the alley the night we won that buckle! I was so tickled! 

I got a job and tried to keep going. But between working, raising my son and the quickly growing pain in my hip, it was hard. We ran when we could. We made it back to Glen Rose in August of 2013. He tied for 20th in the 1D. WOW! Over 500 horses! But at that point I knew surgery was in my near future to repair my completely torn hip. I was doing good to walk without crutches. Back out to the pasture he went. Right along with his half maternal brother Perks on the Fly. (Same dam, sired by Perks Alive). Surgery for me happened before thanksgiving 2013. It was bad. It was very very very bad. After it was all said and done with, my doctor told me there was only a 10% chance the surgery would have worked. I spent that three months loving my horses through the fence. At 7 weeks post op I brought my saddle into the house and worked on just sitting in my saddle. It hurt but I had to try. At 11 weeks my doctor told me that even though he said 16 weeks before I can ride, he wanted me to ride. He said "it's who you are. You are a barrel racer and I think not riding is doing you more harm spiritually. You need to get back in the saddle so go ride!" It was cold and wet but I rode! It hurt but a good hurt! I think Lynx was glad to have me back in the saddle! At 13 weeks I entered up! I did leg him up from the ground for six weeks. I just had to do it in a way that it didn't hurt my hip. We also started back on FASTRACK. That helped him from the inside out!

Lynx came back strong! I did too. We had to learn how to ride all over again since my hip had been damaged for so long. But it's now June 2013. Lynx has won around $2000 since we started back in FEBUARY 2014. He has won the 1D at several races. Placed in the 1D and almost won us another 1D buckle! He placed high in the 2D at D&G then the very next week won the 1D locally. We beat our personal time over and over in a 6 week time span. We went from a 16.1 to a 15.6 on the same pattern! This last weekend he placed 2nd in the 1D. I'm still a little shocked! 

I know that God has put this amazing horse in my life for a reason! His "little brother" who is now 16.1hh, is coming along nice too. My life has had some amazing challenges and some wonderful blessings! Things have gotten bad then really good. But looking back, I think every set back was God saying...."wait, it will come in time". Now I am super blessed with an amazing athlete! He is only 7. His little bro is only 3. Both are on Fastrack. Both are doing amazing. I now feel a strong pull to rodeo! I decided to put it off for one more year. But we will be running at some bigger races until then! See y'all down the road!