Extreme Team News - Winter 2022-2023

EXECUTIVE BOARD

STATE PRESIDENT

KEN BRAY

PO Box 1634 • Granbury, TX 76048 817.219.0436 • kbray@equibrand.com

1ST VICE PRESIDENT

JOHN SCHUENEMAN

PO Box 1177 • Madisonville, TX 77864 979.268.4994 • john.schueneman@gmail.com

2ND VICE PRESIDENT

BRENT CHARLESWORTH

PO Box 362 • Marathon, TX 79842 432.386.6214 • brent@crcompany.net

SECRETARY/TREASURER

SUSAN BALDWIN

722 Southview Circle • Center, TX 75935 936.590.4447 texashighschoolrodeo@gmail.com

NATIONAL DIRECTOR

MIKE GHORMLEY

PO Box 1177 • Madisonville, TX 77864 281.785.0077 mghormley@gmail.com

JUNIOR HIGH NATIONAL DIRECTOR

JOHN SCHUENEMAN 979.268.4994 john.schueneman@gmail.com

MARKETING

HOLLY DELAUNE 73 Breeze Way, Boerne, TX 78006 210.632.3208 delaune.holly@gmail.com

QUEEN COORDINATOR

RACHEL ROBBINS 361.894.5749 rachel.robbins3690@gmail.com

DELEGATES AT LARGE

MICHAEL AKINS 2449 West Line Road • Whitesboro, TX 76273 9410.368.9390 • makins1@yahoo.com

LARRY DOWELL 370 CR 220 • Marlin, TX 76661 254.715.8814 • fivedowell@gmail.com

JEFF PARSLEY 655 CR 4703 • Troup, TX 75789 903.574.3910 • jparselygeraniums@earthlink.net

JOE RICHARDS 5101 Hwy 214 • Hereford, TX 79045 806.676.5970 • joe@diamondcattlefeeders.com

BRANDON SMITH 6800 E FM 476 • Pleasanton, TX 78064 830.570.7157 • bmsmith1996@sbcglobal.net

HOLLY DeLAUNE

Marketing Director

210.632.3208 • delaune.holly@gmail.com

LAUREN TUTTLE STUMBERG Graphics/Layout Director lauren@distinct-graphics.com 830.249.8020

BRIAN ROBERTS Computer Programmer brian.roberts53@att.net 281.213.9143

ARIAT PERFORMANCE REPORTERS

Region I KASHLEE SCHUMACHER Region II BROOKE MADILL Region III TYLEE SEARS Region IV DIXIE TABB Region V GRACELANN BROWN Region VI BARRETT SHELTON Region VII SHELBY BRENT Region VIII SAMANTHA CORTINAS Region IX TYLIE MCDONALD Region X CORLEY CALLAHAN

THSRA OFFICIAL SPONSORS

PERFORMANCE REPORT

Off with a Bang!

Both pulling a 1st place check. Now the interesting part of these Wheeler Tx sisters is that they both run amazing horses named Pearl. These are definitely two teams to watch this year.

All I can say is wow. Region one has started off its season with a bang! Already having six rodeos under our belt man there is a lot of stories.

Starting it all off with two of our region one barrel racers. The Cathy girls had a great first rodeo. Bently Cathy, Freshman, ran the fastest time of the day at Perryton with a 17.4. Ridley Cathy, 6th grader, ran the fast est time of the junior high with a 17.8.

While we are on the subject of amazing teams, we have to talk about Avery Armstrong, freshman, and her lineup. Avery won the all-around at a several rodeos. She has two bay speed pony's that she runs. Her pole pony Money has super-fast feet helping Avery win Sunday at the Hereford rodeo with a 21.1. Then her dynamic pair bonnie and Clyde. Clyde her barrel is the other spectacular bay pony. He makes the same path every time. Bonnie is her goat horse that comes with a lot of speed! Then she has her roping horses Fabio and Misfit, who help her excel in the breakaway and team roping. Make sure to keep an eye on this all-around cowgirl!

The Hereford rodeo gave out funny prize gift cards donated by HF and C. If you won you got an HF an C gift card. Cye Franzen won a girt card for the fastest time with a faceplate. Jaylee Lane won a gift card for hardest on the equipment. They also gave away event winner hats, which is different to region 1. Everyone really liked this fun twist the Whiteface Rodeo team brought to their rodeo. Now we need to talk about a rookie that is bringing the heat this semester! Joslyn Kimble, 6th grader, is taking region 1 by storm. She is currently leading the race for rookie of the year. She competes in the barrels, poles, goat tying, and breakaway roping. She is definitely one to watch this year and all the years to come in her THSRA career.

The boys have also been going strong at the last few rodeos. Hugh Brown and Jaxon Stoker have been battling it out at every rodeo for the all around. They even tied at the Gruver rodeo. Jaxon competes in the tie-down and team roping. Hugh competes in multiple events including steer wrestling, tie-down, and team roping. Fun fact about Hugh he came to region 1 from Virginia! His parents are originally from Australia. Such a neat origin story for this all-around cowboy!

Sadly, we do have a few injuries in our region. Kail Brunson, Sophomore, was in a horse accident a few days after the Hereford rodeo. He will not be roping at the upcoming rodeo in Amarillo. Caison Burrus, senior, got a little banged up after his ride Saturday of the Hereford rodeo. He ended up with a concussion, but he got to ride at the Childress rodeo. Cooper Noland, fresh man, had an accident on the football field, and broke his wrist. It will be a while before Cooper comes back. Be on the lookout for

HUGH BROWN AND JAXSON STOCKER ALL AROUND WINNERS AT CHILDRESS

a comeback from these cowboys.

Ridley Timberlake, senior, is our current serving region 1 student president. She has been elected student president the last three years in a row! If that doesn't show a great leader, I don’t know what does! She has done so much for the region in her time serving. It will be sad to see her go. We will wrap up our fall rodeos with Amarillo, November 5th and 6th. We will have two rodeos in the spring. The entries need to be post marked by march 1st for both rodeos. The first will be in Childress on the 25th and 26th of March. That rodeo will be the Jr high finals. Then we will have the high school region finals in Childress the 1st and 2nd of April. I want to wish everyone good luck in the spring semester of rodeos on behalf of all of Region 1!

BENTLY AND RIDLEY CATHEY AND THEIR PEARLS

As rodeo athletes, we spend countless hours making sure our horses are in tiptop shape. We also make sure they acquire all of the nutrients that they need daily. How would we improve our performance if we treated our bodies the same way?

On The Road: In a “Breakaway Breakdown” podcast over the sum mer, host Casey Allen interviewed Rick Foster, a director with the Justin Sports Medicine Team. He covers the topics of nutrition, sleep, athlete mentality, and staying fit on the rodeo road. Rick compares us to our equine teammates; we do everything to ensure our horses are at the top of their game. We should be doing that for ourselves as well. When traveling down the road it is important to stretch each of our muscle groups, especially the ones we use most in our event. Not only will it stretch our muscles it will help keep us awake, but it will also activate the blood cells to contract our muscles, and it is good to get out of our pickups and increase the oxygen in our lungs.

Rodeo Athlete Health On The Road

Food and Nutrition: We would not expect our horses to eat unhealthily, be out of shape and then perform like the champions they are, so why should we expect ourselves to? Rick knows it is not easy to find healthy meals on the road, so he strongly suggests cooler meals. These meals should include the proper portions of protein, carbs, vegetables, and fruits. It is not always possible, but this is the ideal healthy meal.

Sleep and Caffeine's Impact on Athletes: Many rodeo athletes travel day and night to make the next rodeo. Rick suggests you find a travel part ner that you can get along with and trust. We often say that we will “catch up” on sleep, but that is not possible. When we don't sleep, we just can not make up for the night of rest we lost. We should find a travel partner we trust to haul our horses and rigs that way we can both stay rested to perform to the best of our ability at the next rodeo. Many rodeo athletes may have their go-to energy/caffeinated drink- although they taste good and keep you awake these drinks are also a diuretic, meaning that it is dehydrating your body. So on all of those early morning and late night drives remember to drink plenty of water. Hydration is key to being healthy!

Injury Treatment and Prevention: After practice, if a specific muscle group or part of your body that you used during practice is hurting, get ice on it for the next 15-20 minutes. After the initial icing, repeat this multiple times for the next few days for pain management. Taking care of our bodies is very important, if you want to perform to the best, you must treat yourself the best. One of the most important things to know is when returning from an injury do not go full swing at first. Come back slowly, do all of the rehabs, and take care of your injury. Starting slow is better than overdoing it. That is the most widespread injury seen in the sport of rodeo. What we often times forget is that 20 good, controlled, consistent loops are better than standing at a dummy for hours throwing sloppy careless loops. Warming up our bodies and muscles is just as important as warming up our horses. To get your full range of motion to throw the best loop, your muscles have to be warmed and ready to go.

Information from Rick Foster- interviewed by Casey Allen in the “Breakaway Breakdown” podcast, aired on July 20, 2022.

TM

If there’s greatness on the inside, it shows on the outside.

purinamills.com/horse-feed

Animals speak louder than words.

PERFORMANCE REPORT

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT:

Getting the Best Horse Feed Nutrition & Value for Your Money

Karen E. Davison, Ph.D. Director, Nutritionist, Equine Technical Solutions

There are many reasons for soaring prices, including pressure on crops from ethanol production, higher fuel prices, poor climate conditions in some areas and the declining value of the dollar. Of course, none of these reasons lessen the impact on our pocketbooks, and horse owners are feeling the financial strain. This has caused many horse owners to become more focused on getting the most value for their dollar when it comes to feeding their horses.

HORSE FEED VALUE

Finding the best-value horse feed means looking past price per bag and calculating the actual cost per day to feed. Divide the price per bag by 50 lbs. to determine price per pound. Then, multiply the price per pound by the pounds fed per day. Horse owners are often surprised to find the feed that is cheaper by the bag may be more expensive per day, because it must be fed at a larger amount per day or requires added expensive supplements to meet nutrient requirements.

For example, compare oats that cost approximately $20 per bag to Purina® Strategy® Professional Formula GX horse feed that costs approximately $24 per bag.1 If a horse eats 8 pounds of oats per day to maintain good condition, that same horse would only need 6.5 pounds of Strategy® Professional Formula GX horse feed to support the same body condition, because Strategy® horse feed contains more calories per pound than oats. Oats priced at $20 per bag, $0.40/lb., fed at 8 pounds per day calculates to $3.20 per day to feed. Strategy® Professional Formula GX horse feed, priced at $24 per bag, $0.48/lb., fed at 6.5 pounds per day costs $3.12 per day to feed. 1

Not only may Strategy® Professional Formula GX horse feed cost less per day to feed, it also contains the proper balance of protein, vitamins and minerals the horse needs and includes Purina® Outlast® Gastric Support Supplement. Oats must be supplemented to provide all the nutritional needs of the horse. If you feed a daily protein, vitamin and mineral supplement, you want to figure the cost and add that to your grain cost. Basic supplements will usually add $0.50 to $1 .00 per day or more to the cost of feeding your horse and adding Outlast® Gastric Support Supplement will add an additional $1.00 per day.

It seems as though diesel, groceries, fertilizer, grain and hay are all on the price escalator going up, up, up.

HAY VALUE

In many areas of the country, hay prices have gone up faster than feed prices. Forage quality and weight per bale both factor into finding the best value for hay. Quality is impacted by variety of forage, the maturity of the plant at time of harvest and the conditions at harvest. The assumption that alfalfa is better quality than grass and therefore justifies a higher price isn't always the case. Moderate-quality alfalfa, 16 percent or less protein, may actually be a lower feed value than good-quality grass with 11 percent or more protein. The moderate-quality alfalfa is usually very mature and lower in digestibility, whereas the higher quality grass hay is more digest ible and palatable to the horse.

WEIGHT MATTERS

Most people are not very accurate when estimating amounts of hay and grain being fed. For example, a 3-pound coffee can holds 3 pounds of coffee, but it will hold 4 pounds of Purina® Impact® Professional Performance horse feed. The weight of oats can vary quite a bit depending on the qual ity of the oats, ranging from 2.5 to 4.25 pounds per 3-pound coffee can.

Hay weight can vary quite a bit as well so, when possible, hay should be purchased by the ton instead of by the bale. Hay that costs $15 per bale and weighs 65 pounds per bale is a better value than hay that costs $13 per bale but weighs only 50 pounds per bale. If you are feeding 20 pounds of hay per day, the hay that costs $15 per bale calculates out to $4.61 per day, while 20 pounds from the $13 bale of hay ends up costing $5.20 per day. Also, two flakes from the heavier bale will often weigh more than two flakes from the lighter bale, so your actual feeding rates may vary as well. Weighing a few representative flakes from hay when you first buy it can help keep your feeding rates more consistent and your hay costs more under control.

The cost of owning horses has certainly gone up over the last few years, and there doesn't appear to be a change in that trend in the forecast. However, using a scale and a calculator to do a little figuring can reveal possible ways to save money without compromising the health and wellbeing of your horses.

Howdy y’all! My name is Sophia Zimmermann and I am your 2022-2023 Miss Texas High School Rodeo Queen! I am a sophomore from San Antonio, Texas and my rodeo events include bar rel racing and pole bending in Region VI. Outside of rodeo I enjoy being a trainer for my schools football team, singing on my church and school’s praise and worship teams, baking, and spending time with my family and friends! I am honored to serve THSRA this year with my fellow student officers. I am blessed with the opportunity to represent this association by traveling all around our great state making appear ances in order to promote more sponsors, volunteers, and contestants! I know this will be an amazing year and I am looking forward to making new friends and memories that will last a lifetime! Good luck to all our contestants this rodeo season!

YOUTH RODEO ASSOCIATION

SEASON

EVENTS AGE GROUP

Bareback Boys - 15 – 19

Calf Riding Boys - 9 & under

Steer (Jr. Bull Riding) Boys - 10 – 14

Bull Riding Boys - 15 – 19

Chute Dogging Boys - 15 & under

PeeWee Poles Boys & Girls - 8 & under

Sub Jr. Poles Boys & Girls - 9 – 12

Jr. Poles Girls - 13 – 15

Sr. Poles Girls - 16 – 19

Sub Jr. Tiedown Boys - 12 & under Jr. Tiedown Boys - 13 -15

Sr. Tiedown Boys - 16 – 19

Jackpot Tiedown Boys 16 – 19

PeeWee Barrels Boys & Girls – 8 & under

Sub Jr. Barrels Boys & Girls – 9 – 12

Rodeo #1 postmark August 8th. If you miss postmark deadline then call in August 16th from 5-9pm at 713-501-8843.

Jr. Barrels Girls - 13 – 15

Sr. Barrels Girls - 16 – 19

Sub Jr. Ribbons Boys & Girls – 12 & under Jr. Ribbons Boys & Girls – 13 – 15

PeeWee Figure 8s Boys & Girls - 8 & under Sub Jr. Figure 8s Boys & Girls – 9 – 12

Steer Wrestling Boys – 16 – 19

Sub Jr. Girls Breakaway Girls - 12 & under

Sub Jr. Boys Breakaway Boys – 12 & under

Jr. Girls Breakaway Girls – 13 – 15

Jackpot Jr/sr Girls Breakaway Girls - 13 – 19

Sr. Girls Breakaway Girls – 16 -19

Jr. Boys Breakaway Boys – 13 – 15

Sub Jr. Goat Tying Boys & Girls – 12 &

Pee Wee Goat Tying Boys & Girls – 8 &

Jr. Goat Tying Girls – 13 – 15

Sr. Goat Tying Girls – 16-

The Importance of a Lameness Exam

by Amy Armentrout, DVM, MS, DACVS Equine Veterinarian at Animal Imaging

Most know about that one really special horse. That one that just never quits. That one that gives its all every time. Oftentimes, we consider these as, “once in a life time horses”. When we find these horses, we want to do anything we can to keep them sound and keep them performing as top athletes. When they aren’t performing at their absolute best, a lameness exam is the place to start—but there is more to a lameness exam than just watching the horse move.

Lameness examinations (also called soundness examinations) help veterinarians find the problem when these horses have bad days. A lot of the time, when people hear the term ‘lame’ they think that it indicates the horse is limping. To a veterinarian, the term ‘lame’ runs the spectrum from horses that aren’t performing as expected, all the way to those horses that are crippled when they’re just walking around in the pasture.

It can be really difficult for people to see lameness unless they have trained their eyes to look for it. This is why a veterinarian is so important with a horse that is not performing well. They can assess the horse on multiple surfaces (asphalt, pea gravel, deep ground, etc.) to help exacerbate any lame ness in the horse. They perform flexion tests—stressing joints to see if the lameness worsens. Sometimes they need to see the horse ridden under saddle or see the horse performing its job. Often they need further diagnostics to help determine what is going on.

The usual next step in a lameness exam is often called nerve blocking. That’s where the nerves leading to a portion of the leg are temporarily

desensitized to take sensation or pain away from that part of the leg. If the horse improves after that region has been blocked, it indicates which part of the leg bothers the horse. This is exactly like the dentist desensitizing your mouth to perform dental work. It numbs the nerve for a few hours while the examination is being performed, and then the nerve returns to full function. Once the exact part of the leg that hurts has been determined, the next step is usually some form of imaging.

The most common imaging performed in horses are radiographs which are also called x-rays. Radiographs are excellent for showing changes in the bone. If there is a suspicion of soft tissue damage, like a tendon or ligament, we generally look at the area with ultrasound, which is also called a sonogram.

In most horses, we can get a diagnosis with a typ ical lameness exam and radiographs and/or ultra sonography. In some cases, advanced imaging is necessary. We may need to use magnetic resonance imaging, also called MRI, to look at structures that we can’t otherwise identify. This is especially true if there are soft tissue injuries inside the hoof cap sule because ultrasound waves cannot penetrate the half capsule and radiographs don’t show soft tissue injuries.

Pictured to the left: Magnetic resonance image of a horse foot, showing a large lesion in the deep digital flexor tendon (green arrow) that is not able to be imaged by any other modality.

If we have a lame horse that does not respond to blocking or seems to have more than one problem, we can image these horses with a nuclear scinti graphic exam, commonly called a bone scan. We inject radioactive material intravenously that will travel to the

bones, and then we scan the horse with a gamma camera which picks up radioac tive signals from the horse. The radioisotope will travel to the bone, especially areas that are inflamed. Bone scans are particularly useful for horses that are lame in areas of their spine, like their neck or their back, or in areas of the pelvis. We can use bone scans to find areas of inflammation in most parts of the horse, so it is also a good choice for horses that are needle shy or that have not been handled enough to allow a traditional lameness exam to be performed.

Pictured to the right: Nuclear scintigraphic image of the hip of a horse, showing an area of increased radiopharmaceutical uptake (green arrow), indicating the area causing the hind limb lameness in this horse.

Computed tomography, also called CT, can be useful in horses as well, but are not traditionally used for routine lameness exams. They are very helpful in cases of lameness that is caused by a fracture where surgical repair is an option. Pre-surgical planning is greatly improved with computed tomography.

If you have trouble with a lame horse, contact your veterinarian for a com prehensive examination. While most veterinarians can perform radiographs and ultrasound exams on the farm, specialized imaging may be necessary to definitively determine the problem and dictate the course of treatment. Animal Imaging is a veterinary diagnostic referral imaging center in North Texas that offers the advanced imaging services mentioned above that will help your vet erinarian provide the best care for your horse.

Farm & Ranch Family

The Freeman Family of Region V

by Laramie Wedemeyer

Congratulations to the Freeman family of Cooper, TX for being named this month’s McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family! The Freemans have owned and operated Freeman Cattle Company for over 20 years now.

Blair Freeman and his wife Mandy have a son, Garrett, and a daughter, Kerstin, who compete in Region V. Kerstin is a junior in high school, competing in the breakaway roping and Garrett is a senior in high school who represented Team Texas

at the 2022 national finals in the team roping.

You can find the Freemans either working, practicing or hauling to a jackpot or rodeo together. Their weekends are filled with going to ropings and rodeos for Garrett and Kerstin to compete.

Family is an important aspect of being successful in the ranching and rodeo industries. It takes hard work, dedication, and passion to reach any goal in this lifestyle. “We chose this lifestyle because it is where our hearts are, said Mandy. “We are both passionate about the beef industry and love the ranching way of life.”

Beginning as a small, beef cattle operation, the company has grown exponentially into what it is today. The family business runs a stocker/yearling operation where they keep around 1,600 head of yearlings in inventory year round. A stocker/yearling operation is where calves are bought and grazed for a period of time before they are sold to the next stage of production, a feedlot.

The family owns 500 acres of land and leases another 2,000 acres to have adequate room for the number of cattle they have come through their operation.

The business is not limited to only stocker cattle, though. Blair and his father also have an order buying business, so they go and buy most of their own cattle and cattle for other people.

The folks at McCoy’s Building Supply understand that it takes a lot of hard work and the whole family pitching in to get things done on a farm or ranch. That’s why we’d like to take some time out to salute Texas High School Rodeo Association families who are farmers and ranchers. In our monthly Farm & Ranch Family Spotlight, we’ll feature one family, sharing their story of how they work together as a family to make their farm or ranch successful. The spotlight will run for 10 months; each month will feature a different Region. Each Regional McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family will receive a $100 McCoy’s Gift Card. The McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family of the Year will receive a $500 McCoy’s Gift Card and will be announced at the 2023 THSRA State Finals.

With the growth of a family and Garrett and Kerstin rodeoing, Blair finds himself spending more time on the ranch working cattle rather than in the sale barn during the week. He finds a way to get a lot of work done during the weekdays so he can travel with his kids on the weekends and support them.

In order to rodeo and manage a large operation, it takes a team effort from the family. Garrett and Kerstin attend Cooper High School during the day but are tasked with chores when they get home before they head to the practice pen.

“Each day we have cattle to sort that were bought the day before and we have yearlings to process and move that we are turning out,” said Blair. “The main day-to-day duties include feed ing, doctoring, and overseeing the health of the cattle.”

On top of general care of the cattle, fence often needs to be checked and mended or something may be broken down and need to be fixed. “It takes all of us working as a team to keep things running, especially when we know we are headed out of town and things have to be done,” said Mandy.

Both children play a vital role in Freeman Cattle Company. Growing up involved in the cattle business showed them the value of hard work. Both, Garrett and Kerstin, agreed they believe working hard at something will produce rewards and that they must set their goals high and not settle for less.

Mandy expressed that her kids “are great help, they know what is expected of them, and we put a lot of responsibility on them. Either one of them could take care of the feeding or doctoring by themselves on any given day.”

During the summer, Blair and Kerstin can be found out early in the morning working cattle and feeding before the heat sets in for the day. Garrett is typically building fence or spraying the pastures, but when it’s time to ship cattle, the entire family is involved.

All good businesses must have someone work ing the books and managing the financial aspect of the operation. Mandy graduated with a degree in agricultural business and works as the SVP/ Location Manager of Guaranty Bank & Trust in Commerce. Her degree and position give her the needed insight to oversee the business and finan

cial side of their company on a daily basis.

Working with family can be challenging and rewarding at the same time, but sharing a simi lar passion teaches many life lessons and creates memories. Blair and Mandy want to instill in their kids the characteristics of honesty, integrity, and care for their business and finances. “Ranching and rodeo are both stressful and have their ups and downs, but keep your faith and just know that God has his plan,” said Mandy.

Their involvement in THSRA has led them to meet wonderful people and grow lifelong friend ships. Being in such a competitive state and region just amplifies their desire to have a strong work ethic.

The Freeman family is honored to be chosen as the McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family of the month and represent a population of farmers and ranchers that will always be needed.

“What an honor it is for McCoy’s to highlight families that are farming and ranching today and raising their children in that lifestyle. Family farms are far and few between now,” said Mandy. “We are also very thankful that McCoy’s supports our youth and the THSRA.”

PERFORMANCE REPORT

Constable Equine Photography REGION IV SPONSOR:

Region IV is kicking off our rode os the right way. We have had some great rodeos with some even greater competition, but noth ing is possible without the support of our generous sponsors. Sponsors like Stephanie Constable, with Constable Equine Photography, who is our phe nomenal Region IV photographer.

Stephanie Constable is first and foremost a lover of Jesus, a wife of 15 years to who she calls, “one of the most hardworking, jack of all trades, horseman, and cowboy” named

Cory and a mother to a kind, loving, dedicated and determined 11 year old cowgirl, Coree. Mrs. Constable graduated from Texas A&M University in 2004 and resides in a little town called Chatfield, Texas. “I LOVE DR. PEPPER”, she stat ed. She is a barrel racer and Cory is a calfroper, when they are not hauling Coree to youth rodeos. She added “We like to give back, support and be involved in rodeo.” They are super involved in Region IV and Lonestar High School Rodeo Association.

When asked how she got started in photography, she says she has always loved photography. In 2010, Mrs. Constable began taking pictures profes sionally. For many years her business was called, “Stephanie Constable Photography” but has now been rebranded to “Constable Equine Photography.” When asked “how did you get started taking rodeo pictures?” She said, “I started taking them when my daughter started rodeoing, because I wanted to cap ture everything she did.” Along came requests from friends and others that she competed with for her to take pictures of their kids. As Coree got older and didn’t need Mama’s help warming up, she began to shoot more and more. She tends to lean towards candids and closeups which give her a unique style in the rodeo world, along with the traditional event photos. She added, “I try to capture pictures for oth

By DIXIE TABB – Performance Reporter

ers that I would want for my own child.”

Not only does she take rodeo event pictures, but also loves to shoot portraits as well as families, seniors, and lifestyle portraits. “Horses are my passion so it only seemed fitting to include them in my sessions every chance I got,” she admits. Mrs. Constable firmly says that she loves shooting all the events, but if she had to choose her favorite it would be poles and breakaway/ calf roping.

When Mrs. Constable is not taking pictures she works full time for Texas Health Resources as a Research Project Manager, and also owns a company called C2Beadwork and designs. Her daughter, Coree, is homeschooled. When not doing school work, Coree loves to help her mom make hand beaded leather goods and fringed picture/back number pillows.

This is Mrs. Constable’s second year being the official photographer of Region IV. She says, “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know each of the contestants and watching them grow inside and outside the arena.” She also mentions that being Region IV’s photographer is personal to her, because “I’ve grown relationships with these cowboys and cowgirls and look forward to them competing.” Mrs. Constable loves it when the kids come up to her and say, “I saw you in the dirt, I can’t wait to see what those pictures look like.” This year she also helped revamp the Region IV website.

All in all, Region IV would not know what to do without the best photographer around. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and appreciate you for capturing all our special moments. Next time you see Stephanie Constable be sure and tell her thank you for all the hours and the dedication she puts into taking, uploading, and editing our pictures. It doesn’t take her long to get our pictures online either. We truly are blessed with a great photographer. Check out her amazing photos at https://constableequinephotography.pixieset.com/

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ALEXA ORCHOSKY OF REGION V

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The Whataburger Whatakid is selected due to their ability to excel both in and out of the rodeo arena. Whataburger is proud to recognize a THSRA member from each of the ten Regions who truly upholds the title “Whatakid!” One of the nominees will be chosen at the State Final Rodeo in June as the Whatakid of the Year. In recognition of this accomplishment they will receive free Whataburgers for an entire year!

Congratulations to this month’s “WHATAKID,” Alexa Orchosky! The Region V, cowgirl from Jasper, Texas is an all-around athlete. Not only does she compete in barrel racing and pole bending but she is a catcher on her softball team and does countless other activities in her community.

The drive and passion for everything the 16-year-old partakes in is quite evident. There does not seem to be a second of down time as she fills her days with school, horses, church, practice, work and much more. Of all her extracurricular activities, her passion for rodeo rises above the rest. The thrill of running barrels on her horse Pearl brings a joy like no other.

“I have six horses but there are two that I primarily compete on for high school rodeo and other shows,” said Orchosky. Pearl is an 8-year-old bay roan mare who loves her job and the treat bag. She gets exercised every day after school to keep her body and mind in shape. Orchosky and her family have big dreams for Pearl, in hopes of qualifying to state and that she will be the beginning of a barrel horse breeding program in the future.

Cat is Orchosky’s 11-year-old pole bending horse. She originally started as a project barrel horse but found her niche in the pole bend ing after placing at a couple of jackpots. This led to her competing on Cat at the high school rodeos.

Attending the Region V high school rodeos hold some of her favorite memories of competition, hanging out with friends and spending time with the people around her. She said that the kids and adults come together after the rodeo is over and cook dinner and hang out.

While rodeo is her greatest passion, softball comes as a close second. Orchosky plays catcher for the Brookeland Varsity Softball Team. “High School softball is a competitive sport and I’ve really had to dedicate myself to working hard and practicing around my rodeo schedule,” said Orchosky. “Some of these girls play softball yearround and I have to work twice as hard to keep up with both sports.”

She mentioned that if she must choose between rodeo and softball

in the instance of a con flict, she would choose rodeo. For her, rodeo is primary, but there is a love for both sports mak ing the decision a hard one.

“I still dedicate myself to softball and I’m there for the team, but they understand that I’m juggling both,” she said. Sacrifice comes for student athletes, especial ly partaking in multiple sports. This also means sacrifice of downtime

and fun activities that other students may be involved in.

Her accolades have stacked up in both sports, being named First District Softball Catcher, qualifying to the TJHRA State Finals and winning the junior challenge in the barrel racing at the 2021 Jasper Pro Rodeo.

Her schedule is not only filled with rodeo and softball, but education is important to the junior in high school. Her school day takes her through different classes than most students attend. Her day begins in woodshop class building deer stands and other items and then she helps in a kid’s class as an assistant to the teacher. These classes are fol lowed by regular core classes and some advanced courses.

The day is not over yet as she goes to athletics, followed by an autoshop course working on auto mechanics and learning skills to work on trucks and cars. The day wraps up by attending her favorite class, aquatics, where she learns about marine biology and the mysteries of the ocean.

She mentioned the struggle she faces in school due to having ADHD and Dyslexia. Her good grades exemplify her work ethic and determination to overcome the chal lenges she faces to succeed. While there are times that she faces distractions and excels in one class over another, she finds a way to work harder to keep those grades where they need to be.

After high school graduation, Orchosky plans to attend college to pursue a degree in animal science. She sees herself furthering her education by attending veterinary school one day. During her time in col lege, she wants to continue rodeoing and eventually qualify for the American and the NFR.

Some people of influence to her are Hailey Kinsel and Bailey Choate. She loves how these girls strive to better themselves and their horses. Winning does not come easy and these girls know that so watching them adjust and do what is best for their horses speaks numbers. “There are also a few girls that I compete with in high school that I love watching and seeing how they ride to try and better myself,” said Orchosky.

She said her motto on life is to “always keep your head up and smile, even when you think no one is watching, because there could be a little one looking up to you when you don’t realize it.”

Striving to be a positive example to others does not go unnoticed in the sport of rodeo. Being the Region V Whatakid means she has the opportunity to be more than just another contestant running down the alley. She can be an example to others.

“My goals for high school rodeo aren’t just to be in the top ten or make it to state. That's important to me, but I also want to be able to make someone else smile,” said Orchosky. “I want to help people who don't know as much as I do and leave an impact on people. If someone has a good run and they are upset the rest of the rodeo, I want to help them pick their head up for the next run.”

PERFORMANCE REPORT

Horse Health

Texas is known for its crazy changing weather. Northern Texas is seeing cooler weather while our South East Texas areas see ing more humid and damp days. The damp, humid, and warm climate seem to be a breeding ground for horse health issues.

One of the main issues being Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis; also know as EPM or opossums disease. EPM is a devastating disease that attacks a horses Central Nervous System.

I work at South East Texas Equine Veterinary Hospital, PLLC. in Sour Lake, Texas. This year we have seen record numbers of horses come in with neurological issues. EPM is a master of disguise and mimics many other neurological diseases making it very difficult to diagnose. More than 50% of horses worldwide have been exposed to Sarcocystis neurona, the protozoa that causes EPM. While EPM is not transferred from horse to horse, it is carried by many of the ani mals we commonly see roaming.

These animals include opossums, raccoons, cats, and many different birds. A horse contracts EPM by

ingesting forage, grain, or water that has feces from any animal that carries the protozoa. Once the horse contracts this, EPM takes hold and starts attacking the horses Central Nervous System such as it brain and its spine. Although most cases have a slow onset of symptoms, some can come on very rapidly, progress ing and worsening quickly.

EPM causes awful neurological stress and damage. One of the biggest symp toms is weight or muscle loss on specifically one side of the body. While there is not a sure way to completely stop horses from contracting EPM, there are ways the help prevent it.

You can treat your horse every six to twelve months with a 30 day course of antiprotozoal. This will help your horse fight the infection if they were to con tract it. I have personally had two cases of EPM in my own horses. My first run in involved my first ever rodeo horse Sister. Sis had began to slow down through the pattern, not dramatically, but just off by a tenth or two. I brought her to the vet to see what was going on and she had a very severe case of EPM. We took action by sending Sister to the vet for 5 days for a rapid IV treatment. She was then treated for an additional 90 days of oral medication. Sis made her come back running almost a second faster in both barrels and poles.While not all horses are lucky enough to survive or even come back, we always need to give them the chance to shine!

In Region V News:

Coming up this season for Region V, we have our 4th and 5th high school rodeo at the George Henderson Exposition Center in Lufkin Texas on November 5th and 6th. Heading into the rodeo our event leaders include Sam Shofner and Cole Pugh leading the team roping, Bryce Jensen in the steer wrestling, Landon Cook leading the saddle bronc, Jada Montagne in the goat tying, Gracelann Brown leading the pole bending, Clara Keath in the girls cutting, Landon Cook leading the calf roping, Travoris Zeno in the bull riding, Avery Landry leading the breakaway roping, Kp Mathis in the boys cutting, Steeley Franklin leading the barrel racing, and Kash Martin in the bareback riding. Good luck to everyone heading into these next few rodeos!

The Region VI season has started off very well. Our Region this year has taken on many first time rodeo contestants. With these new contestants there has been a tremendous growth in tough talent. There is one per son that dominates in every event whether your are running speed events or roping, and that is Amy Ohrt.

Amy has had a long rodeo career, beginning since she was four until now that she is wrapping up her

Growth & Talent

youth rodeo career as a Senior in high school. Her plans after high school are to go to college rodeo and specialize in the medical field all while still con tinuing to rodeo. Some of Amy's most prized accom plishments in her rodeo career so far are placing second at the Texas Junior High State Finals Breakaway her 8th grade year and win ning the breakaway that same year at

Nationals. She also won second in goat tying at the Texas High School Rodeo Finals and that same year she won the 19 and under at Joe Beavers also in the goat tying. Amy wanted to thank her Mom, Dad, and her brother for all the support and encourage

AMY OHRT

AMY OHRT

photo by RM Photos

ment throughout the years to help her become the cowgirl she is today.

A cowboy that has been dominating Region VI this year is Trevor Crainer. He is a force to be reckoned with in the steer wrestling and in the Calf roping. Trevor won second in the steer wrestling at the UPRA Finals and clinched their rookie title. He came in reserve for the CPRA Rookie title and ended up third for the year in the steer wrestling. Trevor is ending his Senior year of high school with a tremendous bang, racking up title after title.

Region VI consistently produces top tier rodeo athletes and Amy and Trevor are a great example of that. We are excited to see how their season goes and what lies ahead of them in the future outside of high school rodeo.

TREVOR CRAINER

photo by Spur Photography

RILEY ARRINGTON OF REGION X

by Laramie

Wedemeyer

The Whataburger Whatakid is selected due to their ability to excel both in and out of the rodeo arena. Whataburger is proud to recognize a THSRA member from each of the ten Regions who truly upholds the title “Whatakid!” One of the nominees will be chosen at the State Final Rodeo in June as the Whatakid of the Year. In recognition of this accomplishment they will receive free Whataburgers for an entire year!

Congratulations to this month’s “WHATAKID,” Riley Arrington! The Region X, cowgirl from Burnet, Texas is a fierce competitor, entrepreneur, and an avid leader. Not only does she compete in the Texas High School Rodeo Association, but she owns and operates a MagnaWave business and a cookie business.

Growing up the daughter of a high school agriculture teacher has not been easy. If anything, it has taught the 18-year-old how to work hard and pushed her to be involved in as much as pos sible. She has many interests and activities that she participates

in, but horses have always held a special place in her heart.

From a young age, Arrington has been drawn to horses. Her mom had to keep a close eye on her when she learned how to walk because she would find a way to get outside and go to the barn by her self. When she was a child, her mom would travel to barrel racing futurities and Arrington knew from those experiences that she wanted to pursue barrel racing one day.

She competes in the breakaway roping and the barrel racing, but said her favorite event is barrel racing. She explains, “I have been [barrel racing] longer and it is what I have had the most success at. If I am in a bad mood, I normally get out of it running barrels.”

Her barrel horse, Gator, a 12-year-old exracehorse, has brought Arrington to the winner circle many times. Gator is completely opposite of any barrel horse she previously rode. Arrington explained that he is tall and turns really snappy where she had always ridden smaller horses prior to him.

Arrington has achieved many goals on Gator such as winning the San Antonio Youth Rodeo Barrel Racing in 2022 and qualifying for Vegas Tuffest and the WCRA rodeos. Their success has been evident but came to an abrupt stop when Gator was diagnosed with a lung infection coming up on the region finals.

This hardship taught Arrington many lessons and taught her what sacrifice looks like for the sake of her horse’s health. She had the opportunity to push his healing process and compete on him at the region and state finals, but she chose not to so that he would be given enough time to heal properly.

“If I can run him longer, then I don’t want to push him now,” Arrington said. “I can always win saddles later, but I can never find another horse like him.”

Riding Gator has taught her many life lessons and helped shape her into the person she is today. Arrington described her mom as being a great influence in her rodeo career. She has continued to push her to be her best and always been there to help her get better.

Arrington said that her mom always tells her before she competes in any event in rodeo or FFA, “all you can do is try your best and that’s all I ask for, you are perfectly fine, and no one is ever going to think less of you.”

A challenge Arrington has faced growing up is being dyslexic and learning how to ride and tie goats and then breakaway rope helped improve her learning abilities in school by doing some physical action and stimulating other parts of her brain.

Arrington began breakaway roping between her fourth and fifth grade years. She recently got a new breakaway horse after her main horse, Spur, got hurt. Spur has helped her win an amateur rodeo, place many times and progress to the top six at the Junior NFR in 2021. She continues to learn things from her new horse and how to improve her riding and roping abilities.

Outside of rodeo, Arrington is also highly involved in FFA at Burnet High School. She participates in FFA contests, serves as the reporter for her chapter and shows goats. One of her favorite things about being in FFA is that wherever you go, you can always make new friends, people are kind and have similar interests.

She notes that FFA has taught her many life lessons such as responsibility. Arrington explained, “you have to put yourself last for your livestock to be successful, because they depend on you.” The responsibility and the hard work have paid off and proven valuable after placing in the show ring with her goats and win ning a scholarship for being the Star Chapter Agribusiness member at Texas FFA Convention.

Through her school, she loves taking part in her team’s agriculture class for the leadership and career

development events and the advanced animal science class. She talked about how the people in her team’s class help push her to better herself and each other while also having fun.

When she is not rodeoing or participating in FFA events, you may find Arrington in the kitchen baking or using her MagnaWave to treat show animals and horses. If she is not already busy enough, she finds time to advance her skillset outside of rodeo and FFA.

Riley’s cookie business began just by a love to bake and her grandma and stepdad spending time in the kitchen working on recipes with her. She would make dozens of cookies for people at no cost until friends and family encouraged her to start selling them.

To her surprise, her first post about selling them brought in about 50 orders. Something that she loved and did as a hobby at first quickly turned into a business where she makes them for stock show families, rodeo families, holidays and more.

Arrington also finds herself busy running her own MagnaWave business. She began in 2020 after breaking her arm in a horse accident and realizing the effect that a MagnaWave machine had on the healing of her own body.

Arrington and her mom invested in a MagnaWave and it became something that she learned how to use on show animals and horses. She also uses it for her agricultural skills demonstration at contests in FFA. This educates other schools of the benefits of treating show animals with MagnaWave therapy.

Learning about MagnaWave therapy and using it in personal instances on her own horses has sparked an interest in horse rehabilitation. She also loves learning about agriculture issues. Her goal after high school graduation is to attend a junior college before transferring to Tarleton State University to pursue a degree in one of these two ideas. She also plans to continue both of her side businesses if the need and desire still exist.

Arrington said that her favorite bible verse that she applies to her life is Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”

“I always thought it would be cool to be a Whataburger Whatakid but I never thought I would be selected as one knowing there are kids who do a lot more than I do. When I found out I was chosen, I was pretty excited and thought it was so cool,” Arrington exclaimed.

Winter is on its way in Texas, but that does not mean that Region 7 is not HOT HOT HOT! As we are wrapping up our fall rodeos we see just how talented our region competitors can be. The All Around is led by Colin Fox (boys) and Kinley Shook (girls). And let's take a look at our event lead ers for high school: Barrels - Kinley Shook, Boys Cutting - Bryce Ellinger, Breakaway - Razzi Navarro, Bull Riding - Kelson Schoonover, Girls

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Cutting - Kenadie Feril, Goat Tying - Kinley Shook, Poles - Ava Lucus, Reined Cow Horse - Jackson Poole, Steer Wrestling - Blaze Byler, Team RopingSlade and Colton Watson, Tie Down - Colin Fox.

Our junior high event leaders: girls all around - Hannah Willis, Boys All Around - Trevor Bentley, Barrels - Presley Harkness, Boys Breakaway - Ryler Griffin, Girls Breakaway - Kami Klepac, Bull Riding - Slade Seay, Chute Dogging - Layden Wynn, Boys Goat Tying - Kade Claments, Girls Goat Tying - Hannah Willis, Poles - Presley Harkness, Ribbon Roping - Hudson Hermes and Miley Simpton, Team Roping - Randen Zuniga and Tyler Flores, Tie Down - Hudson Hermes.

Congratulations to our 2022-2023 region student officers, who were nominat ed at the first rodeo of the season: President Guy Raasch, Vice President Ryan Johnson, and Secretary Razzi Navarro. Our Junior High officers are President Elizabeth Ivy, Vice President Ace Avelar, and Secretary Miley Simpton.

For the winter season we want our horses in the best health, so why not have some horse health tips to help us out? When hauling during those cold winter days, it is hotter than you think in that platinum trailer. Maybe instead of keeping the heavy winter blanket on them, try a lighter blanket such as a Back-On-Track blanket. The winter blankets are good for being turned out or in places where the horse will be receiving those colder winds. The lighter blan kets are better for days when they will be hauling in the sun.

Another good tip is to keep your horse’s legs warm before performance or even exercise.. Wrapping their legs while hauling is a good tool to keep those ligaments nice and warm and pre vent a potential injury. Always warm your horse up well during the winter. First off, walking before warming them up will help loosen up the muscles and lower the chance of a strain or tear. Even when exercising, always Also, the cold air is hard on their lungs, so long-trotting will open up those lungs to provide more air to move in

By SHELBY BRENT

and out easily.

Watch your horse's water intake if possible. When the weather gets colder, so does the water. Horses get to where they do not want to drink that cold water. The cold water hurts their teeth so they drink less and less. In order to keep them drink ing, add some electrolytes to their feed or throw a salt lick out in their pasture. Food intake is also important. Food digestion is a primary source for warmth for these horses, which means there is a greater need for a calorie increase in their diet.

Good luck to all high school rodeo contestants this winter and next spring! Keep those horses healthy and happy hauling!

REGION VII STUDENT OFFICERS: GUY RAASCH, RYAN JOHNSON, RAZZI NAVARRO, AND SHELBY BRENT

State Finalist can be excited about the most money ever added to a THSRA State Finals, which also means record setting payouts. This year the state board voted to increase the added money from $100,000 to $150,000, making the potential payout reach right around $300,000. Not to mention first-class awards usually only seen awarded at the professional level including: 17 Gist Sterling Silver & 10k Gold Legacy Buckles, 3 Slone Saddles and 233 Outlaw Spirit and Hy O Silver custom buckles. An estimated $145,000 in scholarships will be given in Abilene, and including region level scholarships, the state total approaches $300,000 in scholarships given this year.

The next upgrade comes for all the short round competitors. THSRA feels that to make the short round at the Texas State Finals is a huge accomplishment and athletes should be rewarded. This year, short round competitors who do not place in the money will receive extended pay and receive a guaranteed $250 just for making the short go.

The finals will pay six places in each go round and short round and pay eight places in the average. For an event that is full, it is estimated that a go round win will pay $1,247 and the average win will pay $5,156. The richest payout to date and more places paid means that contestants will be going home with a lot more green in their pockets.

Stock Contractor: J&J Rodeo Company

Judges: Teddy Alleman, Gip Allen and Bobby Flores

Arena Diretor: Richard Baldwin

Announcer: Chris Rankin Music Director: Laney Newman

Photographer: Jennings Photography

WCRA DIVISON YOUTH AND TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL RODEO ANNOUNCE COLLABORATION 2023 STATE FINALS

Texas High School Rodeo (THSRA) and WCRA DY (World Champions Rodeo Alliance Division Youth) are proud to announce a partnership and a combined effort to raise the youth rodeo bar. The two rodeo organizations are teaming up to bring a $20,000 bonus to the 2023 THSRA State Finals next June and a direct path to the over $200,000 added Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo (WCJR) at the Lazy E Arena in July 2023.

"This is another huge step to growing the sport of rodeo among youth athletes and giving them an opportunity to qualify for a world championship event,” said WCRA President Bobby Mote. “We are ecstatic to offer this $20,000 bonus opportunity to the THSRA athletes and are anxious to watch them battle it out for a berth to the 2023 WCJR.”

The “WCRA DY Texas Trifecta” will pay a $20,000 cash bonus to any THSRA athlete who wins their respective discipline; first in their region and also wins at least one go round of competition at the THSRA State Finals in the same discipline and completes the “Trifecta” by winning the THSRA State Championship in that discipline. The following THSRA disciplines are eligible; bareback, steer wrestling, barrel racing, breakaway roping, tie-down roping, saddle bronc, goat tying, head ing, heeling, pole bending, and bull riding.

In the event no THSRA athlete completes the WCRA Texas Trifecta, the $20,000 cash bonus will be split evenly between all 11 discipline’s THSRA State Champions. If more than one athlete completes the trifecta, then those athletes will split the bonus.

In addition to the cash bonus, the highest placing nominated athletes will earn an invite to the 2023 WCJR held in Guthrie, Oklahoma July 25-29. The 2023 WCRA Division Youth (DY) event will have over $200,000 in added prize money and is open to any youth athlete ages 19 and under. The WCJR is one of the largest annual purses in youth rodeo and paid out more than $270,000 in 2022, while crowning new Youth World Champions.

“The partnership with WCRA will increase the excitement and buzz of the THSRA Finals

as we start with a field of 110 contestants on the board and through each round we watch to see who stays in the hunt for the $20,000 WCRA DY Texas Trifecta.,” said THSRA Marketing Director Holly DeLaune. “WCRA will also be coming on as a cor porate sponsor of TJHRA, where they are excited to support youth as they begin their journey in the sport of rodeo.”

Since launching in May of 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $12,600,000 in new money to rodeo athletes. All rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA DY, the VRQ, or event format and payout details should be directed to dy.rodeo or download the WCRA DY app.

Of

In Texas Are Stunning

courtesy of onlyinyourstate.com

The holidays come but once a year, and my, are they a special time here in Texas? Forget the snow and cold; we’ll take the sun and mild temperatures any day because no state does the holidays better than the Lone Star State! As the old saying goes, Everything is bigger in Texas – and you can rest assured that adage is accurate for our Texas Christmas lights, too! Here are 11 of the best, most breathtaking Christmas lights in Texas to help get your holiday season started right. Let the festivities commence!

HO HO HO and happy holidays from my region family to yours! I'm ready for that nice cold ride when there's no sweat on my forehead and the whole time I'm wondering, should I drink hot chocolate when I get back or keep riding with these numb fingers?

Riding in the winter is my absolute favorite and it's also time to hold on and hope for the best. Why do I say this? Because horses are very sensitive to the colder weather and tend to act a little bit crazy. In this article, I’m going to tell you WHY horses get frisky in the cold, what to expect from them personality-wise, how to keep them warm and happy, and in what tem peratures to use differ-

ent blankets.

On cooler days, especially after it’s just rained and is windy as all get out, you may notice horses love to gallop and kick up. Did you know that the windier the day, the more horses are hypersensitive to noise, feelings, and sights? Horses have amazing hearing and the wind only carries out sounds longer and louder for them.

We all know when the weatherman says we’re in store for colder

By SAMANTHA CORTINAS – Performance Reporter

weather, high winds, and a little rain, he might as well just say “Hey! If you own a horse, RUN!” So, before riding let's make sure our horses are using the thinking side of their brains!

Horses can get stiff as it gets colder and their body flexibility decreases by a full 25 percent. So, before a run, make sure to always hand stretch their front and hind legs by pulling them to the front and back; they will thank you big time. When it’s colder outside, horses tend to not get the same exercise as they would in normal temperatures. This is because their muscles take quite a bit longer to warm up. To prevent injuries during runs, we should be warming our horses up twice as long when it's cold outside.

Did you know that when you see a horse standing with their head away from the wind, tail set low and in the wind, that's their way of conserving energy? Here are some things JH Vice President Kelsey Harms does to keep her horses running their best. Not only do the products we put on our horses such as magic mud, Bigeloil gel, and body butter matter, we also want to make sure their diets are on track. Hay should be given

to horses daily to avoid ulcers; they need a forage substitute besides grain. Remember, any forage substance you use should be 18 percent of your horse's body weight. We also need to be able to provide 20 percent fiber content during the winter. They will eat double the amount of food to keep warm on the inside, so including Alfalfa in their diets is key to keeping them warm and providing them with the extra energy they need. “The Love and care that goes into your horse during the winter and keeping them rodeo ready is the main thing that helps our rodeo athletes feel 110 percent all the time,” said Kelsey.

Blankets are also a great way to help them save energy and keep them nice and warm. Did you know there are five stages of cold for different blankets? The chart below shows the stages and which blankets to use in each.

The love, dedication, and effort we put into our horses every day is equally important as the hay, feed, blankets and products we use on them. Why? Because horses are best friends forever and they deserve to be given the best love and care possible!

Christmas Snack Mix

courtesy of chelseasmessyapron.com

A delicious addictive Christmas Snack Mix is perfect for the holidays! This snack mix is filled with cereal, pretzels, M&M's, and coated in melted white chocolate. No baking required.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups corn or rice Chex cereal or other crispy cereal

• 1 cup miniature pretzel twists or pretzel rods

• 2 cups Cap'n Crunch® cereal (with no berries)

• 2 cups Cheerios® or other toasted oat cereal

• 1 cup Christmas M&M’S (green and red)

• 1 and 1/2 bags white chocolate chips

(~3 cups or 16 ounces total)

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil or shortening

Optional: Christmas sprinkles

PREP: Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

COMBINE: In a large bowl combine the Chex cereal, pretzels (Note 1), Cap'n Crunch cereal, Cheerios, and M&M's. Mix together, making sure that everything is evenly distributed.

WHITE CHOCOLATE: In a medium-sized microwavesafe bowl, add the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 25 seconds. Stir until melted and smooth. If needed, return to the microwave for a little longer. (Heat in bursts of 10 seconds, stirring for 10 seconds in between each burst). Pour the melted and smooth white chocolate over the snack mix.

COMBINE: Gently stir until completely combined and all ingredients are coated in white chocolate (work quickly, because white chocolate hardens fast!) and then transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread into one even layer. If desired, add some Christmas/festive sprinkles before the white chocolate sets.

FIRM UP: Allow white chocolate to set at room tempera ture or place in the fridge until firm, about 10-20 minutes. Break into pieces and serve.

ithout a shadow of a doubt, the equine partners that help cowboys and cowgirls achieve their goals often go unnoticed and overlooked. However, barrel racer Alli Paige Cadwallader knows equine athletes deserve just as much credit as their riders. She gives insight into how appreciative she is of her team of horses and how she ensures that they are always well taken care of.

Alli is a well-known horseman amongst the youth rodeo crowd. She has accomplished many incredible feats in her career alongside her outstanding horses. In fact, one of her most famous performances occurred at the 2020 Texas High School Rodeo Association State Finals, where she won her first state title. “Being crowned the Texas High School Rodeo Association State Champion my freshman year was a huge honor for me,” she adds, “It was my first really big win.” Now a senior in high school, Cadwallader has continued to shine at youth events and has even expanded her talents into futurity races. While she enjoys the wins on what she calls her “finished horses,” she finds it more thrilling to be able to be successful on a younger, less experienced horse.

Cadwallader has been able to be so prosperous at many levels because of the care and attention she provides her horses with. She explains that for her to be at the top of her game, she has to make sure her horses are at the top of theirs. She exclaims, “I need to make sure I am doing absolutely everything I can to ensure my horses are physically and mentally prepared when they run down the alley.” She adds that in order for the fruits of her labor to show on the weekends, she has to put in the work day in and day out. “I make sure that coastal hay is kept in a slow feed hay net,” states Cadwallader. She believes that by implementing this practice, she can help prevent ulcers and give her horses something to munch on throughout the day. She also provides information about her training routine by saying, “My seasoned rodeo horses get eight-minute trotting and six-minute loping exercises during the week.” As previously stated, Alli competes in futurity events. When asked what a training session looks like for her younger horses, she says, “My younger horses get more work on the pattern along with trots on the track to keep them fresh.” From strict feeding programs to specified exercises, Alli knows what it takes to make her animals champions. Cadwallader’s primary focus is consis tency in whatever she does. It is no wonder that she makes consistent runs on consistent horses and consistently wins!

Alli Paige is currently competing in her final season as a Texas High School Rodeo Association athlete. Cadwallader continues to be one to watch and will be one to look forward to seeing in Abilene and possibly in the professional circuit one day. Best of luck to Alli and her horses along the rodeo trail! God Bless!

By TYLIE MCDONALD – Performance Reporter

ALLI PAIGE CADWALLADER

photo by Jennings

By CORLEY CALLAHAN – Performance Reporter

Region X would like to wel come all our new members and congratulate them on a successful Fall season! We complet ed our Fall rodeos in November, and will come back ready to finish strong in January. As usual, we had great rodeos at one of the best arenas in Texas, Circle T in Hamilton. But what was different were the numbers of contestants and runs!

On the Junior High side, we’ve grown by approximately 25 contestants and each rodeo has about 80 additional runs, compared to last year. Similarly, the High School membership has grown by close to 20 contestants and 45 runs!

This growth is excit ing and has even caused us to adjust our rodeo schedule so that our Jr.

High rodeo begins slightly earlier in the morning, which helps our high school rodeo finish a bit earlier in the evening.

At the end of the busy Fall season, our Junior High division has Corley Tilson and Devon Eakin leading the All Around. Both of these members have sizeable point leads and are in great shape going into the Spring rodeos.

On the flip side, the High School All Around race is a tight one for both the girls and the boys! The girls all around is being led by rookie, Rylie Edens, who has a slim advantage over Kenna Hipps and Spring Pennington Rowdy Quattlebaum is the leader on the boys’ side, and he’s edging out Carson Creach, Wyatt Jones and rookie, Logan Robertson, by a slim margin.

We can’t wait to see how these exciting All Around races, as well as all the event races, shake out when we continue our season in January!

JUNIOR HIGH

President’s Report

from TJHRA State President Trevor Bentley

The 2022-2023 Rodeo Year is in full swing. I hope your year is going well so far! The year is flying by for me. Can you believe the TJHRA State Finals is only six months away? State Finals are so much fun for me, and I cannot wait to see you all there again!

The TJHRA Student Officers, along with the board members, met with vendors during the Founder’s Invitational Rodeo in Hallettsville in October to decide on year end prizes. It was decided that our saddles will be coming from Slone Saddles, and our buckles will be from Kelly Slover again this year. There were alot of great vendors set up, and we all enjoyed learning about their different craftsmanship and uniqueness.

I spoke with Mrs. Anne Dollery , our TJHRA State Secretary, and asked her a few questions. She reported, “The year has started out pretty good. We have 874 members this year, and are looking forward to a great year.”

Bryce Johnson, an 8th grader in Region 7, when asked why he likes being a part of TJHRA said, “I like that everybody can just come together and rodeo, and I like hanging out with friends.” I then asked Bryce how his year has been going, “It’s been going good. I’m just trying to rope ‘em down. I’m practicing every day and trying to be the best that I can be.” Best of luck to Bryce this year!

Presley Harkness, a 5th grader in Region 7, when asked how her Rookie year has been going, and what she likes about TJHRA said, “It’s been going really good. I love Region 7. Everybody is very welcoming, and I think it’s cool our State President is in our Region.” Presley is pretty fierce. She will be one to watch in the future for sure!

The Student Officers plan on visiting several rodeos across the state this year to represent TJHRA. I look forward to reporting on those trips to you all soon! I wish you all the best at your region rodeos. Have fun and we will see you soon down the road!

God Bless, Trevor Bentley

TJHRA State President

Region

580-339-1469 cw.cathey11@gmail.com Region

432-940-5859 cadeschneemann@yahoo.com

Region

Region