{"id":1275,"date":"2012-05-22T15:32:40","date_gmt":"2012-05-22T21:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rodeoclassifieds.com\/blog\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2012-05-22T15:58:00","modified_gmt":"2012-05-22T21:58:00","slug":"a-classic-event-in-ponoka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rodeoclassifieds.com\/blog\/a-classic-event-in-ponoka\/","title":{"rendered":"A Classic Event in Ponoka"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Classic Futurity and Derby was the first event of the season on Canadian Barrel Futurity<\/a> and Derby Tour.\u00a0 The event was held May 18-20 at the Ag Events Center in Ponoka, AB.\u00a0 A standard sized pattern was set and barrel racers put down some fast times in the Futurity, Derby and Open events.\u00a0 The event took the top 12 fast times from the first and second go’s to the short go (top 12 results below).<\/p>\n

In the futurity, Saskatchewan horse trainer Ronda Sayers came out as the event Champion.\u00a0 Ronda took time out to answer some of our questions about her horse and the big win.<\/p>\n

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Click to enlarge the pedigree<\/p><\/div>\n

What is the name of the horse you ran?
\nBreezin Thru Paradise. I call him Breeze because everything comes easily to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

How old is he?
\n5yrs old.<\/span><\/p>\n

How long have you been running barrels on him?
\nHe had 5 competition runs in AZ this winter and 3 indoor competition runs prior to The Classic.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the training background on this horse?
\nMy husband starts and trains horses for clients.\u00a0He has a great touch for 2yr olds\u00a0and rope horses. He put the first month on him for me. (Ronda and Chris operate SF Performance Horses<\/a> from their homes in Delmas, SK and Maricopa, AZ)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

As a 3yr old, he had probably 3 months riding (one month with my brother, Shayne Smith, while I was out of the country). We walked and trotted the pattern a little. Things came easily for him so I just left it at that.<\/span><\/p>\n

He came with us to\u00a0AZ and as\u00a0a 4yr old I started roping off him a little. He needed to learn how to use his feet and handle himself efficiently.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also came with me to AZ this winter. I took a couple clinics and spent most of the winter\u00a0mastering what I learned.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your training and riding style with your horse?
\nI follow Dena\u00a0Kirkpatrick’s training style.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is it you like best about him?
\nWe raised Breeze from a cow-bred mare that’s\u00a0agile footed,\u00a0a big\u00a0stopper, very ‘gritty’ and can handle pressure. These are attributes I look for in a prospect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, things comes easy to him (a Docs Paradise trait, from what I understand).<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0hard not to love that combo.<\/span><\/p>\n

You won the second round\u00a0and the short go, but did they feel like “winning runs”?
\nNo. People continue to tell me how slow my horse looks, or how slow I start to my first barrel. I never have a clue whether we’re close to clocking or not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On my 2nd run he didn’t finish his 1st or 2nd\u00a0as clean as normal, so I thought we’d be well out of the top 5.<\/span><\/p>\n

For my 3rd run I saw Ronnie Swales make\u00a0a great run\u00a0(she did an awesome job, btw), and I was simply\u00a0hoping for a smooth clean run for a cheque in the top 5.<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you prepare for your runs (warm up etc.)?
\nI\u00a0use my time onlies to trot-stop the pattern to encourage him to be patient in his turns and use any remaining time to chill out\u00a0walking around the arena.<\/span><\/p>\n

But other than that I make sure he’s warm enough\u00a0before his run. And I like to sit and wait for our run. Either think about other things, visit (if I happen to know somebody), or enjoy the barrel racing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What kind of saddle do you use?
\nI currently use a Lazy L by Coats.<\/span><\/p>\n

What kind of pad do you use?
\nAnything in the tack room not already being\u00a0used. A show pad with fleece, a 1″ Won Pad, an Air Ride, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

What kind of bit do you use?
\nBreeze gets anything for the\u00a0ranch jobs \u2013 big port to a snaffle.\u00a0I like to run him in a short shank Sherry Cervi twisted-wire dogbone, with the curb strap on the longest hole so it doesn’t come into play during a run.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there any specific goals you have set for yourself and your horse this season?
\nNothing specific….\u00a0My goal is to train a horse that is competitive at the futurities\u00a0and for\u00a0him to\u00a0enjoy his job.<\/span><\/p>\n

What lead you to be a barrel racer?
\nIt’s a great sport and I really enjoy the training aspect.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you were to share a training\/rodeo tip what would it be?
\n“Smooth is fast.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a link to a video <\/a>on facebook, you have to be logged in to view it.<\/p>\n

Check out Ronda’s 2nd go run:<\/p>\n