We roped it around its neck. Then we tied a rope around his girth to give us something to hold on to. One of us held him still while the other jumped on top of the donkey bareback. When we were ready, he was let go. And he would jog, run, and buck to try to get us off of his back.

It was so much fun! We took turns over and over again. The donkey tried harder and harder to throw us off of his back. Sometimes he was successful and sometimes we jumped off.

If you ever try to ride a bucking donkey, remember to stay away from his back end. Donkeys have very strong kicks. One kick to the face or head and you are really hurt. Watch out and be careful.

My mom won’t let me ride bulls, but she allowed me to ride Burrito. And, I am glad that she did.

Bushwacked!

My neighbor, Tyler, and I ride horses for hours almost every afternoon when he gets home from school.  I take turns riding Ladd and my sister’s horse, Dolly.  We ride all over our ranch and even in surrounding pastures and woods with permission of course.

Last Saturday I was riding Dolly and Tyler was riding the horse that he is getting paid to train.  We rode into the pasture with my PawPaw’s cattle herd.  We rode up a dam and Dolly turned to the right.  She began running.  She ran through bushes and under tree limbs.

I did not have time to react.  I was only worried about staying on the saddle.  I hung on for dear life as limbs and leaves began hitting me.  They stung my face, but I kept my eyes closed.

It happened so fast that I did not have time to think.  I heard myself thinking, “Pull back.  Make her stop.  She can’t run away with me.”  I immediately pulled back on the reins and said, “Whoa!” in a calm, but commanding voice.  She responded instantly.

I looked around me and realized that we had only traveled about 10 feet.  Man, time sure passes slowly when your adrenaline kicks in.  Everything had been in slow motion.

Tyler encouraged me.  He praised me for taking back control.  He praised me for staying on Dolly.  He also persuaded me to ride back to the barn and tie Dolly to a patience post.  Then we walked home together.  I wanted to make sure that my eye was okay.

When I walked in the door, my mom immediately saw my eye.  “What happened to you?” she asked.  She thought Tyler and I had gotten into a fist fight.  I laughed and said with a smile, “I was bushwhacked!”

Tyler and I stayed for lunch and told the story.  Then we walked back to the barn, untied our horses, let them get a drink of water, and rode out again.  Dolly did fine the second time out.

Neither one of us know why she bolted.  I guess she was tired and wanted to go home.  Maybe the patience post was what she needed after all.  She sure behaved that afternoon.

Jason was knocked down to sixth place with one of the last rides of the night.  We were sad for him, but he was such a good sport.  It made me think of the saying, “You lose some, you win some.”

My cowboy hat is completely covered with the autographs of many bronc riders and steer wrestlers.  Each one was so nice, but my favorite cowboys are Ryan and Jason.

On Saturday, my mom ordered the rodeo finals on pay-per-view.  It is so exciting to watch an event when you know people competing.  Ryan was the first bareback rider to participate.  He scored an 84.5.  We were cheering because we knew that was a good score.  He placed third and moved to the Super Series.

The winner of the Super Series receives a $50,000 bonus.  Of course, we wanted Ryan to win this money.  He was up against the best of the best that day.

Ryan rode second.  His ride was so good!  His horse did a great job bucking and moving.  Ryan rode in time keeping the rhythm of the horse.  It was a beautiful sight!  We knew that he did a fantastic job, and we hoped that the judges would score him accordingly.  He made 90.5!!!

We were yelling and cheering because we knew his score would be tough to beat.  We watched the other two riders ride well and waited expectantly for their scores.  In the end, Ryan was the winner!

Below you can watch their video blog “The Pride of the PRCA.”  You can also view the Houston Finals of 2010.  Unfortunately it is just an overview of the rodeo.  You can only watch part of Ryan’s ride.

Immediately he was interviewed on the arena floor.  I was really impressed because he praised God.  He came across being very humble.  I also found out some information about Ryan and Jason.

Ryan is a member of Forever Cowboys.  They try to spread the Gospel wherever they go.  Jason and Ryan have a video blog called “The Pride of the PRCA.”  The shoot video footage of them traveling, behind the scenes of the rodeo, and interviews with other cowboys.  It was fun to watch.

Ryan also has his own website.  To visit it, click here.  If you are interested in rodeo or in either one of these two bareback riders watch their video blog.  I enjoyed seeing what life is like for a rodeo cowboy.

Congratulations, Ryan, on your victory in Houston!  Thank you both for such a memorable evening at the rodeo.  Jason, good luck next time.  I hope that this year you will both do your best and stay safe and healthy.

Ryan Gray, Jake DeHaven, and Jason Havens

Sunday afternoon was an exciting time for me after church.  My PawPaw and Grandma had met some bareback riders at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo earlier that week.  My PawPaw used to ride bareback before my mom was born.  Anyway, my grandparents invited these two cowboys to our ranch for a day of fishing.

I did not know if they were going to take up the invitation.  I really wanted to meet them myself.  When I got home from church later that afternoon, two men were fishing on my PawPaw’s lake.  I could not wait to go meet them.

Ryan Gray is from Cody, Wyoming.  He is doing very well at the Houston Rodeo.  Jason Havens is also doing very well.  Jason is from Oregon.  Both of them were very nice.  They agreed to take a photograph with me.  They also signed my straw cowboy hat.

Now I have three signatures on my hat that are special to me.  Clinton Anderson,  a famous horseman, along with Ryan and Jason’s signatures decorate the back brim of my hat.  Even when I grow out of my hat, I am going to keep it forever.

Both Ryan and Jason are going to ride in the semi-finals tonight in Houston.  They are going to try their best to make it to the finals on Saturday.  I am very excited for both of them.  I am even more excited because they got my family tickets to see them ride tonight.  So, not only are Ryan and Jason great cowboys, but they are also generous.

I will be cheering with all of my heart for my two new cowboy friends.  Good luck to both Ryan and Jason!  I hope that you both have the ride of your life tonight!

Clayton riding Commander.

Watching nature is very interesting.  The behavior of horses is one thing that I have been watching lately.

I told you about our horse, Commander.  Since he has been here on our ranch, he has been at the bottom of the totem pole with the other horses.  They kicked at him, bit at him, etc.

As far as a riding horse, Commander was great.  He would do anything that you asked him to do.  He was a pleasure to ride.

But something has changed.  Commander is asserting himself with the other horses and with us.  He has earned himself the title, “Boss Man of the Herd.”  When all the horses are out of their pens and together in the big pasture, Commander is telling the mares when they can move, where they can go, etc.  He is also driving the other gelding away from the mares.  Angus has to graze alone on the other side of the pasture.

Commander is using his body language to control his newly-claimed herd.  With a turn of his ear, the mares will obey him.  He has fought Angus and apparently won as top horse.

I do not care which horse is in control of the herd; however, I do care when a horse asserts itself on one of us.  Now that Commander is numero uno, he is being difficult with any rider.  Regardless if it is PawPaw or my brother, Clayton, riding him, Commander has been rearing up and bucking.  He is no longer a pleasure to ride.

What to do with a misbehaving horse?  Clearly, show him who is boss!  PawPaw has taken Commander back to school.  Several days a week PawPaw works Commander hard in the round pen.  Commander is slowly realizing that PawPaw is still the boss of him.

Dressed as warmly as possible.

I had blue jeans and chaps to cover my legs.  I had my Posse uniform on, which consists of a long-sleeved shirt and vest.  I put my heavy winter coat on under my Posse windbreaker.  Of course, I had on gloves and warm socks.  I also wore my felt cowboy hat with stampede strings tight under my chin.   Stampede strings saved my hat from being ruined.  The wind was blowing so hard that I would have surely lost my hat on the ride.

Ladd and I trotted and loped a minimum of 1 mile at a time.  We had 3 legs to ride before the parade entrance to the fairgrounds at the end of the day.  All in all, Ladd and I rode a total of 4 1/2 miles that day.  The exercise was good for both of us.

The second leg of the day was my favorite part of the day.  Ladd and I rode the leg immediately following my sister Kyla’s leg.  I got to watch her ride up to me and I took the saddle bags from her.  Then I took off for exactly one-mile.  That mile seemed to go the fastest because Ladd was warmed up nicely.

The scariest part of the day was having to ride down the busy Highway 105 on horseback.  18-wheelers, motorcycles, and the possibility of a train sounding its horn combined to make my a little nervous.  I was very thankful that two Grimes County Sheriff Deputies drove next to me to help keep me safe.  They stopped traffic when needed.  They kept up with our pace.  They stayed right there beside Ladd and I.

When we finally made it within a mile of the Grimes County Fairgrounds, our Posse met up with the Harris County Posse.  Together we walked the rest of the way in a parade fashion.  By this time, I was a frozen Popsicle.  A Go-Texan cook-off team had prepared dinner for all of us, but my family decided not to stay.  We were all so cold.  The horses were cold.  And, we all just wanted to go home.

We had a successful Pony Express ride.  Nobody got hurt.  No trucks and/or trailers got stuck in the mud.  We were representing our Sheriff as well as the Go-Texan Committee.  I think we did a fine job being ambassadors for them.  If you are interested in being a part of the Grimes County Jr. Mounted Posse, contact the sheriff.  His office number is (936) 873-6442.

His name is Bojangles.  He is a bay gelding.  Bojangles will do anything that ask him to do.

Last Saturday, I rode him all over the ranch.  We traveled with my friend Steve as he took turns riding different horses from our ranch.  Steve rode Jessie, Commander, Spur, Angus, and Shania.  My dad rode Cheyenne.  A friend of Steve named Smoky rode his own horse named Goose.

We had a great time riding all over the ranch.  Bojangles has a very soft, smooth lope.  He is a joy to ride.  He responds quickly to every direction and cue you give him.  The only thing I was not used to doing on a horse was stopping Bojangles.  He likes to be told “Whoa!” while you pull back the reins and move your feet forward.  It was not hard to do. This just goes to show that each horse is different.

Steve brought Bojangles to the ranch to teach my dad how to open gates on horseback.  My dad’s horse fights him while he is attempting to do so.  So Steve thought that a trained horse would help show my dad what he is supposed to do in order to get a horse to respond.  Now my dad understands and is able to open gates on his horse.

I completely enjoyed my day riding Bojangles.  The most surprising thing about him is that he had not been ridden for many months.  Most horses get spoiled if not worked with regularly.  Bojangles was ready to work immediately.  If he was my horse, I would ride him everyday.  I really wish I could afford to buy him.  Since I only have $390.00, I guess that Bojangles will never be mine.  But is there any harm in wishing?

I am receiving instructions before the parade.

The first three Saturdays of December is parade season around here.  On the first Saturday, Navasota hosted its annual Christmas Parade.  It is different than the other parades because it occurs at night.  A parade in the dark is pretty with Christmas lights on floats, but on horseback it is not the most fun.  Horses have much different vision than humans do.   Shadows can easily spook a horse.  Combine shadows, darkness, lights, crowds, sirens on police cars and fire trucks, a parade at night can potentially lead to disaster.  An uneventful parade with these circumstances relies on horse/rider trust.  If you don’t have your horse’s trust, then you will struggle to complete the ride.

All three parades occur on paved roads.  Horses’ hooves were designed to ride on grass, through pastures, and other natural places.  Their hooves, even shoed, can easily slip on pavement.  Last year one of the horses in our group slipped while turning onto a different road.  The horse fell on the pavement.  It unfortunately crashed down on its rider’s leg.  In true cowgirl form, she did not cry.  She walked it off for a moment and then mounted her horse again to finish the ride.  Luckily nothing was broken.

She is an experienced rider and her horse slipped and fell.  It can happen to the best of us.  You have to be careful when riding your horse on pavement.  You can have your horse shoed with non-slip shoes, but they are very expensive.  If you can afford this type of shoe, then you can ride with confidence on the street.  Horses can even lope on the roadways.

The Posse in the Plantersville Parade.

Our second parade was in Plantersville.  It rained the entire time.  This presented another problem: wet pavements.  The street was even more slippery.  Luckily, the parade happened in the morning so we could see where we were going and on what we were stepping.  Nobody in the whole parade had a problem with his/her horse.

This Saturday we will be in a parade in Bedias.  I have never participated in this parade so I do not know what to expect.  If you happen to be near Bedias Saturday morning, you can come see me ride Ladd in the parade.  I will be riding with the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff Mounted Posse.  See you there!

Neck reining is when you direct a horse by the feel of the reins on its neck.  Well-trained horses are very responsive.  You can easily control where they go.  You can rein with one hand.

On a colt, you have to use two hands.  When you want to turn to the right, slide your right hand down the reins closer to the horse’s head.  Then with both of your hands at the same time, you pull the reins over to the right.  To turn to the left, you do the exact opposite motion.  You slide your left hand down the rein and pull with both hands.  The most important part is moving your hands together in one smooth motion.

You do not have to be riding a horse to practice this movement.  You can stand up or sit down anywhere and pretend you are riding a colt.  Practicing the movement so that your hands move together will help your horsemanship skills.

Hot-blooded horses can be really wild.  They buck, jump around, try to bite you when you are riding, etc.  They are not easy riders.  You have to ride them down before you can enjoy a pleasure ride with them.  They are very spirited horses.

Cold-blooded horses are calm and gentle.  These make great kid horses.  However, you have to warm these horses up to really enjoy riding them.  My horse, Ladd, is a cold-blooded horse.

Whether your horse is hot or cold-blooded, you still need to do groundwork with them.  Knowing what kind of horse you own helps you to create a groundwork schedule that is individualized to your horse’s needs.  For example, we have Cheyenne, who is a hot-blooded horse.  She is a great horse and very sweet, but she can run forever and is extremely quick.  For Cheyenne, we teach her patience by tying her to a post.  We also longe her in a trot or lope before riding.  My dad, who rides her the most, always starts riding her in an arena before going out into the pasture.  He also flexes her neck.

On the other hand with Ladd, I longe him with the saddle on in order to warm him up.  We work up to a trot slowly.  Ladd is not lazy; he is old.  When I mount him, I make sure that he is warmed up before loping.  This is good for his muscles and joints just like any person going for a run.  You must stretch and warm-up first.

Determine if your horse is hot or cold-blooded.  It should not be difficult.  Once you know, work to either cool down your horse or warm it up before riding.  Either way you will have a more enjoyable ride when you work with your horse’s needs and not against them.